Executive Retirement Announcement

This article was published on the Ad/ventist Health One Channel sharepoint site on Monday, July 31.

For the past 45 years, Mark Heringer, IT Executive, IT Services, has carried a piece of now-weathered paper with six rules he listed early in his career about how to behave and how to be a leader. The six rules include: plan ahead, be honest, do not panic, persevere, follow up promptly and only get upset over the important things. He also attached his favorite quote to this list from Calvin Coolidge about persistence.

Mark has worked in IT for 45 years, with the last six and a half years at Adventist Health in IT Services. “As a technology executive, I have been the plumber and electrician for IT, working on networks, wireless, workstations, phones, things that people don’t care about,” Mark explains with a smile.

Mark’s career in IT started in the fall of 1975, the first time he sat at a keyboard, writing code. He began his career in financial services running the IT department for Western Farm Credit Bank, serving as VP, Information Services and then as Chief Information Officer during his 20 years with the organization. From there, he joined Sutter Health, where he implemented the Lawson Software Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application. Mark was part of the first wave of hires for the enterprise IT team for Sutter.

In 2013, Mark started consulting work at Adventist Health Sonora and then to Adventist Health St. Helena as an interim IT Site Director. In October 2016, he accepted an offer for his current role as Technology Executive at Adventist Health Roseville.

During his time at the Roseville campus, Mark has been sharing what he’s learned about leadership with his team. He supports building relationships with face-to-face interactions. “I wouldn’t be who I am today if I spent my career working remotely,” he said. “Prior to the last three and a half years, a lot of business was happening in the stairwells of this building or in an office. From a manager and leader standpoint, you have to rub elbows with people to become effective.” He also advises, “Don’t have an ego. You need to be comfortable with leaders, peers and employees questioning decisions and directions and asking hard questions.”

“Mark’s leadership and insights will be greatly missed,” said Jennifer Stemmler, Chief Information Officer. “His incredible effort to swiftly move hundreds of associates to remote work and handling the technical challenges that came with it during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic was truly amazing work. I want to thank him for serving Adventist Health with love and brilliance.”

What are Mark’s plans for retirement? “After working for jobs with 24/7/365 distractions almost continuously since the mid-1980s, I would really like to gain control of my schedule. It’s time to turn the page. I want more quality time with my wife, kids, grandson, and friends.”

Please stop by Mark’s retirement celebration on Tuesday, August 1, from 10 a.m. to Noon in the education room on the first floor of the Roseville campus.