Marcy Doderer Elected Chair of Children's Hospital Association's Board of Trustees

WASHINGTON, DC — On Jan. 1, 2021, Marcy Doderer, FACHE, president and CEO of Arkansas Children's, became Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Children's Hospital Association (CHA). Doderer takes the chair at a time when children's hospitals face unprecedented financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a significant rise in children and youth facing mental, emotional and behavioral health crises.

"Now is the time to set the stage for a resilient generation of kids," said Doderer. "We have no higher calling than driving for change that improves the physical and mental health of our children. Working together through CHA our focus must include prevention, clinical integration, education and research as well as public advocacy." 

As a result of the pandemic and its impact, the increased demand for mental health care among children and adolescents has reached crisis level. Improving access to and delivery of pediatric mental, emotional and behavioral health care in hospitals and communities and through public policy is a multi-year CHA priority.

"Marcy brings her long experience in pediatric health care to this leadership role at a crucial time for children and children's hospitals nationwide," said Mark Wietecha, CEO of CHA. "Marcy and the board's focus will be on our long-term strategy to support the sustainability of children's hospitals and their mission to serve all children while we focus in the near term on strengthening children's access to mental and behavioral health services."

Doderer who succeeds Kimberly Cripe, president and CEO of CHOC Children's in Orange, California, will lead the 2021 CHA Board of Trustees, including:

Officers
Marcy Doderer, Chair
President and CEO, Arkansas Children's
Little Rock, Arkansas

Paul A. King, Chair-Elect
President and CEO, Lucille Packard Children's Hospital | Stanford Children's Health
Palo Alto, California

Katy A. Welkie, Secretary
CEO, Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital
Salt Lake City, Utah

Jeff Sperring, M.D., Treasurer
CEO, Seattle Children's
Seattle, Washington

Members
Matthew Cook
President, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals
San Francisco and Oakland, California

Kimberly Chavalas Cripe
President and CEO, CHOC Children’s
Orange, California

Mike Farrell
President, Advocate Children's Hospital
Oak Lawn, Illinois

Deborah Feldman
President and CEO, Dayton Children's
Dayton, Ohio

Jena Hausmann
President and CEO, Children's Hospital Colorado
Aurora, Colorado

John D. Nash
President and CEO, Franciscan Children's
Brighton, Massachusetts

Kurt Newman, M.D.,
President and CEO, Children's National Hospital
Washington, D.C.

Timothy Robinson
CEO, Nationwide Children's Hospital
Columbus, Ohio

Mark Wietecha
CEO, Children's Hospital Association 
Washington, D.C.