Janna Galloway named Sanford Bemidji chief nursing officer
BEMIDJI, Minn. – Sanford Bemidji has named Janna Galloway, RN, MS, its new chief nursing officer. Galloway has been a leader at Sanford Bemidji for more than 15 years and brings extensive experience in nursing, quality, patient safety and healthcare operations to her new role.
Galloway has held a variety of leadership positions throughout her Sanford career, most recently serving as director of surgical services since 2018. She will continue to oversee surgical services while providing nursing leadership across the Bemidji region.
“Janna brings a wealth of nursing leadership experience and a deep understanding of our organization to this role,” said Jason Caron, M.D., president and CEO of Sanford Bemidji. “Her ability to build strong relationships, develop teams and leaders, and keep patients at the center of decision-making will be an important asset as we continue to advance nursing excellence across the Bemidji region.”
Galloway joined Sanford Health in 2010 as an operating room charge nurse and has continued to take on increasing levels of leadership responsibility. She has served as perioperative supervisor, perioperative nurse manager, director of quality, interim director of the emergency department and, since 2018, director of surgical services.
Her leadership was recognized in 2016 when she was selected as a Becky Nelson Leadership Fellow, a program that invests in leaders who demonstrate vision, a commitment to lifelong learning and a passion for advancing healthcare.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve as chief nursing officer and to continue working alongside the incredible nurses and caregivers across our region,” Galloway said. “I’m looking forward to building on the strong foundation already in place and supporting our teams as we continue to provide high-quality care for our patients, families and communities.”
In her new role, Galloway will provide nursing leadership across the Bemidji market and partner with leaders throughout the organization to support patients, employees and the communities Sanford Health serves.
Galloway succeeds Renee Axtman, RN, MBA, who has served as both chief operating officer and chief nursing officer for the Bemidji market since December 2025. Axtman will now focus on her responsibilities as chief operating officer.
During her time in the dual role, Axtman helped advance key organizational priorities, including continued progress toward Pathway to Excellence designation. She and Galloway have worked together to strengthen nursing excellence, professional practice, shared decision-making and opportunities for caregiver growth and development.
To learn more about Sanford Health, visit sanfordhealth.org.
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization has 55,000 employees and serves more than 2 million patients and nearly 415,000 health plan members across the upper Midwest including South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The integrated nonprofit health system includes a network of 58 hospitals, 289 clinic locations, 145 senior care communities, 4,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and 1,100 active clinical trials and studies. The organization’s transformational virtual care initiative brings patients closer to care with access to nearly 80 specialties. More than 400 residents and fellows are trained each year through graduate medical education with Sanford Health fully funding and supporting 29 of the 40 available programs. Sanford Health also includes 92 retail pharmacies, including Sanford and Lewis Drug pharmacies with locations in 6 states, and more than 300 pharmacists. Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.
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