In May, Mary Henrickson joined St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Frisco as the new chief nursing officer, chief operating officer and vice president of patient care services.

Although this may be the first time Henrickson, 59, is living in Summit County, the new hospital executive’s career has taken her to nearly every corner of the country, making this stop a special kind of homecoming.

“My hometown of Butte, Mont., was four times the size of Frisco, but about the same size as Summit County,” Henrickson said. “The size of the town drives the personality of the people who live there. The people here are kind, tolerant and cooperative, but I’ve seen already that they also have high expectations of each other.”

Although this stop feels like a return to her roots, there was a time when Henrickson itched to explore some of the nation’s largest cities.

After receiving her bachelor of science in nursing from Montana State University, Henrickson continued to earn her masters in nursing from the University of Washington in Seattle, and her women’s health care nurse practitioner certification from the University of California, Los Angeles.

But the learning and exploring didn’t stop there and Henrickson went on to earn countless certifications and sit on numerous health care committees at hospitals around the country, en route to multiple management roles.

Most recently, Henrickson served as senior vice president and CEO for Carondelet St. Joseph Hospital in Tucson, Ariz. Prior to that, she worked for Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns in San Diego, in addition to putting in time at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

“The goal growing up in Butte was to get out of Butte and go to the big city; I’ve been there and done that in San Diego, Chicago and Seattle,” Henrickson said. “Now it’s just good to be home.”

“I’ve run with the big dogs and this group, these physicians, these nurses can run with the big dogs (too) and I hope the community realizes how good the people are who work here.”

In her new role Henrickson will provide nursing and clinical leadership at the hospital, as well as work closely with the St. Anthony Summit Medical Center team on the development of strategic and operational plans to maintain and enhance the quality of care for the Summit County community.

“We are fortunate to have Mary’s experience in operational leadership, nursing administration, and proven quality results,” said Paul Chodkowski, CEO of St. Anthony Summit Medical Center. “These qualities will be invaluable as we continue to build a solid foundation and position St. Anthony Summit Medical Center as a recognized leader in patient-centered care and as an outstanding employer in health care.”