Change effective July 1; Woleske to remain in consultative role
GREEN BAY — After more than 26 years in various leadership roles with Bellin Health and Bellin and Gundersen Health System, Executive Vice President and Bellin Region President Chris Woleske has announced her retirement, effective July 1, 2025. Woleske will remain in a consultative role with the health system through the end of 2025.
Bellin and Gundersen CEO Dr. Scott Rathgaber will step into Woleske’s current role on an interim basis and take the opportunity to deepen his familiarity with the Bellin Region and help determine next steps for its leadership.
“Leading Bellin Health, and the Bellin Region of Bellin and Gundersen Health System, has been the best job I could imagine,” Woleske said. “I have been blessed to work with our more than 5,000 medical providers and staff who dedicate themselves every day to excellence in patient care. Bellin’s commitment to the communities we serve has allowed me the opportunity to partner with so many incredible nonprofit organizations. Never was that commitment to community more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic. This commitment binds our current and future leaders to our vision for a future of healthy people and thriving communities. During the next eight months, I will remain dedicated to that vision and will work closely with Dr. Rathgaber and the Bellin Region leadership team to affect a smooth transition.”
Woleske joined Bellin Health in 1998 and served in many leadership roles including general counsel, executive vice president leading hospital services, and ultimately chief operating officer prior to her appointment as the president and chief executive officer of Bellin Health in 2018. In 2022, when Bellin Health and Gundersen Health System merged, she took on her current role.
As an executive leadership team member, Woleske has had a significant impact on Bellin Health, not only through her unwavering commitment to quality, but also through the expansion of Bellin Health facilities to create more convenient access to services for patients. Under her leadership, Bellin opened its Oconto Hospital and Marinette Clinic and Surgery Center, expanding care in the northern region. In addition, Woleske was the executive leader for the development of the Bellin Cancer Center, and more recently the new Surgery & Specialty Center in Green Bay, creating convenient and efficient access to outpatient cancer treatment and surgical services. These facilities have been co-designed with patients to provide exceptional patient care.
In her role as Bellin’s CEO, Woleske led the organization in a transformative journey from a health system to a population health organization emphasizing preventive medicine and management of chronic disease, participating in risk sharing arrangements to achieve better health outcomes, healthier populations and more affordable healthcare. Bellin Health’s Accountable Care Organization was named second among 482 organizations nationwide in quality and experience in 2022 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, while at the same time it reduced the total cost of care. Among many other accolades, Bellin Hospital recently earned its 12th consecutive A Hospital Safety Grade from Leapfrog Group.
“Chris Woleske’s lasting impact on Bellin Health is immeasurable, and I am incredibly grateful for the expertise, dedication and caring she has devoted to Bellin for the last 26 years,” Rathgaber said. “Thanks to her leadership, Bellin and Gundersen Health System — becoming Emplify Health — is well positioned for a robust future continuing to serve our patients and communities.”
Woleske’s awards and accolades are many, including the Chamber of Commerce Athena Award (2017), the Wisconsin Chapter of the Harvard Business School Leader of the Year Award (2021), the Nancy Armbrust Impact Award (2021), Marquette Law Alumna of the Year Award (2022), Green Bay Rotary Free Enterprise Award (2022) and the Wisconsin Hospital Association Distinguished Service Award (2023). She also serves on several boards of directors, including Krueger International and the Green Bay Packers. View a full bio and a downloadable photo of Woleske.