Stephen Canessa

Stephen Canessa joined Southcoast Health in 2011 as the system’s first Executive Director of Government Affairs, with a focus on building and nurturing important relationships with Southcoast’s federal, state and local leaders. Steve led Southcoast’s advocacy efforts, helping to secure critical resources and advocating for policy regulations that have positively impacted our patients, staff and organization.

Steve led the effort to collaborate with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s Center for Policy Analysis to undertake Southcoast’s first Economic Contribution Analysis, which defined Southcoast Health’s pivotal role as one of the largest employers and economic drivers in the South Coast region.

He was then promoted to Vice President for Marketing & Government Affairs where he led the effort to refine Southcoast Health’s brand and define what it means to be More than medicine. With a patient-first approach, Steve guided the division to embrace and adopt innovative technology and strategic processes to make patient care more accessible to everyone in the community.

In 2017, Steve was promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Brand & Strategy Officer, serving on the Senior Leadership Team. He provided executive leadership for Southcoast Health’s strategic planning, government and community affairs, marketing and communications, mission advancement, service excellence and patient experience, real estate, design and construction, and facility health services functions.

Prior to joining Southcoast Health, Steve served the communities of Freetown, Lakeville, Middleboro, New Bedford and Taunton as their elected State Representative. He graduated summa cum laude from Bridgewater State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and earned his Master’s degree in Business Administration from Suffolk University.

A resident of the South Coast, Steve and his wife Kristen are proud parents and grandparents. He currently serves on the boards of the New Bedford Economic Development Council and the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.