DePaul President Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, C.M., has been appointed to a new role as Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of Ascension, a Catholic healthcare organization, according to a press release from the company.

The appointment comes after Holtschneider announced his resignation as president of DePaul in June of 2016. He will officially step down this summer. A representative from the University confirmed that Holtschneider will not continue his tenured faculty position as a result of the new appointment.

Holtschneider previously served as chair of the Ascension’s board of directors after joining the board in 2009.  As EVP/COO —a newly created position—Holtschneider will oversee the company’s Information Services and Ministry Service Center subsidiaries, along with strategy and advocacy functions. He will assume the position on July 1, 2017.

According to its website, Ascension is the largest nonprofit health system in the country and the largest Catholic health system in the world. In 2012, it merged with Alexian Brothers Health System, a Catholic health care organization with several hospitals based in the northwest suburbs. Nationally, its health care division operates in 24 states with 2,500 sites of care, which includes 141 hospitals and more than 30 senior living facilities.