FSCCM Announces Leadership Transition

Sister Laura Wolf, president of the Manitowoc, Wis.-based Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity Sponsored Ministries, Inc. (FSCCM), recently announced that she will step down from the role she’s held since 1985. Following the recommendation of the FSCCM Board of Directors, congregational leadership of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity named Daniel McGinty as Sister Laura’s successor. McGinty, the first lay president of FSCCM, will officially assume this role June 1, 2016. Sister Laura will serve as senior executive advisor to the president of FSCCM. 

“After 31 years of leadership, it’s time for me to step aside and allow room for some fresh ideas,” Sister Laura said. “I’ve given our ministry all I have to give in this role and look forward to working with Dan through the transition. He’s been a part of our organization in one way or another for a number of years. He understands the Franciscan Sisters, he’s committed to our mission, vision and values, and he has broad experience that would be valuable to any organization. I believe he’s just what we need for our first lay president.” 

McGinty, who has served on the FSCCM Board of Directors since 2009, said he is excited about becoming the first lay president of FSCCM. “The sisters have such a rich heritage of taking care of people’s needs. Whether it be health care, long-term care, or education, they demand that the services provided in their name be done with compassion and the highest level of quality,” McGinty said. “In every town where their ministries are located they are respected and trusted. I take that very seriously and will make it my mission to continue their important work in all of our communities. I look forward to being part of extending these vital ministries into the future in a way that reflects the Franciscan Sisters’ mission and values.” 

McGinty most recently served as executive vice president of hospital and specialty services at Allina Health, an integrated health system in the Twin Cities. Prior to Allina, he worked in various capacities at Duluth, Minn.-based Essentia Health, including having responsibility for several acute care hospitals, long-term care facilities, and physician clinics. He also served as administrator of Essentia’s St. Mary’s Medical Center, a 400-bed Catholic tertiary hospital in Duluth. From 1995 to 2001, he was president and CEO of Holy Family Memorial in Manitowoc, part of the FSCCM system. McGinty has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minn., and a master’s in hospital administration from the University of Minnesota. McGinty and his wife, Lynn, have three children. 

Sister Natalie Binversie, community director of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, said she looks forward to working with McGinty. “I am confident that Dan is going to lead our system in a way that honors our fidelity to the healing and educational ministries of Jesus,” she said. “His experience and commitment to our ministries are going to ensure that our Franciscan presence will remain strong in the communities where we serve.” Sister Natalie added that she is grateful for Sister Laura’s dedication to FSCCM. “For more than 30 years, we have entrusted the care of our sponsored ministries to Sister Laura. I don’t know where our health care and higher education ministries would be without her skillful leadership and unyielding insistence that the communities we serve are better off by having us there. We honor her decision to step down as president and we remain ever grateful for all she’s done for the church, our congregation and the people who have been served by our ministries.” 

Sister Laura, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity since 1967, is widely recognized by bishops, fellow women and men religious, and lay leaders throughout Catholic health care and higher education for her consistency and courage in calling to the table the hard, vexing questions that face the church’s ministries. She has demonstrated a gift for framing these questions in a way which brings people together around the common goal of service to these ministries and the people who depend upon them. She holds a joint degree in law and health administration from St. Louis University. She is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Catholic Health Association of the United States. She is also actively involved in congregational and church organizations and projects as well as family and civic activities. 

The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity Sponsored Ministries is a not-for-profit corporation established in 1985 to monitor and manage the health care and higher education ministries of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity. The health care ministry spans three states: Wisconsin, Nebraska and Ohio. Silver Lake College of the Holy Family is located in Manitowoc, Wis.