USA Health names Marie Katz executive director for Office of Marketing & Communications
In the new role, Marie Katz will oversee all marketing and communications efforts for USA Health and the Whiddon College of Medicine.
By Casandra Andrews
candrews@health.southalabama.edu
USA Health has named Marie Katz as executive director for the Office of Marketing and Communications for the 7,000-employee academic health system.
“As USA Health continues to expand along the upper Gulf Coast, we are delighted to have someone with Marie’s talent and experience leading our marketing and communication efforts,” said Owen Bailey, MSHA, FACHE, chief executive officer for USA Health and senior associate vice president for medical affairs. “I’m excited to see what the future holds as we continue to share the stories of the people and specialized healthcare services we bring to the region.”
Katz joined the University of South Alabama’s health system in 2019 as creative services director, then transitioned to interim associate vice president in September 2022. During that time, the health system grew from fewer than 12 locations in two counties to more than 40 sites in two states, which includes the acquisition of Providence Hospital.
In the new role, Katz will oversee all marketing and communications efforts for USA Health, which includes University Hospital, Children’s & Women’s Hospital, Providence Hospital, the Mitchell Cancer Institute, the Physician Enterprise, and the Whiddon College of Medicine. Her duties include leading strategic campaign development and media planning, creating communications and marketing strategies and overseeing internal communications to complement and align with the goals of the health system and Whiddon College of Medicine.
“Even before the pandemic dramatically changed some of the ways we reach patients and colleagues, Marie was working with our healthcare teams to establish innovative strategies that continuously demonstrate the unique role academic medicine plays in our community,” said John V. Marymont, M.D., MBA, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Whiddon College of Medicine. “Along with her other talents, she has the ability to build and maintain relationships that are vital to our success.”
Before joining USA Health, Katz was assistant director of creative services for the Office of Marketing and Communications at the University of South Alabama. For more than a decade, she owned The Paper Menu, growing it to a national wholesale business with more than 200 accounts. Previously, she served as art director for PMT Publishing’s Business Alabama and at Sullivan-St. Clair Advertising before it became Red Square.
“I am honored to work alongside so many people who have a heart for serving others and who practice compassionate healthcare every day,” Katz said. “It’s also incredibly rewarding to lead a talented team of communications professionals who are eager to share our stories in such meaningful and compelling ways.”
A graduate of the University of Alabama, Katz has earned regional and national recognition from The Telly Awards, Communication Arts, CASE, the American Advertising Awards (Addy's), Lagniappe’s Nappies and from the National Stationery Show. Her work has been featured in Oprah Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar and Town & Country Magazine.
