News Releases

St. Luke's Hospital Names New President and CEO

Christine M. Candio will succeed Gary Olson, who plans to retire after a 36-year career at the hospital.

Chesterfield, Mo., October 20, 2014 - The St. Luke's Hospital board of directors has appointed Christine M. Candio as the hospital's new president and chief executive officer, effective in January 2015.

For the past six years, Candio has served as CEO of Inova Alexandria Hospital, a 318-bed, nonprofit hospital in northern Virginia, and as senior vice president of Inova Health System. She also currently serves as the chair of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

Candio received her master's degree in public administration, with a focus in healthcare management, from Fairleigh Dickinson University and her bachelor's degree in nursing from William Paterson College of New Jersey.

She began her career as a nurse, progressed through nursing leadership ranks at several hospitals and gained extensive healthcare operations and senior executive leadership experience during the past three decades.

Earlier this year, Gary Olson, St. Luke's president and CEO for the last 15 years, announced his intention to retire in January 2015 after a 36-year career at the hospital.

Gene Toombs, St. Luke's board of directors chairman, stated, "After an extensive nationwide search, Chris was the unanimous choice of our entire search committee."

"Being selected to lead a top-notch organization like St. Luke's Hospital is an honor," said Candio, incoming St. Luke's Hospital president and CEO. "I look forward to working with St. Luke's board of directors, physicians, employees, volunteers and others to continue the important work of making a difference for patients and the community."

About St. Luke's Hospital:
St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield, Mo. is a not-for-profit healthcare provider committed to improving the quality of life for patients and the community.

For nearly 150 years, St. Luke's has furthered its mission by providing high quality, compassionate patient care, a broad range of services and a strong commitment to the community through the dedicated efforts of an exceptional team of caregivers and support staff.

Today, the 493-bed hospital offers care in more than 60 specialty areas and serves the region from its network of 25 locations across the greater St. Louis area. Additionally, St. Luke's is the only St. Louis hospital recognized as one of America's 50 Best Hospitals™ by Healthgrades® (2007-2014), placing it among the top 1 percent of hospitals in the nation based on clinical quality.

For more information, visit stlukes-stl.com/newsroom .

CONTACT:
Megan Donovan, APR
314-576-2373
314-823-1874 (pager)
megan.donovan@stlukes-stl.com

232 S. Woods Mill Rd.
Chesterfield, Mo. 63017
stlukes-stl.com/newsroom