Joanne Fenton, a nurse and health care executive with extensive experience in hospital management, has been named president and chief executive officer of St. Mary’s Hospital in Streator. She succeeded Richard Carlson, who had been serving as interim CEO, on Sept. 29.

“I am very humbled to be joining St. Mary’s and the Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS), and very excited, too,” Fenton said.

“St. Mary’s Hospital is an integral part of Streator and the surrounding area, and I look forward to serving with the excellent physicians, clinicians and staff. From what I have seen, they care deeply about their patients and the community,” she said. “Together, we will build on the strong legacy of St. Mary’s to further enhance our quality services.”

Fenton comes to HSHS after 10 years at Banner Health of Phoenix, Ariz., where she was most recently interim chief executive officer at Banner Lassen Medical Center, a critical access hospital in Susanville, Calif. Prior to that, she served for nine years at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, Colo., where she began as the regional director of cardiovascular services and then spent eight years as chief nursing officer/associate administrator and chief administrative officer. That included seven months as interim CEO.

Fenton holds a bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix in Denver.

“We are very pleased to have Joanne join the ministry of the Hospital Sisters at St. Mary’s, where we have furthered the very strong mission of the Hospital Sisters and provided high-quality services for the entire community for more than 120 years,” said Stephanie S. McCutcheon, president and CEO of Hospital Sisters Health System.

“Joanne has the right combination of passion for our mission, a commitment to working with physicians, experience in direct patient care and leadership that will greatly benefit St. Mary’s,” she said.

St. Mary’s Hospital in Streator was founded by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in 1887. The Hospital Sisters Health System now includes 13 hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin.