Providence Chief Legal Officer Verona Dorch has passed away

RENTON, Wash., March 8, 2021 – Providence has shared the heartbreaking news that A. Verona Dorch, EVP and chief legal counsel, passed away in Seattle. Verona is survived by her daughter DJ and son Zach, who were with Verona when she passed. Our prayers are with them both, and with their extended family and friends.

Verona joined the Providence family last year in June and onboarded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though she didn’t have the benefit of in-person meetings and interactions, Verona stepped into her leadership role seamlessly and got up to speed on complex issues facing Providence and the entire country quickly. This was doubly impressive, because Verona wasn’t just learning about Providence, but being new to health care, she was also learning a new industry.

Verona joined Providence with over two decades of leadership experience. Before joining Providence, Verona served as EVP and chief legal officer, government affairs and corporate secretary for Peabody Energy in St. Louis. Previously, she served as chief legal officer, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary for Harsco Corporation, a leading global industrial services company. She also had experience in corporate and securities law from top-tier law firms and with Sumitomo Chemical Co. following a multi-year secondment in Tokyo, Japan.

Verona was named to the Most Powerful Women in Business 2017 list by Black Enterprise Magazine, and was shortlisted by the Financial Times in 2016 for two honors: Most Innovative Legal Team and Most Innovative General Counsel. She was named among the Most Influential Women in Corporate America by Savoy magazine in 2016 and was recognized as a 2013 Pennsylvania Diverse Attorney of the Year. She was a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and had been involved in board memberships with the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Public School Foundation and YMCA. Verona held a Bachelor of Science degree from Dartmouth College and Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.

“I will deeply miss Verona’s friendship and sage counsel. While her tenure at Providence may feel short, Verona had a profound impact. Most recently, Verona served on a small team that advised me on the future structure of Providence. Her legacy will live on as we put that structure in place, and we will honor her memory long into the future,” said Rod Hochman, M.D., president and CEO of Providence.

About Providence 
Providence is a national, not-for-profit Catholic health system comprising a diverse family of organizations and driven by a belief that health is a human right. With 51 hospitals, 1,085 physician clinics, senior services, supportive housing and many other health and educational services, the health system and its partners employ more than 120,000 caregivers serving communities across Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, with system offices in Renton, Wash., and Irvine, Calif. Learn about our vision of health for a better world at Providence.org.