Coffee & Doughnuts with Keith Vander Kolk

The Catholic Review sits down with Keith Vander Kolk, president and CEO of St. Agnes Healthcare in Baltimore.

CR: What, and where, are your Catholic roots?

VANDER KOLK: Growing up in the Midwest (he is a graduate of the University of Iowa) as the youngest in a family of six children, I was raised in a Christian home, but not Catholic Christian. My parents and grandparents had very strong faith, which was instilled in me at an early age. Frankly, I don’t remember a time not believing in God.

I became Catholic in my mid-20s as my first wife and I were preparing to be married. Now remarried and continuing to share the Catholic tradition, our belief in God has carried us through many good times and has also held us up through some of the worst times, providing hope and guidance. My wife Shonna and I currently worship at Our Lady of the Chesapeake in Pasadena.

CR: Describe a time when you most relied on your faith.

VANDER KOLK: I have four children, a son and three daughters, the youngest of which are twins. Five years ago, at the age of 16, Tracy, one of the twins, lost her battle with depression and committed suicide. When the oxygen gets sucked out of your world in an instant, you tend to fall back to your core; your basics. My faith definitely helped me through the early days after my daughter’s death and provides me the comfort every day of knowing we may never get over it, but we will get through it.

CR: How has your faith helped shape your career in the medical industry?

VANDER KOLK: Probably by thinking about the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Healthcare is a complicated and emotional industry. In the nearly 30 years of my career, the one constant has been the pace of change from essentially every avenue: political, ethical, economic, you name it. Confusion is inevitable, but if you keep one thought in mind – “What is best for the patient or family at this moment?” – the rest will sort itself out.

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