In its second C-level announcement this week, Kaleida Health has named a new CIO to the system from Kansas.
Courtney Lewis Starnes will join Kaleida on Nov. 13 as senior vice president and chief information officer. She comes from the Kansas City region, where she has served as associate chief information officer at Saint Luke’s Health System since 2018.
Kaleida earlier this week announced a search for a new COO as Cheryl Klass prepares to retire for the second time. The $2 billion health system has made several C-level hires this fall:
- Hugh Chisholm was named chief financial officer, beginning Oct. 18. He came to the system from Rochester Regional Health.
- Matthew Drake, former CFO, was named executive vice president for strategy and partnerships. He joined the system in March 2021 as VP and CFO for site financial operations.
- Dr. Dori Marshall was named chief medical officer for Oishei Children’s Hospital, coming to the post from Erie County Medical Center.
In the CIO post, Starnes takes over for Linda Koester, who was named interim CIO in March.
Before her current role at Saint Luke's, Starnes served as senior director of information services program management for Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, which followed a 12-year stint with Cerner Corp. – the company that provides Kaleida’s electronic medical record system.
Kaleida CEO Don Boyd called that experience a major plus for the system.
“There is no doubt her familiarity with the Cerner platform and serving a diverse client base will give her a running start as she transitions into the top IT position at Kaleida Health,” he said. “She’s going to be an invaluable asset as we work to modernize our IT infrastructure over the coming years.”
Starnes holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Missouri State University and an MBA with a concentration in health care administration.