Our senior leadership team brings extensive and practical experience to our health system. Their focus is squarely on executing the strategic vision that ensures Covenant Health consistently and effectively meets the diverse health care needs of the communities we serve.
Stephen Grubbs serves as president and CEO of Covenant Health. In this position, he is responsible for developing and implementing corporate strategies, system integration and operational performance. He brings extensive administrative experience to this role, including his time as president and CEO of Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart Health System in Panama City, Florida, a full-service acute care hospital designated as the region’s level II trauma center with three campuses. Grubbs also served as CEO for 368-bed full-service Paris Regional Medical Center in Paris, Texas, and CEO of Regional Hospital of Jackson, Tennessee, part of the Community Health Systems, CHS, network. He worked with CHS for 14 years in CEO and CFO roles at hospitals in Tennessee and Pennsylvania.
Grubbs earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Kentucky and his Master of Business Administration from Bethel University. He is a member of the board of directors for Covenant Health and is chair of the Yankee Alliance of Andover, Massachusetts, a regional group purchasing organization.
Susan I. Belanger, PhD, MA-HCML, MA-BEHP, RN, NEA-BC, HEC-C serves as the Senior Vice President of Mission Integration and Ethics for Covenant Health. In this position, she provides strategic leadership to ensure the mission, values and heritage of Covenant Health are integrated into all aspects of the organization. Belanger also serves as the system ethicist. In this role, she promotes ethical practice at all levels of the organization with the goal of enhancing ethical awareness in the delivery of high-quality health care.
Belanger has experience in both nursing leadership and education, as well as ethics. She held hospital positions as nurse manager, nursing director and chief nursing officer. A former Associate Professor at St. Joseph’s College in Standish, Maine, she taught in both the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs and held the position of Graduate Nursing Program Director. Currently, Belanger is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University in Washington, DC where she teaches ethics in the program for advanced practice nurses. Belanger also worked as a Senior Research Scholar at the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown where she participated in ethics consultations and medical student education.
She earned a diploma in nursing from St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Lewiston, Maine, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Maine and a Master of Science in Nursing and PhD from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Belanger also completed two post-doctoral Master’s Degrees from Loyola University in Chicago, one in Bioethics and Health Policy and more recently, a Master’s Degree in Health Care Mission Leadership.
Belanger is a board-certified Nurse Administrator – Advanced (NEA-BC) and is certified in the Fundamentals of Magnet. She recently became certified as a Healthcare Ethics Consultant through the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. She completed 11 years of volunteer service on the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) and currently serves on the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA).
Bradford Coffey joined Covenant Health in 2015 and serves as Senior Vice President and President of Covenant Health Foundation. In his role, Coffey is responsible for leading all philanthropic activity within Covenant Health’s member organizations.
Prior to joining Covenant Health, Coffey held the title of Vice President for Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems Foundation, where he led philanthropy efforts to build a new adult cancer center, pediatric cancer center, multiple sclerosis center and new inpatient tower. He is known among his peers for his ability to communicate complicated concepts in straightforward and compelling language, and he is well respected by leaders in Maine and throughout New England.
Coffey began his career in philanthropy at the University of Maine Foundation in 2001 after nearly a decade of practicing law. He has received many service awards and recognitions dating back to the early 1990s. Coffey is a licensed Maine attorney, and he has been very involved in his community, including serving as president of the Maine Planned Giving Council, the Bangor Rotary Club, board chair of Shaw House and treasurer of the Maine Conservation Voters. He and his wife, Elizabeth, are the proud parents of three children.
Coffey received his Bachelor of Arts from George Washington University in Washington, DC and his Juris Doctor degree from University of Maine School of Law in Portland, Maine.
John Emerson serves as Senior Vice President of Provider Enterprise and Strategic Alignment. His focus spans Covenant Health’s acute and ambulatory markets where he is responsible for provider enterprise strategy, employed and contracted provider alignment, provider compensation and productivity, provider workforce planning and population health strategy. He also serves as system lead on our patient access transformation.
John joined Covenant Health in June 2015 as a consultant, at a time when our medical groups operated essentially as independent practices. His first charge was to develop an aligned, high performing provider enterprise, work that included defining a leadership and governance infrastructure, a pathway for growth, and a shared commitment for quality and safety. He was named Interim Vice President of the newly formed Integrated Medical Group in January 2016, a position that was made permanent a year later. As Senior Vice President of IMG, John has served as a valued member of our corporate leadership team for the past six years.
Stephen Forney serves as Chief Financial Officer for Covenant Health. In this capacity, he oversees strategic, fiduciary and operational responsibilities, including accounting, treasury, planning, budgeting and financial reporting. He also provides daily financial leadership and oversight to achieve financial performance.
Forney brings to this position 30+ years of experience in health care finance/operations in acute, post-acute, physician practice and pre-hospital settings with particular focus on operational improvement. Before coming to Covenant Health, he served in leadership capacities as CFO of the Chinese Hospital Association in San Francisco, California; as CFO for System Operations for Prospect Medical Holdings in Los Angeles, California; CFO for Verity Health System in Redwood Shores, California; and as Vice President & CFO of Ardent Health Services/Lovelace Health System in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A native of New York, Forney attended Saint Leo College in St. Leo, Florida, as an undergraduate and later earned his MBA, graduating with distinction. He is a licensed certified public accountant; a certified global management accountant, a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, a fellow in the Healthcare Financial Management Association; and is board certified by the Medical Group Management Association. He is also widely published and is a frequent presenter on financial topics for professional organizations across the country.
Paige Hagerstrom serves as Vice President of Employee Experience. She is a seasoned Employee Experience professional initially joining Covenant Health in 2008 as the Employee Relations Manager at St. Mary’s Health System in Lewiston. She gained experience in progressively responsible positions at St. Mary’s, St. Joseph’s Healthcare, and in 2016 joined the home office staff as System Director of Talent Management. Her skills were further recognized by her promotion to Assistant Vice President in November 2020.
Paige earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern Maine and her Master of Business Administration from Thomas College. She is a member of the board of Community Clinical Services and has also served as president of the Maine Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration.
John A. Jurczyk, FACHE, serves as Senior Vice President of Covenant Health and President of St. Joseph Hospital. He brings to this position 40 years of experience including a strong background in not-for-profit and faith-based health care. Prior to his appointment to St. Joseph Hospital, Jurczyk served for ten years in for-profit health care including tenure as President of Good Samaritan Medical Center, a Steward Family Hospital in Brockton, Massachusetts. There, he led the hospital to achieve designation by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health as the first and only Level III Trauma Center in Massachusetts EMS Region V. At the same time, the hospital achieved one of the highest operating margins in the Commonwealth.
Jurczyk took a unique path to leadership, having worked his way up from pharmacist to C-Suite at Good Samaritan Medical Center, an acute care Catholic hospital with 267 licensed beds. He has also served in hospital management capacities at several other hospitals throughout New England, and he has passion for and experience in advancing the culture and mission of non-profit, faith-based health care. In total, Jurczyk has dedicated over half of his career to Catholic health care.
Jurczyk holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management from Bryant University. He completed his residency at Rhode Island Hospital. Jurczyk became a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives in 2012 and recently obtained Professional Director certification by the American College of Corporate Directors. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for Trinity Catholic Academy, an elementary school for urban youth in Brockton, Massachusetts.
Uday Madasu serves as Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Covenant Health. Uday is a proven Information Technology executive with over twenty years of hands-on experience in the implementation and management of health care information systems including electronic health records and other clinical, financial, and operational applications. He brings to this role extensive competencies in digital transformation; business intelligence and analytics; cybersecurity strategy; process reengineering and workflow automation; and enterprise technology architecture. As a member of our Corporate Leadership Team, his focus is to align technology strategies with our organizational objectives to drive growth and innovation.
Uday’s previous experience includes tenure with the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services where he served as CIO. This $250 million multi-service not-for-profit Health and Human Services agency is based in New York City and offers supportive services to adults and children living with mental illness, families and individuals who need supportive housing, adolescents in recovery, and people living with developmental disabilities. He also has previous tenure with RiverSpring Health, a large not-for-profit long term and post-acute care provider based in Bronx, NY. Throughout his career, Uday has consistently been recognized for his leadership abilities and technical expertise.
In addition to a comprehensive portfolio of certifications and technical competencies that span clinical, financial, human resources, database, business intelligence and enterprise office systems, Uday has earned multiple advanced degrees. These include a Master of Business Administration (Finance/Systems) from Ohio University; Master of Business Administration (Finance) and a Master of Commerce (Taxation) from Andhra University in India.
Uday is a member of the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS). He is also a volunteer for the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind.
John D. Newman, Esq. serves as the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Covenant Health. Newman plays a critical role as chief legal counsel and senior advisor on institutional issues throughout the system. As General Counsel, Newman is responsible for providing support for legal, strategic and transactional matters related to Covenant in a manner that is consistent with the mission, vision and values of the organization. He provides legal consultation and leadership to Covenant’s senior management team. Newman’s work extends to Covenant’s compliance and risk functions as well. He plays an integral role in the management of Covenant’s off-shore captive insurance company and commercial insurance programs.
Newman has over 30 years of professional experience and a strong track record of leadership success. He comes to Covenant from Constitution Surgery Centers, LLC, in Avon, Connecticut, where he served with distinction as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Previously, he was Vice President and General Counsel for St. Vincent’s Medical Center, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Before that, Newman enjoyed an extended career in private practice, representing a broad array of health care providers. When in private practice, Newman was selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America in the health care field. Newman is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Duke University and Duke Law School.
Mary Prybylo, RN, MSN, FACHE, is the Senior Vice President and President of St. Joseph Healthcare/St. Joseph Hospital, Bangor, Maine, having joined the organization in 2011. Prybylo has extensive health care experience in both administration and patient care services.
Prior to her time at St. Joseph Healthcare she served as the Chief Operating Officer at Waterbury Hospital Health Center where she was responsible for operations, physician partnerships and strategic initiatives that supported the delivery of patient care in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Prior to this, Prybylo held several positions including the Director of Community Care Management and Vice President of Managed Care and Operations within the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Connecticut system, as well as Vice President for Patient Care Services at St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Prybylo received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with a minor in psychology, from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing with a double major in Critical Care Nursing and Management from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cindy Segar-Miller, FACHE, joined St. Mary’s Health System as President effective September 1, 2023. She is a seasoned healthcare executive with a record of success in transformational leadership positions. Her strategies and creative solutions have earned her the reputation as being a positive change agent for small to mid-size hospitals.
For the past 20 years, Segar-Miller has gained considerable expertise supporting a portfolio of national and international clients. Her experience includes tenure as principal for Spectrum Health Partners in Franklin, TN; executive consultant for Bon Secours Mercy Health in Portsmouth, VA and Norfolk, VA; as Chief Executive Officer for Lock Haven Hospital in Lock Haven, PA and as CEO for Ashland Medical Center in Ashland, PA.
Segar-Miller is a registered nurse and earned her graduate degree in Health Services Management Services and Policy from New School University in Middletown, NY.
Karen Sullivan serves as Vice President for Marketing and Chief Communications Officer for Covenant Health. In her role, Sullivan is responsible for the overall planning, organizing and implementing of an integrated communications and marketing effort aligning with the business objectives and corporate culture of Covenant Health. She provides direction and support to the communications and marketing teams throughout the system to ensure that best practices are implemented to effectively develop and measure educational, informational and promotional messaging for all target audiences including employees, providers, patients, residents, families and consumers.
Sullivan brings to this position 30 years of experience gained through tenure with community hospitals, large physician group practices and hospital systems. Leveraging this experience, she also served as an independent marketing and public relations consultant for various organizations for a number of years. Sullivan joined the Covenant Health corporate office in June 2016 after several years of service at Mary Immaculate Health/Care Services in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She is a proud graduate of the University of New Hampshire and holds several certifications in the areas of reputational risk and crisis management. She is a member of Public Relations Society of America and the New England Society for Healthcare Communications.
Douglas C. Waite, MD, serves as Covenant Health’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Waite spearheads the system’s overall clinical vision and oversees all quality and safety initiatives for our patients and residents. He assists in defining the organization’s business strategy and goals and provides clinical oversight and valuable strategic direction to all facilities. He works to ensure clinician and provider alignment and satisfaction.
Prior to joining Covenant Health, Dr. Waite held the role of CMO at St. Vincent Hospital, a member of Tenet Healthcare, in Worcester, MA. During his tenure, he improved efficiency, quality, and compliance for several service lines and the medical staff and reduced surgical site infection rates. Dr. Waite graduated from Rutgers Medical School in Newark, NJ. He completed his residency in internal medicine and his fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, MA.
Dr. Waite is board-certified in infectious diseases and led Covenant Health’s preparations for and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is an accomplished infectious disease and public health lecturer and is also committed to community service. He serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the March of Dimes’ Massachusetts Region and chairs their Mission Impact Committee.