Go to Sister of St Francis - Clinton Iowa Home Page

Leadership

Kathleen Bauer SSNDSister Kathleen Bauer, SSND, has officially been named the Appointed Congregational Leader of the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa, by the Vatican. She was installed on June 28, 2026, and will serve a three-year, renewable term.

 

Sister Kathleen brings over twenty years of servant leadership experience with a broad healthcare operations background. She has a solid understanding of operations, finances, contracts, technology, and strategic planning.

 

Most recently, Sister Kathleen ministered as a Clinical Coordinator at the Dallas College School of Health Sciences, where she was responsible for over 450 clinical affiliation, service, and expense/revenue agreements for the School of Health Sciences. She has also served as a project manager for Catholic Charities in Dallas, TX; on the executive leadership team of the School Sisters of Notre Dame; as an IS/IT site manager for Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, MN; and in clinical department management at New Ulm Medical Center in New Ulm, MN. She was also a licensed physical therapist in Minnesota for twenty-six years.

 

Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

 

The Sisters of St. Francis are members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has about 1,350 members, who represent nearly 80 percent of the approximately 49,000 women religious in the United States. Founded in 1956, the conference assists its members to collaboratively carry out their service of leadership to further the mission of the Gospel in today's world.