CentraCare President and CEO Dr. Ken Holmen joined my on WJON for our My Life feature.

Ken Holmen (photo courtesy of Ken Holmen)

Ken Holmen (photo courtesy of Ken Holmen)Early Years

Ken grew up in a town of approximately 3,000 people in northwest Iowa called Forrest City.  His mother was a nurse at the local hospital and his father was a teacher.  Holmen describes his parents as conservative and his childhood as remarkably active and fun. He says he loved his parents very much and they were great people.   Ken was one of 4 children in the household… he had 2 brothers and 1 sister.

Early Interests

Holmen participated in music, sports and academic opportunities in school.  He says in a small town they need participation in organizations and he was happy to do it.  Because of Ken’s wide variety of interests and participation, he had friends who played sports, who were involved with music and those participating in academic groups.  Ken was involved with band, choir and theater.  He was also dedicated to his faith and participated with his Lutheran church.  Ken really loved school and recalls being good at it.

Ken Holmen (photo courtesy of Ken Holmen)

Ken Holmen (photo courtesy of Ken Holmen)College Years

After high school graduation Ken had opportunities based on his academic success.  He chose to go to Augsburg in Minneapolis because it was in a metropolitan area and had a strong chemistry and biology program.  He enjoyed his time at Augsburg and spent time learning the sciences and was involved with the Augsburg choir.  Ken feels signing is good for the soul and helped him maintain a sense of balance.  Ken still sings with the National Lutheran Choir.  They perform 12-15 concerts across the country each year. Ken graduated from Augsburg in 1974.

Medical School

After college graduation, Ken applied for many graduate and medical schools.  He recalls being accepted at several medical schools including the University of Minnesota Medical School.  He chose to go there and graduated from the U of M Medical School in 1978.  Ken says John Hanson, who was a family friend in Iowa chose to support him.  John started Winnebago Travel Company.  For 13 years John supported Ken financially throughout medical school, his post doctoral training, residency and research.  Ken says this created a sense of obligation to pay it forward.

Career

At the age of 33 Ken was ready for a job.  He was married to his wife, Linda at the time and the couple had 2 daughters.  Ken was an anesthesiologist and started working with a group in St. Paul.  He split his time working with both pediatric and adult care.  Ken spent the next 30 years of his professional career as an anesthesiologist. Ken’s wife, Linda was a piano teacher and elementary school teacher while he was working in the Twin Cities.

Switching to Management

Ken began to show interest in the management side of the Healthcare industry in his 50s.  He was Chief of Surgery at Children’s Hospital in his 40s and was also on the board with Allina Health.  Ken got his first fulltime health care executive position with Health Partners as a Physician Executive in 2005.  He recalls this being a tough decision because his focus had to change.

Ken Holmen (photo courtesy of Ken Holmen)

Ken Holmen (photo courtesy of Ken Holmen)The Move to CentraCare

In 2014 Ken was contacted to gage his interest in the CentraCare President and CEO position.  He was initially not interested because of family reasons and his desire to stay in the Twin Cities.  Ken became more interested after investigating the position and realizing the position resonated with him.  He is pleased with the growth, commitment to service and accolades CentraCare has achieved on his watch.  Ken is uncertain what is next for him but he remains committed to his position and advancing CentraCare.  He acknowledges the tough decisions that face him on a daily basis as the healthcare industry continues to change.

If you’d like to listen to my conversation with Dr. Ken Holmen, click below.

 

 

 

 

 

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