Meeting Speaker - July 19, 2016
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Sarah Krevans, Sutter Health President and Chief Executive Officer
As president and chief executive officer for Northern California-based Sutter Health, Sarah Krevans provides strong leadership and clear vision borne of nearly three decades of executive experience in the health care field. Ms. Krevans combines a commitment to improving the lives of others with keen business insight in leading one of the nation’s foremost not-for-profit health care networks.
As a young adult, Ms. Krevans held entry-level jobs in care facilities for frail older people and patients with severe mental illness—experiences that profoundly influenced her career choices. Believing the American health system was in disrepair, she embarked on a path in health care administration, earning master’s degrees in business administration and public health from the University of California, Berkeley, after receiving a bachelor’s degree from Boston University.
At 29, she was appointed acting director of Medicaid, health planning and licensure programs for the state of Maine after serving as deputy director of the state’s Bureau of Medical Services.
Ms. Krevans returned to California in 1987 to join Kaiser Permanente, where she held increasingly responsible positions, including senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser’s Valley Service Area. In this role, she oversaw health plan and hospital operations across a six-county area with more than a half-million members.
Ms. Krevans joined the not-for-profit Sutter Health network in 1999 as senior vice president of managed care. From 2000 to 2011, she served as regional executive officer and president of the Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region, whose multicounty size rivaled that of many U.S. health care systems. In her regional role, Ms. Krevans strengthened relationships with medical groups and independent physicians and enhanced high-quality patient services, including neurological care and cancer care. She and her team also led the development of an acclaimed program to connect Sacramento-area homeless people with primary care and social services.
From 2012 to 2015, Ms. Krevans served as Sutter Health’s chief operating officer, overseeing day-to-day operations of the network of five multispecialty physician medical foundations, 24 acute care hospitals, 34 outpatient surgery centers and comprehensive home health care programs serving 3 million patients across Northern California. She oversaw the development of Sutter Health’s systemwide medical research efforts and provided executive oversight for multibillion-dollar investments in care facility construction and improvements.
Ms. Krevans’ life outside work reflects her professional interests. She is past chairwoman of the northeastern California chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Sierra Forever Families. In 2011, Northern California’s Women Healthcare Executives named her Woman of the Year. That same year she received the Humanitarian of the Year award from United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Sacramento.
Parents of three adult children, Ms. Krevans and her husband support several organizations focused on serving children and other vulnerable people.