Hospital foundation names trustees and officers

Hospital foundation names trustees and officers

Rachel Mraz. Courtesy Saint Mary's Foundation

A local hospital foundation has named several new trustees and officers to its board.

The Saint Mary’s Foundation said yesterday that it has appointed three board trustees: Veverly Austin, president and founder of Confident Living; Jennifer Crowley, partner and owner of Highland Group; and Jeff Towner, SVP, wealth management advisor, portfolio manager at Merrill Lynch.

The trio began their three-year terms on July 1.

Rachel Mraz, Saint Mary's Foundation board chair, said she’s “thrilled” to welcome the new trustees.

The Saint Mary’s Foundation also announced its newly appointed officers:

  • Chair, Rachel Mraz
  • Vice Chair, Craig Datema
  • Treasurer, Jeffrey Dixon
  • Secretary, Kim Clarke
  • At-Large Officer, Deb Bailey
  • At-Large Officer, Karen Custer
  • At-Large Officer, Robert Woodhouse Jr.

Hospital foundation

The goal of the Saint Mary's Foundation is to assist Mercy Health Saint Mary's in Grand Rapids in achieving its mission of providing quality health care, and the trustees play a “key leadership role” in achieving that goal.

From July 2015 to June 2016, the Saint Mary's Foundation said it awarded more than $1.1 million in support of various Mercy Health Saint Mary's programs, including the cancer center, ALS program, Clinica Santa Maria and nursing education.

"Saint Mary’s Foundation is well positioned to continue supporting the important initiatives and programs of Mercy Health Saint Mary's,” Mraz said.