Robert L. Koester was named Chairman of SSM St. Mary's Health Center Foundation. As the Foundation Chairman, Koester will oversee the Foundation’s activities, ensuring alignment with the organization’s mission. SSM St. Mary’s Health Center Foundation is a non-profit organization, functioning separately from the Health Center, to coordinate charitable contributions of time, talent and financial resources.
As chief financial officer for Murphy Company, a $265 million mechanical contracting and engineering company headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., Koester brings valuable financial and development experience to SSM St. Mary’s Health Center Foundation. Koester replaces outgoing Chairman Gary Welker, who is a retired Anheuser-Busch Executive.
Koester joined Murphy Company in March 2003 as the corporate controller and treasurer and was promoted to his current role in April 2006. He is responsible for the financial, human resources, risk management and information technology functions at Murphy as well as directly responsible for the development and execution of the company’s long-range strategic plan related to human resources.
Prior to joining Murphy Company, Koester was a senior manager at Deloitte & Touche, where he managed audit services for a wide range of clients, including Monsanto and Pulitzer Publishing, and spent two years participating in Deloitte’s management development program at its national office in Wilton, Conn.
A native of Florissant, Mo., Koester is a 1995 graduate of Truman State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting, graduating magna cum laude. He currently resides in Swansea, Ill., with his wife, Christi, and two children.