ChesPenn Announces New President and CEO
“Service is the rent that you pay for room on this earth.” Shirley Chisolm
On April 20 ChesPenn’s Board of Directors announce the appointment of Susan Harris McGovern, ChesPenn’s CEO, to the position of President and CEO. A native of Chester, PA, Sue is a dedicated public servant who joined ChesPenn Health Services in 1983 as an Expanded Function Dental Assistant. Susan became Office Manager at our Center for Family Health at Eastside in 1998 while earning her BA and MS degrees from Eastern Pennsylvania University and raising three daughters.
In 2009 Susan was appointed Director of Operations, extending her management to all of ChesPenn’s clinical sites. She was instrumental in managing the operations associated with the opening and closing locations in Chester, Upper Darby, and Coatesville, expanding ChesPenn’ s community health services in both Delaware and Chester counites. Her demonstrated leadership led to her appointment as ChesPenn’ s first Chief Operating Officer in 2020.
Inspired by her mother, whose career began as a Social Worker in psychiatric services at Sacred Heart Hospital and who later retired as a Case Manager from Delaware County’s Office of the Aging, Sue credits her mother for instilling her passion to better the healthcare facilities and services offered in communities that face socio-economic challenges. Sue’s contributions to her community outside of work include her membership in the National Congress of Black Women Delco Chapter in Chester, PA where she held the title of Treasurer from 2008 – 2017 and volunteer work at events that uplift the lives of women of color. Sue’s life’s work at ChesPenn and community involvement has uniquely prepared her to step in her newest role of President and CEO of ChesPenn.
Sue shared her thoughts on her career at ChesPenn and vision for our future. “Whenever I’ve been asked about why I never left ChesPenn or currently what are my vision or goals for ChesPenn, I’m grateful to credit having worked for many years alongside Dr. Rekha Yagnik, and Dr. Letitia O’Kicki. These phenomenal women were instrumental in sparking my interest overcoming the imbalances of services regardless of socio-economic status. We’ve grown from a trailer to multiple locations . We serve 15,000 patients across Delaware & Chester Counties. This is a testament to their legacy of service, compassion, listening and leadership that I look forward to continuing. We know the community, we are the community, and many of us have raised our children and grandchildren here. I honor my mother Catherine Harris for modeling what it means to be a mother, a woman of Faith, and active in the community you live in.”
