Kelly Danna named chief at Sutter North

A Yuba City woman will take over as chief operating officer of Sutter North Medical Foundation.

Kelly Danna will step into her new position on Oct. 1. She’s served as Sutter North’s chief financial officer for more than eight years and will succeed Tom Walther, who retired in July.

Danna will oversee Sutter North’s business lines, such as physician clinic operations, facilities planning and the construction and development of the $34 million, 14-bed Sutter Surgical Hospital on Plumas Street in Yuba City.

Danna, 40, said she has two major goals.

In the short term, she wants to continue to build a good working relationship with Sutter North’s physicians. A longer- term goal is to improve patient care.

While she enjoyed her time on the financial side, Danna said she looks forward to the challenges of her new post.

“I see a need to build relationships with the people here, and now I’m at that point in my life where I want to do that more.” she said.

Danna graduated from Yuba City High School and moved on to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting.

Her first job was teaching swim lessons at age 14 for the Yuba City Parks and Recreation Department.

She and her husband, Steve, have a daughter, Lauren, 9, and a son, Sam, 6.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Kyle Buis can be reached at 741-2400 or kbuis@appealdemocrat.com