NEW ST. FRANCIS CEO PLANS TO START TENURE BY ASKING LOTS OF QUESTIONS

The new president/CEO at St. Francis Medical Center, James Sexton, plans to get his feet wet before making any changes in the organization.

"I want to learn the organization prior to trying to fine tune it," Sexton said at a news conference at the medical center Monday morning. He claims he will take advice from his father's old adage which was to "ask a lot of questions and keep your mouth shut."

Sexton will begin his responsibilities at St. Fancis on Nov. 11, succeeding John Fidler, who had served as the medical center's president since Jan. 1992. Fidler, whose last day was Oct. 16, is currently exploring his options.

Previously the head of two Catholic hospitals in Fond du Lac, Wisc., Sexton says the Christian values inherent at St. Francis weighed heavily on his decision to take the position.

"You know it when you see it," he says of Christian health care. "The tour gave me the opportunity to see the interactions of people within the organization. It felt warm and comfortable."

Sexton foresees the medical center as an active participant in the delivery system of the future and was impressed by the center's of excellence in cardiology, orthopedics and neurosciences.

One of his first action items will be to assist with the hiring of the new chief operating officer. According to Board of Directors Chairman Robert Hendrix, that will probably occur after the first of the year.