Kimberly Cripe Elected Chair of CHA's Board of Trustees
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Jan. 1, 2020, Kimberly Cripe, president and CEO of CHOC Children’s in Orange County, California, became Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA). Cripe’s leadership of CHA’s board coincides with the organization’s multi-year focus on behavioral and mental health care for children and adolescents.
“Every day I am reminded of the serious mental health crisis our nation faces,” said Cripe. “Like many other communities across the country, one in five children living in Orange County suffers from a serious mental health condition. As children’s hospital leaders, we are committed to caring for the whole child. Innovating how we prevent, diagnose and treat children’s physical and behavioral health conditions is a paramount challenge we must tackle together—in our communities and as a nation.”
“Kim’s passion for improving the delivery of pediatric health care will help guide how children’s hospitals work in our communities for greater impact,” added Mark Wietecha, president and CEO of CHA. “We must continue to advance solutions locally, within states and nationally that help all children reach their full potential.”
Under Cripe’s leadership, CHOC has committed to improving early diagnosis, intervention and treatment of pediatric mental health problems. Working with CHA’s board and children’s hospitals and health systems across the United States, she believes there is great potential to improve the health and well-being of all children.
Cripe succeeds Kurt Newman, M.D., president and CEO of Children’s National Hospital, and will lead the 2020 CHA Board of Trustees, including:
Officers
Kimberly Cripe, Chair
President and CEO, CHOC Children’s, Orange, California
Marcy Doderer, FACHE, Chair-elect
President and CEO, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas
Sandra L. Fenwick, Secretary
CEO, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Jeff Sperring, M.D., Treasurer
CEO, Seattle Children’s, Seattle, Washington
Members
Michael D. Aubin, FACHE
Hospital President, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Jacksonville, Florida
Susan Distefano, RN, MSN, NEA-BC
CEO, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston, Texas
Debbie Feldman
President and CEO, Dayton Children’s, Dayton, Ohio
Paul A. King
President and CEO, Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital | Stanford Children’s Health, Palo Alto, California
Rick Merrill
President and CEO, Cook Children’s Health Care System, Fort Worth, Texas
John D. Nash, FACHE
President and CEO, Franciscan Children’s, Brighton, Massachusetts
Kurt Newman, M.D., Immediate Past Board Chair
President and CEO, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, D.C.
Katy A. Welkie, RN, BSN, MBA
CEO, Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah
Mark Wietecha
President and CEO, Children’s Hospital Association
About Children's Hospital Association
Children’s Hospital Association is the national voice of more than 200 children’s hospitals, advancing child health through innovation in the quality, cost, and delivery of care.
