Sept. 6, 2023

The executive team at Sanford Health has some new additions.

CEO Bill Gassen announced multiple changes to his leadership team that “are intended to support our continued progress toward our goals and to position the organization for even greater impact,” he said in a statement.

“My focus is on ensuring we have the right leaders in place to drive effective collaboration, make the best possible decisions and take full advantage of the strategic opportunities in front of us.”

Nathan Peterson, who serves as chief strategy and development officer, will transition full time to chief of staff to lead the office of the president and CEO, and “oversee all matters related to system governance with our board of trustees,” Gassen said.

“Given Nathan’s experience and deep familiarity with both the system and the health care industry, I asked him to focus exclusively on the important priorities of this role. There are no plans to backfill the chief strategy officer position at this time.”

Sanford also is adding the role of chief external affairs officer to its leadership team, which will be held by Erika Batcheller, who serves as vice president, media relations and corporate communications.

“Erika has been informally serving in a similar role for the last year, and she has added a valued perspective to our work,” Gassen said. “I am pleased to officially welcome her to the executive team.”

Sanford also is adding the role of chief technology officer to the leadership team “to bring information technology, digital and data analytics under a unified vision and strategy,” Gassen said. “This role will ensure we have strong technology competency on our executive team and better enable the organization to harness the tremendous potential to transform how we work, enhance patient experience and advance the business.”

Sanford plans to conduct an external search for the CTO, who will serve as the organization’s top technology architect, “setting the vision and direction for technology-driven innovation,” Gassen said.

Sanford also is starting a national search for a permanent chief financial officer to replace Bill Marlette, who has been serving in the role since June in an interim capacity after previously retiring.

All four C-suite positions will report to Gassen.

Sanford also announced the upcoming retirement of John Snyder, president of Sanford Health Plan, which is planned for the end of 2024. He has led the health plan since 2019, and Sanford will start recruiting soon for a replacement.

“I am looking forward to bringing new voices and expertise to the senior management team as we accelerate our efforts to drive transformation of care for those we serve, build the health care workforce of tomorrow and make investments to elevate the health and well-being of communities across our footprint,” Gassen said. “I am incredibly proud of the way the people of Sanford Health have successfully navigated economic headwinds while remaining steadfast in our commitment to being a trusted provider of exceptional care when patients and residents need us most.”

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