Ruth Colby

Ruth Colby assumed the duties of President and Chief Executive Officer on Oct. 1, 2017 after serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for twelve years.

After joining Silver Cross Hospital in 2005, Ruth had the responsibility for working with the Board of Directors to set the organization’s vision and direction as well as oversight for marketing, planning, strategy, government relations, physician relations and recruitment, employed practices, managed care and select operational areas.

Under Ruth's leadership, Silver Cross developed innovative strategies to drive growth by developing partnerships with leading medical centers in Chicago including the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) and the University of Chicago Medicine for oncology services.

Prior to Silver Cross, Ruth was the Senior Vice President, Provider Sales at Solucient, LLC (now Truven Health/IBM Watson). She held senior positions at the Sachs Group and HCIA/Sachs during several mergers and acquisitions. As Vice President of Business Development at the University of Chicago Health System, Ruth was charged with developing an ambulatory physician network and identifying new business opportunities for the medical center.

Ruth received a Bachelor’s degree at Northwestern University, a Master’s degree from New York University and an MBA from the University of Chicago with a specialization in finance.

She is a Past President of the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development, an American Hospital Association membership group and received the national award for Individual Personal Achievement in 2009. In addition, Ruth serves on numerous community boards, such as Will County Center for Economic Development Executive Committee, Will County Children’s Advocacy Center, University of Chicago Medicine Cancer Research Foundation Women’s Board. Ruth is also a member of the United Way of Will County Pillars Society, the Joliet Rotary Club and the Economic Club of Chicago.

She has received numerous awards, including the Gold Star Award for Health from the National Hook-Up of Black Women, the Athena Award for Outstanding Business Woman of the Year from the Uptown Chamber of Commerce, and the Award for Individual Professional Excellence from the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development.

In April 2019, Ruth was named one of Crain Chicago Business' Notable Women Over 50, and in November, she was named to Crain's Notable Women in Healthcare.