By Kathryn Stroppel “Commitment, by its nature, . . . joins us with others similarly committed. Commitment moves us from the mirror trap of the self-absorbed . . . to the freedom of a community of shared values.” – Michael Lewis

About 30 minutes from Chicago, Blue Island is a community of 25,000 not unlike many other cities its same size. Antique shops, historic homes and strip malls stretch across this Illinois landscape, melding Blue Island into its big-city neighbor and proving it takes more than intuition to discover the young health care executive of the year. Sometimes, it takes a road map. Just the same, the president/CEO of the city’s largest employer, Colleen Kannaday, will claim the title in March after being chosen by the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) to receive the 2002 Robert S. Hudgens Award. Kannaday, who joined the nearly 100-year-old St. Francis Hospital & Health Center in 1996 as executive vice president and chief operating officer, was named president/CEO in March 2001, already having served as interim president of Saint Eugene Community Hospital in rural Dillon, SC, at age 26. Responsible for an operating budget of $140 million, 1,500 employees and 325 medical staff members, the 34-year-old Kannaday also is overseeing the design and implementation of a $33.6 million expansion and renovation project.

The Hudgens Award for young health care executive of the year is presented annually to an exceptional health care executive who is less than 40 years old and who is the chief executive officer or chief operating officer of a health services organization. An ACHE Diplomat, Kannaday was selected from among numerous young health care executives nominated by their colleagues. When told she won, “I nearly fell out of my chair,” she says. “I was obviously extremely surprised and very honored.” Awards, she says, are never conscious goals. “You don’t work toward awards. You do what you do every day from a professional standpoint because you love what you do – it’s a passion for your work. In my mind, the award is a reflection of that passion.” Passion isn’t the only thing driving her toward success. She says it’s also a commitment and a belief in St. Francis. “I believe from the bottom of my heart that this hospital provides phenomenal health care,” she says. “I believe in our staff and their commitment to patients, and I think what’s gotten me through the last year is the belief that this hospital has an incredible future and wanting to be a part of making that happen.” And a community is taking note as her enthusiasm and commitment extends beyond the walls of St. Francis throughout the Blue Island community. “Colleen continuously reaches out to her staff, the business community and the people of our area to bring them together,” says Blue Island Mayor Donald Peloquin. “Colleen has re-established the feeling that St. Francis is a community hospital and not just a medical facility, and her energy level and commitment to make St. Francis better is contagious. I have talked with many people who feel that her leadership has sparked a completely new attitude toward the hospital. She has given this community of 25,000 people new hope for a bright future.”

Like winning awards, Kannaday didn’t set out to unite a community or lead a hospital. “I never imagined I would be where I am,” she says. “Obviously, I have goals both personally and professionally, but my criteria in terms of where I am in life and where I’ll go is always that I continue to learn and that I’m making a difference in whatever role it is that I’m serving, regardless of title or position.” The opportunity to learn proved invaluable to Kannaday as an SSMHC executive trainee, where she regularly attended meetings with System Management and entity presidents, and later at St. Eugene, where she gained confidence in working closely with medical staff, as well as insight into the role of a hospital president. Even with 10 years of experience in the health care field, Kannaday was concerned she had too much to learn to take over as president at St. Francis. In fact, as the hospital was searching for its new president, Kannaday declined to be a candidate until one night driving home from work she suddenly knew she wanted the job. “I finally realized that the best time to serve the organization is now,” she says, “by moving into the president’s role and continuing to learn and maintain connections to everyday operations.” Her success is proof she made the right decision – all the while staying connected to her  #1 priority, her family. A hospital CEO’s daughter who grew up in Catholic health care, Kannaday says one thing she’s learned is the importance, as a woman and a young professional, of the support of colleagues and family, which includes 3-year-old son, Roman, and husband, Kim, who left a family business in Dillon for life near the Windy City. She’s also learned to rely on and be confident in her own knowledge. “You give 100 percent in what you do every day, but at the same time you can’t take yourself so seriously and be so critical that you always second-guess yourself. At a certain point, you have to rely on intuition and passion in terms of the decisions you make, and you’ve got to have fun with what you’re doing.”