Catie Sheehan is joining the Southern Illinois University system leadership team as the executive director of marketing and communications, effective Feb. 28.
Sheehan most recently served as the vice president of communications, marketing and advocacy for Hospital Sisters Health System, a position she held for five years before stepping down in May 2023. Prior to that, she spent three years working in communications for HSHS St. John’s Hospital.
“I had a really good experience working in health care, but it was just time for a change,” said Sheehan. “It was incredible to be in the role I was in during COVID, being part of the emergency operations center. Dealing with that challenge as a health system was very interesting, but also challenging. The last three years were especially trying.”
Sheehan said after leaving HSHS she took on some contractual work but wanted to think through her next move. “It was time for a new experience, but I wanted to take my time and figure out what that was,” she said. “I had lots of conversations with different people and kept feeling drawn to higher education in a number of ways.”
Sheehan said she applied for the SIU position back in September, but since it was a newly created position, “it took some time for it to come together.”
She noted that she was already familiar with SIU, having worked with many people on the leadership team throughout the years between her tenure on the Sangamon County Board and her time at HSHS.
“The (St. John’s) Children’s Hospital is run by SIU’s pediatric doctors, so I worked with SIU quite a bit when I was at HSHS,” Sheehan said.
Sheehan was first elected to the Sangamon County Board in 2012, then reelected in 2016. She stepped down in March 2019 after moving to a new house that was located outside of her district.
Now, Sheehan says she’s ready to “take things to a different level” in her new role. “Higher education makes the world a better place. It’s important to make sure that these institutions are well-resourced, and I’m glad to be a part of that,” she said.
