Career journey comes full circle for South Side Chicago native

Michelle Y Blakely’s career journey came full circle on October 1, 2022, when she assumed the role of President of Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago and Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, Ill.

In this role, Blakely leads the strategic direction and operation of Advocate Trinity Hospital, which has served the Southeast Side of Chicago for over 120 years. Additionally, Blakely provides executive leadership over Advocate South Suburban Hospital and support services, including a state-of-the-art surgical procedural center.

“I am so delighted by the privilege to serve at home,” Blakely, said. “My career has taken me all over the Midwest and it is energizing to know that in my new role, my efforts to help people live well will directly impact the communities where I grew up and call home today.”

Blakely returns to Chicago’s Southland from Grafton, Wisc., where she served as President of Aurora Medical Center. Under Blakely’s leadership, the medical center navigated the complex challenges presented by the pandemic, climbed to the No. 4 ranked hospital in the state of Wisconsin (US News and World Report), and earned accolades for patient experience excellence.

Before joining Advocate Aurora Health, Blakely served as Chief Operating Officer at Norwegian American Hospital, in Chicago. She also previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Associate Medical Center Director for the Department of Veterans Affairs at Jesse Brown Medical Center in Chicago.

A Flossmoor resident, Blakely was born and raised in Chicago’s Englewood and West Pullman neighborhoods. She graduated from Unity Catholic High School on Chicago’s South Side and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Blakely holds a Master of Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.