A changing of the guard for the fundraising arm of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance.

CEO Mary Lou Crowley is stepping down from her post after taking on a new leadership role at the St. Thomas Elgin Hospital Foundation.

“The Board of Directors is sad to see Mary Lou move on, but at the same time, we are incredibly grateful for her significant contribution over the last five and a half years,” said Bob Hockney, CKHAF Board Chair. “We recognize that the Foundation Mary Lou joined back in 2017 is not the same organization she will be leaving, and we are very proud of the transformation and incredible success we’ve achieved together. Because of Mary Lou’s strong leadership, the Foundation will continue to thrive for many years to come.”

Crowley joined the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Foundation in 2017. Some of the highlights of her tenure including $7.3 million raised for the hospital’s diagnostic imaging campaign, the amalgamation of the Public General Hospital Foundation, Foundation of Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, and the Sydenham District Hospital Foundation into the current CKHA Foundation, and overseeing the implementation of one of the first charitable online 50/50 fundraisers in Southwestern Ontario.

“I want to thank the Foundation’s incredible Board of Directors for their leadership, guidance, and dedication to local healthcare, as well as the team members, colleagues, staff, and physicians at CKHA that I have had the privilege of working with for nearly six years,” Crowley stated. “This journey has been made possible by the hard work of all these wonderful individuals, together with the support of our generous donors, corporate partners, and dedicated volunteers. It has truly been an honour to be part of such a giving, caring community for so many years, and I am beyond confident that the Foundation will continue to experience great success with so much support from across Chatham-Kent.”

The Foundation’s Board of Directors has begun a recruitment process, with Crowley’s last day set for mid-July.