Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, RN is a member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. She served as president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA) from 2005 to 2019. This followed 35 years of work in administrative and governance positions at Daughter of Charity hospitals.

Keehan was the board chair of Ascension Health’s Sacred Heart Health System, Pensacola, Fla. Previously, she served for 15 years as president and chief executive officer of Providence Hospital, which includes Carroll Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, in Washington, D.C.

In the early 1980s, Keehan served as Providence Hospital’s vice president for nursing, ambulatory care, and education and training. In addition, she has served in leadership positions at Sacred Heart Hospital, Cumberland, Md., and Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital and Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Center, Pensacola, Fla.

Keehan has held influential roles in the governance of a variety of health care, insurance, and educational organizations. In 2014, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine). She is a representative to the International Federation of Catholic Health Care Associations of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Health Care.

Keehan numerous awards and honors include the American Hospital Association’s Trustee Award; the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (Cross for the Church and Pontiff), bestowed by Pope Benedict XVI; the Seton Legacy of Charity Medal awarded by The Daughters of Charity Emmitsburg Province; LCWR 2011 Outstanding Leadership Award; the Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Award from Catholic Common Ground Initiative; the 2009 Vision Award from Catholic Charities USA; and the Friend of Children Award from Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC. In 2010.

Keehan was named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” and has been on Modern Healthcare’s list of “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” several years, having topped the list as number one in 2007. In 2013, Keehan was an Opus Prize finalist for solving a persistent social problem, in this case people without access to affordable health care.

​Keehan earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from St. Joseph’s College, Emmitsburg, MD, where she graduated magna cum laude, and a master of science degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, from which she received the School of Business Distinguished Alumna Award in 2000 and was honored in 2009 as an outstanding alumna. She has also received honorary doctorates from eight prestigious universities across the United States.