President and CEO of Silver Cross Hospital Michael Mutterer Elected to the Illinois Health and Hospital Association Board

Michael Mutterer, RN, MA, LCPC, CADC, LNHA, President and Chief Executive Officer, Silver Cross Hospital, has been elected to the Board of Trustees for the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA). The IHA Board is the policymaking body for the Association, which represents more than 200 hospitals and nearly 40 health systems across Illinois. Mutterer’s three-year term began on Jan. 1, 2026. The first IHA board meeting of the year is scheduled for Jan. 23. 

“We are excited to welcome Michael to the IHA Board,” said A.J. Wilhelmi, IHA President and CEO. “Michael is a trusted and accomplished healthcare leader whose clinical experience and extensive background will be a valuable asset as we continue our efforts to elevate critical healthcare issues and shape policy in Illinois.” 

Mutterer joined Silver Cross as Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) in April 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and was instrumental in guiding the hospital’s nursing and clinical teams through this unprecedented period in the hospital’s 130-year history. He was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2023 and then served as Interim President and CEO following the passing of Ruth Colby in the fall of 2023. 

Mutterer’s many contributions to Silver Cross include the launch of Will County’s first and only Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in August 2022, which has provided care for 1,000+ newborns; advancement of key service lines; and his dedicated focus on quality and safety, which recently earned Silver Cross its 22^nd Straight A for Safety by the Leapfrog Group and a Leapfrog Top Hospitals Award for 2025. Under Mutterer’s leadership, Healthgrades also named Silver Cross #1 in Illinois for Surgical Care Excellence in 2024 and 2025. He also was influential in the opening of a 16-bed observation unit and 16-bed cardiovascular unit in 2021. As CNO, Mutterer was responsible for maintaining compliance with regulatory agencies that govern the health system, including accrediting bodies such as Joint Commission. 

Prior to joining Silver Cross, Mutterer held leadership positions at several healthcare organizations, including long-term care facilities. He holds an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing from Joliet Junior College, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Nursing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Psychology from Edgewood College in Madison, Wisc., and a Master of Arts in Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology from the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago. 

Mutterer also holds several licenses and certifications, including Registered Nurse, Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Board-Certified Professional Counselor, and Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor. 

He has presented to professional audiences numerous times and is published in the American Journal of Infection Control. 

Mutterer’s professional affiliations include the American Psychological Association, Illinois Nursing Home Administrators Association, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, and he serves as Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors of Leading Age Illinois. 

Locally, he serves on the Executive Committee of the Will County Center for Economic Development and the Board of Directors for both the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center and Lightways Hospice. In November 2025, Mutterer earned the Gold Star for Health Award from the National Hook-up of Black Women, Joliet Chapter, for his extraordinary contributions to healthcare in the community.  

For more information about Silver Cross Hospital, visit silvercross.org

About IHA

The Illinois Health and Hospital Association, with offices in Chicago, Naperville, Springfield, and Washington, D.C., advocates for Illinois’ more than 200 hospitals and nearly 40 health systems as they serve their patients and communities. IHA members provide a broad range of services—not just within their walls, but across the continuum of healthcare and in their communities. Reflecting the diversity of the state, IHA members consist of nonprofit, investor-owned and public hospitals in the following categories: community, safety net, rural, critical access, specialty, and teaching hospitals, including academic medical centers. For more information, see www.team-iha.org. Like IHA on Facebook. Follow IHA on X (formally known as Twitter).