John Diederich

John Diederich was named president and CEO of Rush Copley Medical Center in November 2019. He is the 8th CEO in Rush Copley’s 133-year history. An outcomes-oriented executive leader with a history of active community involvement, Diederich has risen through the ranks to become an accomplished strategic thinker, skilled administrator and affable health care leader.

Prior to his current role, Diederich served as senior vice president and chief operating officer of Rush Copley since 2006, where he oversaw clinical, ancillary and support operations of the hospital, including a $50 million annual capital improvement budget and all hospital construction projects. He joined the hospital’s executive team as vice president of ancillary operations in 2002 and previously held management roles in departments including IT, finance and patient registration. Diederich, who has been at Rush Copley since 1985, began his career at the Medical Center as a teenager working in the hospital’s kitchen.

He received his Bachelor of Business Administration, specializing in management science, from the University of Iowa, where he also earned a Master of Arts in hospital and health administration and a Master of Business Administration. Diederich completed the Advanced Executive Program at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

As a survivor of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history, Diederich speaks to organizations across the country about his unique active shooter experience. He shares his story of enhancing workplace safety and training 2,500 hospital employees in active shooter response, and his personal survival story of putting this training to the test at the Route 91 Concert Shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017.

Diederich, his wife, Joanne, and their three sons reside in Aurora, Ill., where he is a past chairman of the board of the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley, a past chairman of the board of the Aurora Regional Chamber of Commerce and an active board member of the Marmion Academy Board of Trustees. The Diederichs actively support their community and volunteer with many area nonprofit organizations.