CHICAGO – The Board of Trustees of Rush University Medical Center has appointed Susan Crown its new chairman, effective Nov. 14. She also will serve as chairman of the Rush System board.
Crown succeeds William M. Goodyear, who had served as chairman of the Medical Center board since 2013 and of the Rush System board since 2017, and who has been a trustee since 1995. Goodyear will continue to serve as a trustee.
A business executive and philanthropist, Crown is chairman and CEO of Owl Creek Partners and founder/chairman of the Susan Crown Exchange (SCE). She previously served as vice chair of the Rush University Medical Center board and as a member of its executive committee — on which she will remain — and she chaired the compensation and human resources committee. She also is a founding member of the Rush System board, which was established last year.
“Susan has the perfect skill set to lead our growing organization at this challenging time for health care. She has a deep commitment to Rush and its mission, and we are grateful to have her in this crucial role,” said Dr. Larry Goodman, CEO of Rush University Medical Center and the Rush System.
Crown’s involvement with Rush spans more than three decades. She became a trustee in 1986 and has served in leadership roles on numerous board committees, including facilities, nominations and governance, compensation and human resources, and development. She was awarded the Trustee Medal, Rush’s highest honor, in 2014.
Owl Creek Partners is a private equity fund with focused investments in real estate, securities, and consumer products. Many investments are with firms owned or managed by women. SCE is a nontraditional foundation with a single mission: to help the rising generation cultivate skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing, highly connected world.
Crown has dedicated her time and talent to social causes and the business world. As a partner of Henry Crown & Company, she helped manage businesses as diverse as oil and gas, defense, banking, cellular technology, and real estate. As chairman of the Crown Family Philanthropies, she professionalized an ad hoc process and spearheaded numerous initiatives, including the celebrated Crown Fountain in Chicago’s Millennium Park and the Covenant Awards for leaders in Jewish education.
Crown was the first woman board member of Illinois Tool Works (ITW), a multifaceted manufacturing and engineering business with a market capitalization of more than $30 billion. She also serves as a board member of Northern Trust Corp. and was on the board of Baxter International. She served for 12 years as a fellow of the Yale Corp. and co-chaired the Yale Tomorrow Campaign. She is a trustee of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., and recently completed a 12-year term with CARE USA.
Crown graduated with honors from Yale University, earned a graduate degree from New York University, and attended the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
About Rush
Rush is an academic health system whose mission is to improve the health of the people and the diverse communities it serves through the integration of outstanding patient care, education, research and community partnerships. The Rush System comprises Rush University Medical Center, Rush University, Rush Copley Medical Center and Rush Oak Park Hospital, as well as numerous outpatient care facilities.
Rush University, with more than 2,500 students, is a health sciences university that comprises Rush Medical College, the College of Nursing, the College of Health Sciences and the Graduate College. Rush has more than 11,000 employees and more than 2,000 employed and private physicians.
In March, 2017, Rush University Medical Center and Rush Copley Medical Center reorganized their operations under the 13-member Rush System board, which oversees the fully integrated Rush System.