The senior executive of the largest employer and leading healthcare system in southwest Michigan will serve as the keynote speaker at Kalamazoo College’s commencement ceremony in June.

Bronson Healthcare President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Manns will address the class of 2022 and receive an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 12, as the ceremony returns to the campus Quad. Manns oversees all Bronson services from primary care to critical care across more than 100 locations.

Before joining Bronson, Manns was the president of St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor and St. Joseph Mercy Livingston from 2018–2020, the president of Mercy Health Saint Mary’s Campus in Grand Rapids from 2013–2018, the Alameda Health System chief operating officer (Oakland, California) from 2005–2013, and Ascension Providence Hospital (Southfield, Michigan) chief operations officer and executive vice president from 1996–2005.

His professional memberships have included the National Association of Healthcare Executives, the American College of Healthcare Executives, and an appointment by the Governor of Michigan to the state’s Public Health Advisory Council. Modern Healthcare magazine named Manns to its Top 25 Innovators list in 2021, recognizing his innovative approach to engaging leaders and physicians in counteracting the negative financial impact created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Manns has served on the boards of several organizations across Michigan, including Bronson Health Foundation, Cascade Engineering, First National Bank of Michigan, Gilmore Car Museum, Michigan Health and Hospital Association (MHA), MHA Service Corporation, Aquinas College, Southwest Michigan First and Western Michigan University Homer Stryker, M.D. School of Medicine. He has two degrees from the University of Michigan, a bachelor’s degree in organizational psychology and a master’s degree in health services administration.

Find more information about commencement including a full schedule of events at our website.