Bill Hennessey is a long-term leader at Mercy Springfield, now having served 36 years. Bill was born in the St. Louis area, the son of a social worker and nurse. He attended the University of Notre Dame on a ROTC scholarship. The highlight of his time at Notre Dame was meeting his future wife, Dawn. Bill attended St. Louis University and earned a master’s degree in health administration and then completed his military service as an Army medical service corps officer in Hawaii.
Bill and Dawn moved to Springfield, having been attracted to Mercy’s faith-based mission in 1989. Bill served in a variety of leadership roles and led the marketing and strategy functions for more than 20 years. Bill’s journey with Mercy took an unexpected turn ten years ago when he was asked to move into the Vice President of Mission position for Springfield, a role he has embraced and cherished. In this position, Bill provides leadership for the mission, ethics, pastoral care, and CPE programs at Mercy Springfield. He also oversees the Auxiliary, Hospitality House, Day Care Center, and coworker events teams.
In 2019, Bill completed his master’s in Health Care Mission Leadership at Loyola University in Chicago. Bill and Dawn have three amazing, grown sons – John, Andrew (married to Lindsey) and Will. Dawn and Bill are blessed with two grandsons - Crosby and Liam who pull them frequently to Lees Summit. In his free time, Bill plays drums in Caduceus – The Doctors’ Band, serves on several key community boards, is active at his Church, runs one half-marathon yearly, and enjoys time with family.