As president of Sutter Health’s Greater Sacramento Market, Rachael McKinney was one of the first leaders named to help guide the integrated network’s new market-based structure beginning in June 2023. In partnership with the market chief medical officer, she is one half of the administrator and physician dyad providing operational and strategic oversight for all acute and ambulatory operations while executing service line strategies and increasing patient access. Rachael most recently served as the Area CEO for Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento (SMCS), Sutter Davis Hospital and Sutter Amador Hospital.

Rachael’s Sutter Health journey began as an administrative fellow in 2004, marking the start of a career defined by patient-centered leadership. She quickly distinguished herself as a mission-driven, patient-centered, purposeful, and relationship-focused leader at Sutter Solano Medical Center in Vallejo. She spent seven years leading ancillary services and cancer center operations, where she improved employee and patient experience, increased operational efficiency, and expanded programs to serve oncology patients.

In 2011, Rachael became a regional executive for Sutter’s neurosciences service line working in a dyad leadership model with a regional medical director to advance the acute and ambulatory footprint of a nine-county region. Under her leadership, all six hospitals obtained primary stroke certification, and SMCS began its ultimately successful journey to comprehensive stroke certification. Rachael later served as the chief operating officer for VEP Healthcare, Inc. (now U.S. Acute Care Services) where she helped grow the 1,000-physician company across the eight states it served. She returned to Sutter Health in 2017 as the CEO of Sutter Davis Hospital.

Within her first year at the helm of Sutter Davis, Rachael led the vision to increase access to care through a largescale hospital expansion project, now well underway, with expected completion in 2024. She later led the hospital’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, treating the very first patient in Yolo County. Under her leadership, the hospital received Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work recognition, expanded its diversity, equity & inclusion work, launched an employee-led wellness council, and sustained top-decile performance in quality and patient experience. In 2019, Rachael was selected as a participant of World 50 Next Leader, an executive development program for top leaders around the world. Rachael was recognized by the Sacramento Business Journal with a “Women Who Mean Business” award in 2021, included on Becker Hospital Review’s “Women Hospital Presidents and CEOs to Know” list in 2023 and later named to the Top 100 Under 50 Executives and Emerging Leaders list by Diversity MBA.

Rachael holds a bachelor’s degree in health fitness with a minor in economics from Gustavus Adolphus College and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of Minnesota. She is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on the boards of the California Association of Healthcare Leaders, Child Abuse Prevention Center, Minnesota MHA Alumni Association/Foundation, College of St. Scholastica MHA Industry Advisory Board, and the Sacramento Host Committee. In 2023, Rachael chaired the Go Red for Women Campaign in Sacramento. A believer in embracing challenges and championing growth, Rachael is passionate about developing future leaders and serves as the executive sponsor for Sutter’s Administrative Fellowship/Internship Program. She resides in Sacramento with her husband, Randy, and dog, Romeo, and in her free time enjoys spending time at the beach, watching Jeopardy, listening to live music, reading, and traveling.