EFFINGHAM — Theresa Rutherford, former chief operating officer for St. Mary's Hospital in Decatur, has accepted the position as president and chief executive officer of St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham. She began her service on July 15. St. Mary's and St. Anthony's are both affiliates of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS).

Rutherford's career began as an LPN with St. Mary's in 1979, and she went on to serve in several hospital administration roles throughout her distinguished career. During her seven-year tenure as COO at St. Mary's, she worked closely with president and CEO Kevin F. Kast to lead St. Mary's campus redesign, which included a new lobby, emergency department and laboratory. Rutherford also played a key role with the relocation of Prairie Cardiovascular's Decatur services to St. Mary's campus, and under her leadership, St. Mary's Hospital twice received the Bronze Lincoln award for quality.

In the Decatur community, she served on the advisory committee for the schools of nursing at both Millikin University and Richland Community College, and is a past president and former member of the Catholic Charities Advisory Board.

"It's been a personally and professionally fulfilling opportunity to serve as St. Mary's COO, and I will miss my colleagues," Rutherford said. "I'm proud to have witnessed the growth of St. Mary's Hospital."