For 28 years, Renée Anderson, president and CEO of Saint John’s on the Lake in Milwaukee, has brought a combination of financial expertise, personal charm and tenacity to her role, colleagues say.
“She is truly an outstanding servant leader in health care in Wisconsin,” said Luci Klebar, director of sales and marketing at Saint John’s.
Anderson joined Saint John’s in 1996 as director of finance, was named vice president in 2001 and was promoted to president and CEO in 2011. During her tenure, Anderson led Saint John’s through two campus repositioning projects, totaling more than $200 million.
“It takes grit to lead large projects, but perhaps only Renée could have pulled off the first during a global financial crisis and the second amid a global pandemic,” Klebar said. “It takes courage to move regulatory mountains. Renée is a driving force of person-centered care, elevating skilled nursing care facility design. Not only was she able to obtain waivers for certain features, but her continued advocacy made those waivers ultimately unnecessary when the concepts were embraced by state regulators.”
A hands-on caregiver, Anderson maintained her CNA licensure from 2006 until 2017.
