Kaskie Named “2011 Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year”

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- James R. Kaskie, president and CEO of Kaleida Health and Great Lakes Health System of Western New York, has been named the 2011 Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year by the University at Buffalo School of Management.

The award will be presented at the 62nd Annual School of Management Alumni Association Awards Banquet beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 3 at the Millennium Hotel Buffalo, 2040 Walden Avenue, Buffalo.

Kaskie was selected by a vote of past honorees and the board of directors of the alumni association, who cited his vision and leadership in building strategic partnerships.

After joining Kaleida Health in 2004 as president and COO, Kaskie was named to his current position in 2006. He leads a family of health care organizations that includes five hospitals, three skilled nursing facilities, 90 ambulatory care programs and sites, the Visiting Nursing Association and fully integrated operating and clinical systems.

Kaleida Health is Western New York’s largest private employer, serving nearly one million people a year and generating net revenue of $1.2 billion.

In 2007, Kaskie was elected president and CEO of Great Lakes Health System of Western New York (GLH), the parent organization that oversees the integration of the Erie County Medical Center Corp. and the Kaleida Health System.

GLH serves as the principal partner with UB in training future health care professionals, including nearly 600 physician residents and fellows-in-training across numerous academic health programs. Kaskie is leading the consolidation process, bringing together nearly $1.5 billion in revenues, 13,000 employees and 2,000 physician partners.

Kaleida Health and UB are leading the way in the transformation of Buffalo into a world-class health care destination. This year, the joint Kaleida Health-UB clinical care and research building will open on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The 10-story facility will house Kaleida Health’s Global Vascular Institute and UB’s Clinical and Translational Research Center.

Prior to joining Kaleida Health, Kaskie held executive leadership positions with Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), headquartered in Denver, from its inception in 1996 to 2004. Earlier in his career, Kaskie served as the president and CEO of Incarnate Word Hospital in St. Louis and as senior executive of Santa Rosa Medical Center in San Antonio and Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati.

Active in the community, Kaskie serves on the board of directors for the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and Medaille College and is the recipient of numerous awards in health care. Most recently, he received the Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s “Innovate Leadership” award. He also has been honored by D’Youville College with their “Achievement in Health Care” award, the National Federation for Just Communities “Leadership Award” and the Business First “Health Care 50” award.

Kaskie received a Master of Health Administration and a Bachelor of Arts from St. Louis University, an MBA from Xavier University in Cincinnati and a Master of Arts in theology from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis.

Natives of St. Louis, Kaskie and his wife, Jane, are now Buffalo residents. They have two adult children and three grandchildren.

Established in 1949, the Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year award is presented annually to an individual who resides in or has a major impact on the region, and whose career has been distinguished by executive success and civic leadership. Recent honorees include Robert D. Gioia, president of The John R. Oishei Foundation, Donna M. Fernandes, president and CEO of the Buffalo Zoo, and John R. Koelmel, president and CEO of First Niagara Financial Group Inc.

For information about the awards banquet, contact the School of Management’s Office of Alumni and External Relations at mgt-alumni@buffalo.edu or 716-645-3224.

Kaleida Health and the University at Buffalo are leading the way in the transformation of Buffalo into a world-class health care destination. This year, the joint Kaleida Health-UB clinical care and research building will open on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The 10-story facility will house Kaleida Health’s Global Vascular Institute and UB’s Clinical and Translational Research Center.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school also has been ranked by the Financial Times, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. 

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system that is its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.