It is with great sadness that St. Mary’s of Michigan announces that longtime Board Chair and spiritual leader Sister JoAnn Cuscurida, D.C., will soon leave Saginaw.

As of early 2009, Sister JoAnn will be called to other ministries of the Daughters of Charity in the East Central Province to assist in the strengthening of the mission elsewhere. “I want to assure everyone that our commitment to St. Mary’s of Michigan continues,” Sister JoAnn says. “The Daughters of Charity will continue to be a sponsor of St. Mary’s of Michigan, through Ascension Health, to ensure that our mission of care to the poor remains strong.”

“Sister JoAnn laid the foundation for St. Mary’s of Michigan and helped make it the premier healthcare organization it is today,” stated Andrew W. Allen, Interim President and CEO of St. Mary’s of Michigan. “Her guidance is felt throughout St. Mary’s and we are in her debt for all she has contributed to our success.”

Sister JoAnn Cuscurida has been Chairman of the Board of Trustees at St. Mary’s of Michigan since 1988. She is a registered nurse who received her B.S.N. from St. Louis University and her M.S. from DePaul University. She has held numerous executive level positions in healthcare since 1958.

Jim Van Tiflin, president of the Northern Michigan region of Citizen’s Bank, will succeed Sister JoAnn as Chair of the Medical Center Board of Directors. He will be approved as Board Chair by Ascension Health in early December.

Van Tiflin is a longtime Saginaw resident and a respected businessman and community leader.

“For many years Jim Van Tiflin has been a champion of St. Mary’s of Michigan and I am confident in his vision and his leadership,” says Sister JoAnn.