Mary Kay Sheehan, RN, MSN, MBA, has established a successful career in health care for more than three decades, specializing in hospice and palliative care. As the chief executive officer of Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care in Downers Grove, Illinois, she oversees all aspects of the organization, which provides compassionate hospice, palliative, and grief support services to individuals and families, focusing on comfort and quality of life. Ms. Sheehan’s responsibilities include ensuring high-quality clinical care, managing financial operations, and leading a team that serves more than 1,000 patients daily across 11 counties in Northern Illinois. Drawing on her nursing background, she integrates her clinical expertise into her administrative decisions, maintaining a strong connection to patient care in her leadership role.
What sets Ms. Sheehan apart in the field is her unwavering commitment to the core value of saying “yes.” At Lightways, she ensures that no family’s request is denied, no matter how unconventional, fostering a culture of positivity and possibility. She notes that unlike many health care organizations focused on rules or costs, Lightways prioritizes fulfilling the wishes of patients and their families, creating meaningful experiences and compassionate care during life’s most challenging moments.
Ms. Sheehan’s experience also spans roles as president of Mary K Sheehan Consulting LLC from 2013 to 2015. During the same period, she was a partner at QPC Hospice Program LLC between 2010 and 2015 and a consultant for SimiTree from 2010 to 2013. Previously, she held leadership positions at Midwest Palliative & Hospice Care Center, including president and chief executive officer, chief operating officer, and vice president of clinical services.
Ms. Sheehan’s career began in 1987 as a hospice nurse at Northwestern Hospice, Northwestern Medicine for five years, followed by becoming a registered nurse case manager at St. Thomas Hospice. These days, she dedicates her time as a mentor at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Nursing and has contributed to industry-related organizations and initiatives, serving as president of the Rotary Club of Joliet from 2022 to 2023 and as a member of the Illinois Hospice & Palliative Care Organization since 2013.
Academically, Ms. Sheehan earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Loyola University Chicago in 1984, followed by a Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on oncology nursing from the same institution in 1992. She went on to pursue a Master of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, graduating in 2001. After moving into a long and fulfilling career, she considers her most notable achievement as expanding access to inpatient hospice care in Illinois by successfully advocating for an increase in hospice unit beds from 16 to 24. This initiative enabled the construction of a new statewide inpatient hospice facility and allowed 20 hospices, up from 12, to expand their units, significantly improving care availability.
Moving forward, Ms. Sheehan plans to further expand Lightways while addressing key challenges such as caregiving support and mental health crises. This initiative will help individuals caring for loved ones not yet eligible for hospice care, with her larger vision encompassing the development of a more structured elder care system beyond hospice services.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Ms. Sheehan is deeply devoted to her family, who includes her spouse and their two sons, while she also serves as the primary caregiver for her elderly mother, ensuring her comfort and well-being. As part of her own moving health care story, after Ms. Sheehan overcame breast cancer a decade ago, she and her husband discovered a passion for ballroom dancing, participating in competitions and mastering dances like the tango and foxtrot.