PEORIA MAGAZINE July 2023

K evin and Lisa Schoeplein’s open hearts and tireless energy have changed the face of medicine in the Peoria area. Still, this community wasn’t the obvious place for the couple to land. Lisa was born in Las Vegas and raised in Langer, Kentucky. Kevin grew up the youngest of five in Rock River, Ohio. Kevin, who would go on to become CEO of OSF HealthCare, attributes much of his success to the moral education he received in parochial school. ‘KEVIN WAS A

Kevin Schoeplein as a boy in Ohio

Lisa Schoeplein in her early years in Kentucky

hospital in the OSF organization. Kevin and Lisa had two more children, Christopher and Ashley, in Rockford. When St. Francis was restructured in 1987, the family returned to Peoria for Kevin to take over the OSF Healthcare Foundation and OSF St. Francis Medical Center. Sister Judith Ann Duvall, O.S.F. and chairperson of the boards for OSF HealthCare, said Schoeplein was the right choice for the organization. “Kevin was a strategic leader. He had a passion to know people personally and develop them. He had a vision that built a path for us to become One OSF in the service of human life,” Duvall said. “Culture is key, and Kevin knew that and led OSF, keeping us focused due north on the mission God entrusted to us, never compromising our Catholic identity or Franciscan heritage.” FAMILY FIRST Kevin and Lisa’s final child, Matthew, was born in Peoria. Kevin was busy but prioritized family by coaching his daughters’ soccer teams. Lisa had quit working early in Kevin’s career. Sometimes she would travel with her husband, but most of the time, she kept her children active and volunteered at their schools. Fellow parent Mary Markovich remembers co chairing auctions with the Schoepleins at Notre Dame High School. “Kevin and Lisa are wonderful, supportive parents and friends,” said Markovich. “They are always eager to joyfully add their support to anything asked of them.”

a hospital administrator, Kevin realized he could combine his interests. “I didn’t know that position existed,” he said. “I didn’t know that was the business side of medicine. It connected with me.” Few colleges offered health care ad ministration courses. Xavier University in Cincinnati required health care work experience that Kevin lacked. At 22, he was seven years younger than the av erage applicant. Undeterred, he worked as an orderly while earning his MBA in finance, then entered the health care administration program. He met Lisa through mutual friends. She was studying at nearby Mount St. Joseph University to become a medical technologist. The couple dated for two years while he finished his residency hours and thesis. One week after their wedding, they moved to Peoria, where Kevin had taken a job as assistant administrator at what is now OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. He would spend his entire career at OSF. “It was a rare aspect of my career to find a professional home that not only welcomed my abilities and knowledge but really created a breadth of opportunities for me to grow in my career over a lifetime,” Kevin said. A RISING STAR Kevin and Lisa soon welcomed their first two children, Stacie and Molly, into their family. Within a few years, the Schoepleins moved to Rockford, where Kevin had became the CEO of St. Anthony Medical Center. At just 27, he was running the second-largest

STRATEGIC LEADER. HE HAD A PASSION TO KNOW PEOPLE PERSONALLY AND DEVELOP THEM’ — Sister Judith Ann Duvall

“I came to realize the importance of learning not only the technical aspects that a good education would provide but the importance of being informed by your values and your orientation around those values,” he said. “Respect and integrity and accountability as the brothers taught to me.” Friends such as Will Williams of David Vaughn Investments say these values are wired into Kevin’s personality. “Kevin has no issue whatsoever going against the tide if he feels like it is the right thing to do,” Williams said. “I know him as a risk-taker, always pushing the envelope. An innovator. Never satisfied, and very committed. And tireless. I don’t know where he finds the energy, but he is always on the move.” And together, Kevin and Lisa Scho eplein are Peoria Magazine Legends.

CONNECTING WITH ‘THE BUSINESS SIDE OF MEDICINE’

Kevin Schoeplein enrolled in pre-med at St. Louis University but switched to business administration after discovering a love for finance. When his brother-in-law mentioned talking to

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