(St. Louis) August 22, 2014 − Peter M. Leibold has been named Chief Advocacy Officer for Ascension Health. Leibold will assume his new role this fall and will work from the Ascension office in Washington, D.C., until summer 2015 when he will be based in St. Louis.
Leibold has served for fifteen years as the Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA), the largest association in the United States dedicated to educating and promoting collegiality among health lawyers.
In his new role, Leibold will lead Ascension’s advocacy efforts, working closely with executive leadership and advocacy leaders across the national ministry. “I’m pleased to welcome Peter to Ascension Health, where he will be responsible for our ongoing work to design and execute a strategic and integrated advocacy and government affairs strategy that enhances Ascension’s position with respect to the transformation of healthcare, with continued emphasis on providing access for vulnerable populations,” said Robert J. Henkel, FACHE, Executive Vice President, Ascension, and President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension Health.
Mary Ella Payne, Ascension Health Senior Vice President, Policy & System Legislative Leadership, who has provided exceptional interim leadership, will continue to play a lead role in Ascension’s advocacy work in Washington, D.C.
Prior to accepting his job at AHLA in 1999, Leibold served as General Counsel to the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA) from 1996-1999. He joined CHA after working at the law firm of Bryan Cave as counsel from 1995-1996. For six years prior to joining Bryan Cave, Leibold served in three different capacities for U.S. Sen. John C. Danforth, R-Mo.: from 1989-1992 as Sen. Danforth's counsel for judicial and health affairs; then as the senator's legislative director; and ultimately as his chief of staff.
In 2004, Leibold took time away from his AHLA responsibilities to serve as Washington Deputy to then-Ambassador Danforth when he was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. In 1988-1989, Leibold clerked for Judge Wilfred Feinberg of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Leibold is a graduate of Haverford College and Yale Law School. He serves on the Board of a Pennsylvania healthcare foundation and on the Finance Committee of Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., part of Ascension Health.
About Ascension
Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a Catholic healthcare organization dedicated to the transformation of healthcare through excellent clinical care throughout the continuum of care and through innovation. Ascension is the nation’s largest Catholic and non-profit health system, providing the highest quality care to all with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Last year, Ascension provided $1.5 billion in care of persons living in poverty and community benefit programs. Its Mission-focused Health Ministries employ more than 150,000 associates serving in more than 1,900 sites of care in 23 states and the District of Columbia. Ascension’s direct subsidiaries provide services that include healthcare delivery, medical equipment management, treasury management, resource and supply management, venture capital investing, physician practice management, and risk management.
