SoutheastHEALTH has announced the appointment of Peter Kinder as Vice President for Government Affairs. Kinder comes to SoutheastHEALTH with a wealth of experience in government, both on the state level as Missouri’s Lieutenant Governor and nationally representing Missouri’s best interests.
In his new role, Kinder will interact with local, county, state and federal agencies on issues that will impact SoutheastHEALTH and the healthcare industry. He also will be a key voice in educating the community we serve about ways to collaborate, leading to improved healthcare and lower healthcare costs.
“I realize the importance of building strong relationships with focused strategy and how it can influence government policy, which is why I personally recruited Kinder for this position. He will play a key role in developing and maintaining relationships with legislators, regulators and other policymakers to keep SoutheastHEALTH informed of changes to laws, regulations, enforcement and spending priorities that could have a significant impact on our organization,” said Ken Bateman, President and Chief Executive Officer of SoutheastHEALTH.
Kinder, of Cape Girardeau, served as the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2017. He is the first Lieutenant Governor to be elected to a third term since 1940. He is recognized throughout the state and nation for helping establish the Tour of Missouri, an international professional bicycle race, the third highest profile domestic race in the U.S. The race brought in athletes from 20 countries, attracting an estimated 1.2 million spectators and creating a direct economic impact of $80 million.
“Government and healthcare are both incredibly complex and both are also intertwined in many ways. In my role, I hope to help SoutheastHEALTH navigate these complexities to further its mission of providing excellent healthcare services to residents of this region. I was born at Southeast Hospital and my father, James Kinder, was a practicing pediatrician at Southeast Hospital for many years. That makes this new role even more meaningful in that it allows me to continue what always has been a very special relationship with SoutheastHEALTH,” said Kinder.
Kinder earned his Juris Doctorate degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, TX. Prior to being elected Lieutenant Governor, Kinder represented six southeast Missouri counties as state senator, serving three terms in that position. He currently is president and CEO of Olympia Consulting.
