People on the Move is a rundown of recent hirings, promotions, appointments and other notable movements by professionals in the state. If you’re interested in submitting an entry, please contact news@delawarebusinesstimes.com.
Sharon Kurfuerst, Ed.D., OTR/L, FACHE, has been appointed President of Affinity Health Alliance and ChristianaCare, Union Hospital.
In her new role, Kurfuerst will oversee efforts to strengthen community relationships in the communities that Union Hospital serves. Union Hospital joined ChristianaCare a year ago.
“For the past year, and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been privileged to see first-hand the strong commitment of our Cecil County Campus and Union Hospital caregivers to its community,” Kurfuerst said in a statement. “I look forward to helping us grow our community partnerships in Cecil County, which are integral to improving population health.”
Kurfuerst also will continue her leadership responsibilities as ChristianaCare’s system chief operating officer, where she heads the development and execution of core enterprise business processes and functions, including campus operations for Newark, Middletown, Wilmington and Cecil County, where Union Hospital is located; clinical essential services; corporate compliance; facilities and services; urgent care, safety and security; real estate; retail strategy and expansion; and design and construction activities.
Kurfuerst was recently recognized as a 2020 Women in Business honoree by Delaware Today and Delaware Business Times, in part due to her extraordinary leadership in mobilizing and collaborating with personnel across the state to integrate resources to benefit all Delawareans.
When the pandemic struck in March, Kurfuerst led ChristianaCare’s COVID-19 incident command and response team, coordinating with state and federal government agencies, other health systems and local officials to protect the health and safety of ChristianaCare caregivers, patients and communities.
Kurfuerst also led efforts to safely sustain essential ChristianaCare operations, including securing critical personal protective equipment. She oversaw new initiatives including drive-through COVID-19 testing and providing essential personnel and supplies to communities and medical centers in need.
Kurfuerst joined ChristianaCare in 2007 and held several roles before becoming COO of the health system in 2017. Her leadership roles have included senior vice president of Health Services Operations, senior vice president of Administration, and vice president of Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Services, drawing on her clinical experience as an occupational therapist.
With a doctoral degree in educational leadership and professional development and a master’s degree in adult education, Kurfuerst presents nationally on topics in health care leadership, health care system partnerships, and rehabilitation and has published on those topics. She is also a frequent lecturer for other health care providers and universities.
Additionally, she serves on several boards focused on education and serving vulnerable populations.
Robert James, JD, MBA, MHA, has been appointed as the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Highmark Health. James joined Highmark Health in 2015 as supplier diversity director and has steadily grown the program to become one of the top award-winning supplier diversity programs in the Americas, as recognized by industry peers through the Procurement Leaders Americas Supplier Diversity and Inclusion Award.
In his new capacity, James will work closely with Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, MD, MEd, MPPM, FACOG, who serves as Allegheny Health Network’s Chief Clinical Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. James will implement and advise upon Highmark Health’s enterprise-wide diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, while Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew will focus her efforts across AHN to shape an inclusive workplace culture and further establish the network’s strong commitment to workforce diversity, cultural competency, and equitable health care delivery and outcomes.
Prior to joining Highmark Health, James served as CEO of a diversity and inclusion consulting firm and in an advisory role with the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A practicing lawyer for more than 20 years, he spent several years facilitating Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) financings nationally for capital projects through a U.S. Department of Education program.
“As a leader in health care, we are committed to being a diverse and inclusive organization at its core, to closing the health disparity gap, and to actively investing in people, suppliers and communities of color,” said Larry Kleinman, Highmark Health Chief Human Resources Officer in a statement. “Robert’s vast experience and deliberate approach will be invaluable in driving forward a measureable and comprehensive diversity, equity and inclusion strategy.”
James was named a Top 30 Champions of Diversity by Diversity Plus Magazine in 2018. He is currently an active member of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s Advisory Council for Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities and serves as a member of its Executive Committee. James has a Master of Business and a Master of Health Administration from the University of Pittsburgh, a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College. He is also a graduate of the inaugural class of Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business/The Advanced Leadership Institute (TALI) Executive Leadership Academy.
Patricia (Patti) Mengers has been selected to lead Goodwill Staffing Services, a community-based program of Goodwill of Delaware & Delaware County, a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
Ms. Mengers began her career at Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County in 2011 as a Job Resource Center Coordinator in Goodwill’s Workforce Initiatives program and later became the Director of the program. During that time Patti led the opening of three Job Resource Centers and managed 11 workforce development programs. In her role as Director of Goodwill Staffing Services Patti will oversee all aspects of the program’s operations.
Goodwill Staffing Services provides a full suite of human resources solutions to businesses, government agencies and non-profit organizations in Delaware and Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and employs more than 600 people from an array of industries, skillsets and backgrounds.
“As an organization whose mission centers around providing skills to develop people’s ability to enter and remain connected to the workforce, it’s only natural that our business services would include a staffing agency,” shared Goodwill of Delaware’s President and CEO, Colleen Morrone in a statement. “Goodwill Staffing is also strategically aligned with our Workforce Initiatives program to provide skills training and employment opportunities to veterans, opportunity youth, seniors, returning citizens, the disabled, and people with a lack of work experience.”
Goodwill Staffing Services, which has offices in all three counties in Delaware and Delaware County, PA provides temporary and direct placement services in multiple industries including: administrative, customer service, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, and warehousing and logistics. In addition, Goodwill Staffing Services trains and employs a team of industrial/janitorial professionals that have been providing essential services throughout the pandemic.
Casey McCabe has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer of Bancroft Construction Company. McCabe assumes the role as John C. Barr, who held the position of CFO for 34 years, transitions into role of Financial & Business Advisor. McCabe first started working for Bancroft in 2005 as an Assistant Project Manager (APM) at DuPont Company’s Experimental Station and Chestnut Run Plaza Sites. During his tenure as an APM, he was an integral team member in numerous projects, but most notably, the $44MM renovation of PS DuPont Middle School. McCabe was promoted to Project Manager in 2010 and since then has managed over a dozen projects totaling more than $160MM in construction costs.
Notable projects and clients include the Perry Point VA Hospital, Dover Air Force Base, Brandywine River Museum, Delaware Technology Park, Howard High School of Technology, Nemours, and Longwood Gardens. McCabe and his team was responsible for the Mechanical, Electrical, Fountain, Controls, Audio and Special Systems for the world-renowned Longwood Main Fountain Garden Revitalization project.
In addition to managing projects, McCabe has been instrumental to Bancroft’s business planning and has championed several initiatives over the past few years. Outside of Bancroft, McCabe has been volunteering for and serving the non-profit social services organization Children & Families First (C&FF) since 2011. He currently is a member of their Executive Board of Directors and Chairman of the Board for B2W2, a subsidiary organization of C&FF.
