CARYN RELKIN
Vice President, COO
Caryn Relkin is the Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of St. Joseph Community Health. Currently, she is Interim President for the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation. Prior to joining St. Joseph Community Health, Caryn served as Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development for the former St. Joseph Healthcare System in Albuquerque. Beginning as a recruitment coordinator, Caryn’s position and responsibilities increased to include operational responsibility for human resources, education and development, women’s services, and hospital support services. During her 21 years there, the St. Joseph Healthcare System grew from a single hospital to a 4 hospital system with 3,000 employees.
Caryn also served for 5 years as the Projects Manager for the New Mexico Hospital Association. In that capacity, she managed multiple projects and programs, including several large Health Resources and Services Administration grants through contract with the New Mexico Department of Health related to the development of disaster readiness and response capability in New Mexico.
Caryn has served as the Chair of the Hospital Services Corporation Board of Directors and as the Board Chair of the State Health Occupations Students of America. She has presented in various venues on topics such as health care reform, effective leadership qualities, men and women in leadership, and building communications skills.
A graduate of the University of New Mexico, Caryn’s interest in a variety of fields has led to diverse studies over the years, including secondary education, political science, economics, special education, architecture, and engineering. An opportunity to travel and experience the uniqueness of other cultures led to a year in Israel where Caryn and her husband participated in the 5-month work-study program, Kibbutz Ulpan, and attended the University of Israel in Jerusalem where they studied political science. This was a unique opportunity to experience the strength of community and the importance of both its collective voice and the voice of its individual members.