Catherine Jacobson, who has served as the chief executive officer of Wauwatosa-based Froedtert Health since 2012, will be honored as BizTimes Media’s 13th Woman Executive of the Year award winner.
Jacobson will be recognized at the Women in Business Symposium, to be held on Wednesday, Aug. 23, from 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon at the Brookfield Conference Center, 325 S. Moorland Road, Brookfield. Click here to register.
As president and CEO of Froedtert Health, Jacobson leads one of the state’s largest private employers, with more than 13,000 employees.
Earlier this year, Froedtert and Neenah-based ThedaCare announced plans to merge. After the merger is complete, Jacobson will initially serve as CEO. After a six-month transition period, she will retire. Click here for a Q&A with Jacobson about the merger and her retirement plans.
Jacobson also serves on several boards. In 2021, she was named chair of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce board. Other board appointments include Vizient, United Way of Greater Milwaukee and the Greater Milwaukee Committee. She is past chair of the Wisconsin Hospital Association board and still serves on that board.
Past BizTimes Media Women Executive of the Year honorees include:
- 2022 – Christine Pharr, retired president of Mount Mary University
- 2021 – Kathy Koshgarian, president and COO, The Dohmen Company Foundation
- 2020 – Patty Cadorin, senior advisor, BMO Harris Bank
- 2019 – Mary Lou Young, former CEO of the United Way of Milwaukee & Waukesha County
- 2018 – Juli Kaufmann, president, Fix Development
- 2017 – Wendy Baumann, president and chief visionary officer, Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp.
- 2016 – Paula Pennebaker, president and CEO, YWCA Southeast Wisconsin
- 2015 – Eve Hall, former president and CEO, African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin
- 2014 – Nan Gardetto, founder, owner and CEO, Baptista’s Bakery, Inc.
- 2013 – Maria Monreal-Cameron, former president and CEO, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Wisconsin
- 2012 – Gail Lione, former executive vice president, Harley-Davidson, and former president of the Harley-Davidson Foundation
- 2011 – Cynthia LaConte, president and CEO, Dohmen
In addition to the presentation of the Woman Executive of the Year Award, the Women in Business Symposium will provide strategies to thrive as a leader in the workplace. The event will feature a keynote conversation with Julie Brandt, vice president and president of Building Solutions North America for Johnson Controls. The discussion will be moderated by Caroline Krider, senior vice president and Milwaukee market leader, global industrials and services, for U.S. Bank.
The keynote conversation will be followed by a panel discussion including:
- LaVay Lauter, director of talent development and senior vice president, Baird
- Tiffany May, vice president of preconstruction for Berghammer Construction Corp.
- Dr. Stacia Thompson, executive director of the Sherman Phoenix Foundation
- Melissa Tashjian, president and founder of Compost Crusader
The panel discussion will be moderated by Kathy Thornton-Bias president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee.
Following the panel discussion and the presentation of the Woman Executive of the Year Award, there will be a series of breakout sessions for discussions on topics including: curating your next career steps, adding to your mental health toolbox, understanding and supporting your younger workforce, lessons learned on the road to leadership and the power of connection.
The Women in Business Symposium is presented by U.S. Bank. It is sponsored by Alverno College. Supporting sponsors are Northwestern Mutual – The Lueder Financial Group and Summit Credit Union.
