July 21, 2025

Sanford Health president and CEO Bill Gassen has been named the American Hospital Association board chair-elect designate.

Gassen will be chair-elect in 2026 and become the 2027 chair of the AHA, the top elected official of the national organization that represents America’s hospitals and health systems and works to advance health in America.

Since 2020, Gassen has served as CEO of Sanford, which serves more than 2 million patients and more than 425,000 health plan members across the Upper Midwest, including South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wyoming, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

“It’s an incredible honor to be named chair-elect designate of the American Hospital Association,” Gassen said in a statement. “This is a pivotal moment for health care in our country, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve and help carry forward the AHA’s strong legacy of advocating for hospitals and health systems across rural, urban and suburban America. I’m committed to ensuring our members’ perspectives are heard – and that we stay focused on forward-looking strategies to strengthen care delivery and improve the health of the communities we serve.”

Before becoming Sanford’s president and CEO, Gassen served in a number of executive roles for the health system, including chief administrative officer, corporate counsel and chief human resources officer. He also is a former health care litigator and current member of the State Bar of South Dakota.