DAYTON — The Board of Trustees of Premier Health announced that Mary Boosalis, President & CEO of the health system, plans to retire around the end of the first quarter in 2022, after more than 35 years of service to the people of the Miami Valley region.
Her career has been marked by partnerships, successfully navigating unprecedented challenges, and a strong orientation towards physician and clinical quality in advancing Premier’s mission of building healthier communities. She has made significant strides in the advancement of women in executive leadership roles, culminating in her own current position at Premier and assembling an executive team made up of more than 50% women. Her passion for diversity, inclusion and equity has never wavered throughout her life and has long been a focus of her work. A much sought-after speaker on leadership in healthcare and diversity, Boosalis has lent her expertise to thousands of others, sharing her experiences in a genuine and fact-based manner that has provided a pathway for many to emulate.
During the past 18 months, Mary’s leadership ability and experience has been critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. Challenges to obtain personal protective equipment, testing supplies, vaccine distribution, and most importantly, supporting front line and support staff has been a passionate focus. Working with the Premier team to act on a constant stream of information that often necessitated changes to be made, sometimes by the hour, was essential in serving the thousands of patients who needed care.
Enhancing partnerships with other decision makers at the local, state, and national levels, resulted in finding unique solutions to challenging problems associated with COVID-19. The University of Dayton and Premier stood up one of the first drive through testing sites in Ohio, serving patients efficiently and with compassion. Premier’s physicians, nurses, and other clinical and support staff partnered with others to initiate a first in the nation COVID treatment, and other groundbreaking accomplishments to fight a relentless virus.
“Premier will lose a great leader when Mary Boosalis retires, but she will leave a tremendous legacy defined by pioneering accomplishments, deep and enduring partnerships, and her unsurpassed integrity,” noted Dr. Eric Spina, president of the University of Dayton. “The University of Dayton has been blessed by Mary given her strong leadership of our Board of Trustees as the first female chair, the comprehensive partnership between UD and Premier that has enabled our navigation of the pandemic and more, and the anchor institution work we do together in greater Dayton. While I will miss Mary’s deft touch and generous grace at the helm of Premier, I look forward to her continued meaningful contributions to the community I know she loves.”
Boosalis earned a bachelor’s degree in Nursing, magna cum laude, from California State University at Fresno, and a master’s degree in Health Services Administration, magna cum laude, from Arizona State University College of Business. She is a diplomat of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and a member of numerous boards including the Ohio Hospital Association, the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association, the University of Dayton, serving as the current chair, the Dayton Development Coalition, the Dayton Business Committee, and Hub Group, Inc. She is a past member of the Sinclair Community College Board, the Life Connection Board, and is a past chair of the Dayton Area American Heart Association Board.
In 2019 and again in 2021, Modern Healthcare recognized Boosalis as being one of the Top 25 Women Leaders in Healthcare in the country through their biennial award. In 2020, Modern Healthcare named Mary to the national list of 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives. Mary has also been named to the 10 Top Women list by the Dayton Daily News, has been recognized as an Ohio Most Powerful and Influential Woman by the Ohio Diversity Council, and as a Woman of Influence by the Dayton YWCA. She was honored as a member of the inaugural class of the Dayton Business Hall of Fame.
Citing that it was time to retire, Boosalis is looking forward to being with her family and pursuing other activities that have long been on her list of retirement goals. The Board of Trustees will be conducting a national search for her replacement.
