James R. Kaskie was named the third chief executive officer of Kaleida Health, the largest healthcare provider in Western New York on January 1, 2006.

Kaskie, a Buffalo resident, joined Kaleida in the spring of 2004 as the president and chief operating officer, after serving as the senior vice president for operations of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI).

In his role at Kaleida Health, Kaskie leads a family of health care organizations that include the system’s five hospitals, four skilled nursing facilities, 99 ambulatory care programs and sites, the Visiting Nursing Association and fully integrated operating and clinical systems. During this time, the family of health care companies strengthened its balance sheet, recorded budget surpluses and signed a new master bargaining agreement, which covers nearly 85% of its 10,000 employees. Kaleida Health is Western New York’s largest private employer, serving one million people a year and generating net revenue of $1.2 billion.

At CHI, Kaskie was responsible for overseeing a $1.8 billion operation in a five-state area. Services included acute-care hospitals, a psychiatric hospital, a long-term acute-care hospital, home health agencies, a community health services organization and two joint venture organizations.

Kaskie held executive leadership positions with CHI since its inception in 1996 until 2004. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, CHI is a $6.5 billion operation comprised of 68 hospitals and 44 long-term care, assisted and independent living facilities and residential units in 19 states.

Prior to this, Kaskie was regional senior vice president with Catholic Health Corporation, a multi-state health system headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Catholic Health Corporation was one of the founding organizations of Catholic Health Initiatives.

Earlier in his career, Kaskie served as the president and CEO of Incarnate Word Hospital in St. Louis and preceding that, as vice president of Santa Rosa Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to this, he was also a senior executive of Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Kaskie is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He received a Master of Health Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Louis University, St. Louis, Mo., and a Master of Business Administration degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati.

Kaskie and his wife, Jane, are both natives of St. Louis. They have two adult children.