Vice president retiring from Sanford Health Fargo network

(Fargo, ND) -- After 36 years of distinguished leadership, Bruce Viessman, vice president of operations for the Sanford Health Fargo network, will retire on March 31st.

“Bruce made countless contributions that will have a lasting impact on our organization,” said Tiffany Lawrence, Sanford Fargo president and CEO. “While leading our network, he built meaningful connections with our rural communities and expanded Sanford into the Grand Forks and Devils Lake markets. His dedicated work helped improve access to health care for our most underserved populations.”

Viessman received his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minnesota and his master’s of science in management from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota.

He joined Sanford Health in April 2008, as the chief financial officer for the Sioux Falls region and later for the Sanford Health network. In 2017, he became the vice president of operations for the Fargo network. Before joining Sanford Health, Viessman spent 21 years as the chief financial officer for what is now Sanford Worthington Medical Center.

Viessman will be remembered for his infectious laugh, can-do attitude and unwavering dedication to the Sanford network. His incredible understanding of the challenging landscape in rural health care and his unique background has played a huge part in making Sanford the premier rural health care system it is today.

“It has been a great honor to have been a part of an amazing team of leaders and staff,” said Viessman. “We have shown our ability to handle change and raise the bar for health care in rural communities and will continue to set the standards for health care delivery in the future.

Susan Jarvis, vice president of operations for Sanford Fargo, will assume the operational oversight responsibilities for the Fargo network locations in addition to her current role. Susan joined Sanford Fargo in 2010 as the executive director of emergency, trauma and critical care services before moving to vice president of operations in 2017. She became president and CEO for Sanford Bemidji in 2019 and returned to Fargo in January 2023 to serve as the vice president of operations for Sanford Fargo.