Shirley Weiss

Shirley Weis is an American business executive, consultant and author. She was the first woman chief administrative officer in the 150-year history of Mayo Clinic.

Education and early career Weis was born and raised in Howell, Michigan. She completed her BSN in Nursing from Michigan State University in 1975. She started her career as a nurse working in and managing emergency rooms in hospitals in Michigan. While working as a nurse, she earned a master's degree in Management degree from Aquinas College. She received her degree in 1984 and the next year she joined Blue Cross Blue Shield's Blue Care Network where she later became the Chief Operating Officer. At Mayo, she oversaw multiple ventures including establishment of the Mayo Clinic Care Network and the Mall of America project. Simultaneously she was a member of the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees and served as secretary for the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors.

In 2015, she published Playing to Win in Business, the first book in her Just Respect for Women series. In the book, she shares the lessons she has learned being a business leader. In 2016, it was published in Mandarin Chinese. She regularly speaks at industry conferences and hosts national webinars on health care economics and marketing.

Weis is a member of the Women's Business Leaders Advisory Board in Washington, D.C.; Traverse Global Healthcare Advisory Board; and the MSU College of Nursing Board of Visitors. She is also a board member of Mednax and a previous board member of The Medical Memory, Sentry Insurance and RTI Surgical. She is currently chair of the board for Holy Family Academy in Phoenix, AZ. Weis is emerita professor in the Mayo College of Medicine and has taught health care leadership at Arizona State University, the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, Michigan State University and Winona State University.

She was inducted by the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) as a 2015-2016 member of its VIP Woman of the Year Circle. 2013 - Top 25 Women in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare 2015 - IPPY Gold Award for Business for Playing to Win in Business