Kreg Gruber
Chief Executive Officer
Kreg was named Beacon’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2017.
Prior to arriving in South Bend, Kreg served as President of Doctors Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He’s also held the positions of Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Amerigard Health Services Garden City Hospital in Garden City, Michigan.
Kreg is a graduate of Ohio State University and Indiana University. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Club of St. Joseph County.
David Bailey
President, Community Hospital of Bremen
David has served as the President and CEO of Community Hospital of Bremen since March 2013. During his tenure, he has introduced or expanded services to better serve the Bremen community, including the addition of primary care physicians, infusion therapy, occupational health and laboratory services. David previously served as Administrator and Chief Operating Officer at East Texas Medical Center.
David earned his bachelor’s degree in Medical Records Administration from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Maria Behr, MBA, BSPharm
President, Three Rivers Health
After serving as Vice President of Operations at Three Rivers Health, Maria Behr, MBA, BSPharm, was named President in October 2022. During her time at Three Rivers Health she was responsible for non-nursing operations and led the hospital integration with Beacon. Maria has worked in health care and served Beacon for 30 years.
Maria began her career in health care in 1992 as a Clinical Pharmacist at Elkhart General Hospital and became Director or Pharmacy in 2015. In 2018, she assumed the position of Executive Director of Operations at Elkhart General Hospital. She earned her Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and her MBA from Bethel University, Mishawaka.
Jeff Costello
Chief Financial Officer
Jeff has served as Chief Financial Officer of Memorial Health System and now Beacon Health System since 1995. In this role he has managed all accounting, financial planning, investments, business office operations, construction and medical records.
Jeff is a Certified Public Accountant and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Indiana University with a master’s in Business Administration. He first joined Memorial in 1985.
Jeff serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Michiana, Saint Joseph Valley Metronet and the Community Foundation of Saint Joseph County.
Sam El-Dalati, MD, MBA
Chief Clinical Officer
Prior to joining Beacon in June 2019, Dr. El-Dalati served as the Chief Clinical Officer and Chief Network Integration Officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health – Lorain Region in Ohio.
A board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. El-Dalati is leading Beacon’s clinical excellence and quality outcomes initiatives for all inpatient, outpatient and physician office-based locations.
Dr. El-Dalati earned his medical degree at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, and a Master’s of Business Administration degree in healthcare from Cleveland State University.
Mario Ellis
Chief Human Resource Officer, Beacon Health System
Mario Ellis joined Beacon Health System as Chief Human Resource Officer in February 2023. A Chicago native with more than 30 years of experience in human resources operations and functional management, Mario most recently served as Vice President of Total Rewards that included HR operations at WellSpan Health in York, Pennsylvania.
A trusted leader with a talent for excellent service delivery, Mario has held senior human resources leadership roles with prominent healthcare organizations such as the Cleveland Clinic, St. Luke’s Health System in Boise, Idaho, and University of Chicago Medicine.
Mario earned a Bachelor of Science degree in commerce, concentrating on human resources, from DePaul University in Chicago. He received a Master of Arts degree in practical theology from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is a current candidate for a Master of Health Administration degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, in December 2023.
Susan King
President, Beacon Health Foundation
Susan’s journey with Beacon began in 2017 when she took the reins of philanthropic development for the region’s only locally owned community-governed healthcare system. She is dedicated to fostering collaboration to bolster essential programs and services, both within the health system and across the community, that are crucial for addressing the region’s healthcare needs. Additionally, she serves on numerous nonprofit boards. Susan, her husband, Mike, and their two almost-grown children find joy in the vibrant Michiana area.
Diane Maas
Chief Strategy & Digital Growth Officer
As Beacon Health System’s Chief Strategy and Digital Growth Officer, Diane successfully navigates today’s complex health environment focusing on managed care, value based care, strategy, growth and digital transformation. Diane has 40 years of health care experience, 34 of those years on the provider side and six of them on the payer side; which gives her a unique perspective on the challenges facing health care today.
Diane leads two of the six strategies for the Health System – Smart Growth and Consumer Driven Culture. Both of these strategies ensure that future models of health care are designed around the consumer to provide care that is frictionless, seamless, personalized and are in the right location to meet the needs of the consumer.
Diane earned her undergraduate degree in Marketing and Management from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa in 1984 and her Master’s degree in health administration from the University of Notre Dame in 1990. Diane currently serves as a board member for Everwise Credit Union, Everwise Credit Union Foundation, Managed Health Services, Franciscan Beacon Hospital, and South Bend Specialty Surgery Center.
Dale Patterson, MD, MS, FAAFP
President, Beacon Medical Group
Dr. Patterson was named President of Beacon Medical Group in 2023. He previously served as Vice President Medical Affairs at Memorial Hospital of South Bend. In addition, he was Chair of the Beacon COVID Task Force and served on the COVID-19 Response/Unified Command of the St. Joseph County Health Department. He graduated from the Memorial Hospital Family Medicine Residency program in 2000 and returned in 2007 as Associate Director. From 2010-2018, he served as the Program Director.
He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan and a Doctorate of Medicine from Michigan State University, and also a Master of Science degree in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety from Northwestern University.
Carl Risk, II
President, Elkhart General Hospital
Carl previously served as Lead Administrator from St. Vincent Jennings Hospital in North Vernon, Indiana. He was instrumental in leading overall operations, implementing the hospital strategic plan and budget, developing effective working relationships with the board, managers, physicians, associates and community and improving patient care services and satisfaction.
He served as Vice President of Planning from 2004–2007 and then as Vice President of Clinical Services from 2007–2011 at King’s Daughters’ Hospital and Health Services in Madison, Indiana.
Carl earned an associate’s degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Evansville and a master’s degree in Health Administration from Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and an Indiana Hospital Association board member.
Larry Tracy
President, Memorial Hospital of South Bend
Larry comes to Beacon from Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital where he served as Chief Operating Officer since 2008 and President since 2013. During his tenure, he was instrumental in aligning and standardizing clinical operations, and gaining efficiencies to improve expense structure and deliver more value for patients and customers.
A United States Army officer from 1991-1999, Larry’s career turned to health care where he served as a business analyst for The Ohio State University Health System, an Administrative Fellow for Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and Vice President for Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. He earned his master’s degree in Health Administration from The Ohio State University.
Roy Sookhoo
Interim Chief Information & Technology Officer
Roy has utilized technology from coast to coast to address business challenges, driving operational excellence and fostering innovation in the healthcare ecosystem. He excels in strategic planning, digital transformation, mentoring high-performing teams and enhancing customer experiences. He and his wife Laraine raised four children and are now proud grandparents of three. As empty nesters, they enjoy the ocean, travel and other adventures when possible.