Kathy Bertolini serves as the Division Vice President of Philanthropy at CHI Health, where she works to support the organization’s mission by connecting with those who have the resources to help our patients, staff and providers. Under Kathy’s leadership, the CHI Health Foundations raised more than $11.5 million in 2021, and they did it collaboratively. During this same period $5.7 million was transferred back to the respective hospitals in order to fund projects and programs.
Kathy has developed and implemented a major focus on gift alignment with CommonSpirit Health Philanthropy. Additionally, she created a unified regional annual employee campaign, "Together We Shine," which is part of a newly developed two year strategic plan (2022-2024) for Philanthropy. Kathy also led the implementation of Hospital Community Boards for the five metro Omaha/Council Bluffs campuses, which operate under a common charter with Hospital Community Boards in Nebraska and Southwest Iowa.
Kathy joined CHI Health in 2016, and quickly began bringing teams together as she fostered philanthropic relationships in the region. Kathy is responsible for the fiscal and operational leadership, as well as the oversight of day-to-day operations of the philanthropy teams. Patients and the services we provide are never far from Kathy’s mind. She leads the strategic development of initiatives that support several CHI Health hospitals with the express purpose of enhancing the lives of the people we serve in our communities.
Kathy’s roots run deep both in Nebraska and in the Catholic community. She serves as a board member for Marian High School and the Dreamweaver Foundation, as well as former president of the Catholic Charities where she was voted board member of the year in 2012. She is an accomplished leader and team builder with talent in strategy and communications. Kathy has just completed the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy course through the American College of Finance and has earned the CAP®️ designation.