Frank Perez to Speak at Kettering College Graduation
Kettering, Ohio (April 19) — Frank Perez, CEO-Emeritus of Kettering Health Network, will address graduates at Kettering College's 43rd annual commencement ceremonies on Saturday, April 30, at Dayton Convention Center.During his more than 41 years in health care, Perez was chief executive officer at numerous organizations in the US and overseas ranging from
600-bed hospitals to systems with up to 2,000 beds. Over the past decade Perez led in the merger of Kettering Medical Center and Grandview Medical Center in the Dayton area, Greene Memorial Hospital/Greene Health Partners, and most recently Fort Hamilton Hospital, to form the Kettering Health Network. The expanded organization now includes six hospitals with a seventh under construction, a college, retirement center, multiple affiliated programs and some 10,000 employees under one corporate umbrella.
Under Perez ’s leadership, Kettering Health Network (KHN) received multiple awards and recognitions, including one of Thomson Reuters’ Top Ten Healthcare Systems in the nation in 2009 and 2010. KHN was named one of Dayton’s “Best Places to Work” by the Dayton Business Journal three years in a row. In July 2010, the Network received the prestigious Governor’s Platinum Award for Quality.
Perez has been personally recognized with several significant awards, including the Kettering Kiwanis “Citizen of the Year,” Dayton Business Journal’s Healthcare Heroes Award and one of Dayton’s most influential leaders, and the Heart Association’s Heart of Dayton Award. The Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Presidents Club of Dayton recognized Perez with its prestigious Citizens Legion of Honor Award in 2007, and in 2010 he was awarded the “People of Vision Award” for his creative, innovative leadership.
Perez has served on the American Hospital Association Board of Directors and the AHA Institute for Diversity Board. He is a founding Board member of the Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care. Community service has always been an important part of Perez’s life. A member of the Dayton Rotary Club, he has served on or chaired many local boards, including the Dayton Development Coalition, Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, Victoria Theatre Association, United Way, Leadership Dayton Board of Governors, and the Ohio Hospital Association.
Perez came to the US in 1962 as a refugee fleeing Communist Cuba. He settled in Takoma Park, MD, where he worked as a cabinet-maker to support his mother and three younger sisters who had fled Castro’s regime a year earlier. Perez completed high school via correspondence school and went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in economics from Columbia Union College. Perez also holds a master's degree in healthcare administration from George Washington University in Washington, DC, and is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. In 2009 Washington Adventist University (aka Columbia Union College) bestowed on Perez an honorary doctorate degree in recognition of his outstanding career achievements.
Frank and Carmen Perez reside in Kettering, Ohio. They have three daughters and three grandchildren. Perez serves as an elder in his church, loves travel and fishing, and the occasional game of golf.
