Brookfield Resident Assumes Top Post at Froedtert Health

Completing a succession plan announced more than a year ago, Brookfield resident Catherine A. Jacobson assumed the role of president and chief executive officer of Froedtert Health on July 1.

Jacobson, who was named president of the health care system in 2011, joined Froedtert Health in 2010 as executive vice president of finance and strategy. She succeeds William D. Petasnick, who in April 2012 announced his plans to step down July 1 as chief executive officer of Froedtert Health after leading the organization for 19 years.

As president and chief executive officer of Froedtert Health, Jacobson has responsibility for overseeing the overall management, strategy and financial planning for the health system.

“Froedtert Health is in excellent hands,” said David Lubar, chairman of the Froedtert Health board of directors. “Cathy Jacobson has quickly developed a solid understanding of our organization and has impressed us with her leadership skills as well as her grasp of fiscal, strategic and operational issues.”

Froedtert Health is a regional health care organization made up of Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee; Community Memorial Hospital, Menomonee Falls; St. Joseph’s Hospital, West Bend; and Froedtert Health Clinics, Waukesha and Washington counties. Joining the capabilities of an academic medical center affiliated with The Medical College of Wisconsin, two community hospitals and 32 community-based primary and specialty clinics, Froedtert Health delivers highly coordinated, cost-effective health care to residents of southeastern Wisconsin and beyond. In fiscal 2011, combined adult patient admissions for the three hospitals exceeded 41,500. For more information, visit froedterthealth.org.