The Board of Directors at Johnson Memorial Health Services (JMHS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kris Jacobson as the new Chief Executive Officer, Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, and Licensed Assisted Living Director, effective May 2, 2022. For the past five months, Jacobson has successfully served as the interim in these roles at JMHS.
“I am looking forward to carrying on the JMHS legacy of providing high-quality, compassionate care and access to health care services for our community,” said Jacobson. “As we emerge from the pandemic, now more than ever, our workforce needs committed leadership ready to embrace innovations that keep people well while addressing the overall healthcare needs of our population.”
Jacobson has more than 33 years of experience working in healthcare and healthcare administration in both large and rural systems. She has previously worked as the Director of the Health Care Team at CLA, Senior Vice President at Lake Region Healthcare, and Chief Operating Officer at Samaritan Healthcare.
Jacobson has a BA in Management from the College of Saint Scholastic Duluth and an MBA from Bethel University in Saint Paul. She is a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, a Licensed Assisted Living Director, and a member of the American College of Healthcare Administrators and the Society for Human Resource Management. She was a previous Board member of Leading Age Minnesota.
“Over the last 5 months, Jacobson’s systems knowledge and her extensive rural healthcare experience have proven to be very instrumental in shaping JMHS to meet the challenges of the changing health care environment,” said Aaron Olson, JMHS Board of Directors Chair. “As a Board, we are committed to moving forward as an independent, rural health system and believe Jacobson will continue to do a great job leading us in that direction.”
Both Jacobson and her husband, Tony, are from Aitkin, MN. Tony is an airline pilot with more than 30 years of experience. For the past 24 years, he has worked with Delta/Northwest airlines and previously worked for six years with Mesba airlines. They have four grown children (2 boys & 2 girls) and a cat. In 2021, they welcomed their first grandchild. Their hobbies include triathlon, cycling, golfing, tennis, hiking, hunting, and diving. Both enjoy spending time outdoors and being active in their church and civic organizations. Jacobson and her husband look forward to moving to Dawson and getting more involved in the Community.