Sutter Health Leadership

Sarah Krevans

President and Chief Executive Officer

As president and CEO of Sutter Health, Sarah Krevans leads the network’s 24 hospitals, 53,000 employees, 14,000 clinicians, outpatient services, research facilities, home health and hospice care services, and business professionals. Under her guidance, Sutter Health is exploring new technologies and embracing creative, community-based healthcare programs to make healthcare more accessible, affordable, efficient and convenient for more than 3 million patients.

Recognizing her outstanding leadership, Krevans was named one of the “Top 25 Women Leaders” by Modern Healthcare, included on Modern Healthcare’s list of the “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare,” nominated as a “Visionary of the Year” by the San Francisco Chronicle and named one of the “Most Influential Women in Business” by the San Francisco Business Times.

She received her bachelor’s degree from Boston University, and earned an MBA and a master’s degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley.

James Conforti

Chief Operating Officer

James Conforti oversees the day-to-day operations of Sutter Health’s integrated network in Northern California, working to make Sutter’s healthcare more human, engaging, affordable and simple for Sutter’s patients. Sutter’s philanthropy and information services are also guided by his leadership.

Prior to joining Sutter Health, Conforti served for nine years in the U.S. Army as a Medical Service Corps officer, stationed stateside and internationally to help soldiers and their families with medical needs.

He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a board certified medical practice executive with the Medical Group Management Association. He also sits on the board of the California Business Roundtable and the Greater Sacramento Area Economic Council.

Conforti has a bachelor’s degree in international relations from University of Washington and a master’s in health science, health finance and management from Johns Hopkins University.

Rishi Sikka, M.D.

President, System Enterprises

As President of System Enterprises for Sutter Health, Rishi Sikka, M.D. brings a deep commitment to improving the lives of others and a strong vision for a better patient experience to his role overseeing key integrated services.

Dr. Sikka provides executive oversight of Facility & Property Services, Health Plan Products & Partnerships, Laboratory Services, Mental Health & Addiction Care, Pharmacy Services, Sutter Care at Home, Sutter Surgery Center Division, Sutter Walk-In Care and Sutter Shared Services (including functions like the patient contact center, finance, human resources, revenue cycle and supply chain).

He also led the establishment of Sutter’s Population Health Services, a new division within System Enterprises focused on further improving care quality, service coordination and care consistencies, and reducing total cost of care.

Dr. Sikka earned his bachelor’s degree in economics at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his medical degree from the Mayo Clinic Medical School. He was on faculty in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Medicine and Boston University School of Medicine. He is co-author of the book, “Leading Healthcare Transformation: A Primer for Clinical Leaders,” and has written for the Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review.

Jill Ragsdale

Senior Vice President and Chief People and Culture Officer

With caring and compassion at the forefront, Jill Ragsdale and her teams are responsible for the programs and systems that empower staff to provide excellent and compassionate patient care and ensure patients receive high-quality, affordable healthcare services.  As the leader for Human Resources, Enterprise Transformation, Public Affairs (Public Policy, Government Relations, Community Benefit, Communications, Marketing) and Protective Services, Ragsdale leads teams that are at the center of Sutter Health’s diverse culture and environment.

From 1995 to 2008 she worked at Sutter Health as director of human resources and later vice president, human resources.  In 2008, she returned to the Mayo Clinic where she had launched her career, and served as Mayo’s chief human resources officer for eight years, before returning to Sutter Health in 2015.

Ragsdale earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and religion, and a master’s degree in industrial relations/human resources from the University of Iowa.

Brian Dean

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer, Brian Dean is responsible for the financial operations of Sutter Health, and oversees financial reporting, treasury, managed care, strategy and business development.

Dean joined Sutter Health in July 2020 from Memorial Hermann Health System in Texas, where he most recently served as that organization’s Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. There he was a key strategic partner in developing transformative business models to elevate the system’s capabilities around operational excellence, care delivery and innovation, while balancing the need for cost containment and strategic growth.

He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Texas Hospital Association, Healthcare Financial Management Association, and Angel Flight Southeast Texas.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky, an MBA from the University of Miami, and a master’s in public health in health administration from the University of Kentucky.

Florence L. Di Benedetto

Senior Vice President and General Counsel

Prior to joining Sutter Health in 2008, Di Benedetto was a senior partner of the Sacramento-based law firm Hunter Richey Di Benedetto & Eisenbeis LLP for 20 years.  She started the firm’s litigation practice and chaired the litigation section. She then served more than 10 years as the firm’s health law section senior partner, representing clients across California.

Di Benedetto earned her bachelor’s degree in international relations from Georgetown University and studied economics and economic planning at London University and the Central School of Planning and Statistics in Warsaw, Poland.  She earned her law degree from the University of San Francisco and a master’s in health services management from Golden Gate University.

For many years, Di Benedetto served in the leadership ranks of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, including serving as board chair in 2005-2006.

Conrad M. Vial, M.D.

Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer

As Sutter Health’s Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Vial oversees all facets of the organization’s clinical operations, including clinical strategy, research and graduate medical education, quality and safety, digital patient engagement and patient experience.

Dr. Vial is a practicing cardiothoracic surgeon who has held various leadership roles in multi-specialty medical group practice and integrated healthcare delivery. From the clinical practice perspective, Dr. Vial is particularly interested in structural heart disease, focusing on minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery and catheter-based valve repair and replacement. 

Dr. Vial received his bachelor’s degree and medical doctorate from Stanford University. He earned a master’s of philosophy at Cambridge University in England, while also completing a postdoctoral fellowship in transplant immunology. He conducted his general surgical and cardiothoracic surgical training at Stanford University Medical Center.  He has been board certified in both general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery.