Josie Abboud, President and CEO of Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women’s Hospital, will serve as the keynote speaker for Midland University’s virtual commencement ceremony Saturday, May 16th, at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony will be livestreamed and can be viewed here.

Abboud’s career at Methodist began in 1996 as a critical care staff nurse, and she’s held a variety of leadership roles including service executive, vice president, and executive vice president and chief operating officer. In 2018, Abboud was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as a top woman hospital and health system leader to know. In 2017, Abboud was the ACHE Senior-Level Healthcare Executive Award recipient and the American Cancer Society National St. George Award winner. She was also previously named as one of the Midlands Business Journal’s “Women of Distinction” and a “40 Under 40” honoree. She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the Medical Group Management Association. She serves as District One Chairman of the Nebraska Hospital Association.

Abboud said she was honored when Midland University President Jody Horner approached about being the keynote speaker for the ceremony. “It was the first time I have been asked to provide a speech at a commencement ceremony and I was honored to be asked by Midland,” Abboud said. “Through our relationship with Methodist Fremont Health, Fremont is a very special place to us and everything just felt right. I’m looking forward to it.”

Midland’s ceremony, like many others across the nation, will have a different look and feel as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced universities and high schools to shift commencement ceremonies online. Abboud said part of her mission as the keynote speaker is to have Midland students understand what they are going through is unprecedented. “These graduates will be known as a unique generation at a unique time,” she said. “Hopefully, they can see that they are all going through this together.”

Abboud’s goal is for students to realize this moment in time will not determine who they are or what their future is. “We’ve all seen how this is affecting many people in many different ways,” she said. “That final year of college is a part of their life that is so impactful and I view them with a heightened level of empathy and with great admiration for their resiliency. By being resilient and maintaining a positive attitude, they will be so much better prepared for what lies ahead. What is happening right now will not define all of us. We all have to move forward and we all have to work to get through this. This is the theme of my message to them.”

Abboud is an active community leader and has served on the boards of the Nebraska Hospital Association, Hospice House, Creighton Prep Board of Trustees, Marian High School Board of Directors, Creighton University’s College of Nursing Advisory Board, American Cancer Society, Christ the King’s Education Steering Board, Archbishop’s Committee for Development, Visiting Nurses Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 6-State High Plains Division board of the American Cancer Society, United Way’s 2013 Campaign, Community Health Charities and Child Savings Institute.