Hospitals
10 Ascension operations leaders
These ten current and former Ascension operations leaders include nine people who hold or have held chief operating officer titles at Ascension, among them COOs of hospitals, markets and medical groups, along with a vice president of operations. A reader can learn how operations leaders build and run their teams at Ascension.
Professionals to explore
01—10Aric Kinney
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer · Ascension
Chief Operating Officer at Ascension since January 2026, which the profile describes as operational executive for a 432 licensed bed tertiary hospital. Former President, Aurora Medical Center Sheboygan County at Advocate Health (2021–2025) and former Vice President of Operations - Aurora Medical Group there (2019–2021).
Dean Hobson
LinkedInExperience: Regional Operations Officer · Ascension
Former Regional Operations Officer at Ascension (2022–2025), based in the Chicago area, and former Chief Operating Officer at Ascension Medical Group - IL (September to November 2025). Former Regional Operations Officer at AMITA Health (2018–2022) and Chief Ambulatory Operations Officer at Presence Health (2014–2018).
Derrick Naegler
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer · Ascension
Chief Operating Officer at Ascension since September 2025, in Evansville, Indiana; the profile describes the role as Chief Operating Officer Ascension St Vincent Evansville, listed at the C-Level in General Management. Former ACEO at Community Health Systems (2022–2025).
Ellie Michael
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer · Ascension Saint Thomas
Chief Operating Officer at Ascension Saint Thomas since January 2026, a role the profile headline ties to Ascension Saint Thomas West Hospital. The profile also lists a current Vice President, Operational Excellence role at Ascension Saint Thomas since January 2021 and a former Director, Operational Excellence role there (2019–2021).
Karen Springer
LinkedInExperience: Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer · Ascension Saint Thomas
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Ascension Saint Thomas, a role the profile dates from March 2011 and shows as current. The profile headline gives the same title at Saint Thomas Health Services, and the profile location is Nashville, Tennessee.
Kendall Troyer DrPH, MHSA, CLS
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer, Ascension Medical Group, Wisconsin · Ascension
Chief Operating Officer, Ascension Medical Group, Wisconsin at Ascension since January 2024. The profile says the role serves on the statewide senior executive team of Ascension Wisconsin, reports to the CEO of the Wisconsin Market and leads a multispecialty medical group. Former Senior Vice President, Medical Group Operations, COO at Corewell Health (2022–2023).
Linsey Coster, LMSW
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer · Ascension
Chief Operating Officer at Ascension since June 2025, a role the profile headline ties to Ascension Via Christi. The profile says the role reports to the Hospital President and is responsible for operational performance including quality, staffing and productivity. Former Assistant Chief Operating Officer (2023–2025) and Vice President Business Operations (2022–2023) at Ascension.
Robyn Chadwick
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Operations · Ascension Via Christi
Vice President Operations at Ascension Via Christi since August 2016. The profile says the role leads a 106 bed inpatient and outpatient behavioral health hospital and a case management team for 3 acute care hospitals, and co-led development of a hospital operations center to monitor patient throughput.
Tina Pugh
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer · Ascension
Chief Operating Officer at Ascension since July 2025, a role the profile lists at the C-Level in General Management. Former Vice President Operations at HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital (2021–2025) and former Vice President Operations at Coliseum Health System (2020–2021).
Tracy Rogers
LinkedInExperience: System Chief Operating Officer - Ascension Wisconsin · Ascension
Former System Chief Operating Officer - Ascension Wisconsin at Ascension, a role the profile dates from January 2006 to August 2019, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The profile describes complete operational and strategic responsibility for the Wisconsin Health Ministries, including 22 acute care and critical access hospitals.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's setting to your question, since a hospital COO, a market COO and a medical group COO run very different services. Check whether the relevant Ascension role is current or past, and how long ago it ended, before asking about today's practices.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How do you divide operational decisions between a hospital leadership team and market or system-level operations?
- 02What does it take to improve staffing, productivity and patient throughput across several hospitals at once?
- 03Which operating metrics do you review every week, and which of them have led to real changes?
Reaching Ascension operations leaders
How can I contact one of these Ascension operations leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 3 companies: Ascension, Ascension Saint Thomas and Ascension Via Christi, based on profile data retrieved on October 5, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Ascension operations leaders?
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About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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