Children’s Mercy Names New President and CEO
KANSAS CITY, MO., July 26, 2018 – Following a 10-month nationwide search, Children’s Mercy Kansas City today announced Paul Kempinski, MS, FACHE, as its next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective November 1.
Currently, Kempinski serves as President of Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children (N/AIDHC) in Wilmington, Del. Additionally, he serves as Enterprise Vice President for the Nemours Children’s Health System. At Nemours, Kempinski is responsible for the daily operations of the 200-bed institution, a Magnet-designated hospital that is recognized among the top children’s hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. He previously served as Operational Vice President for Nemours Children’s Health System and Chief Operating Officer of N/AIDHC. Kempinski’s many accomplishments at Nemours include a 450,000-square-foot hospital expansion in 2014.
Prior to joining Nemours in 2003, Kempinski served as Chief Operating Officer of Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, Pa. Previously, he held senior leadership positions at ViaHealth in Rochester, N.Y., Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pittsburgh, and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Randall L. O’Donnell, PhD., President and CEO of Children’s Mercy since 1993, shared his excitement about both the transition to the new CEO and the future of Children’s Mercy.
“Our recent receipt of the largest gift ever to pediatric research reinforced my firm belief that Children’s Mercy has never been more prepared than it is today for the next chapter of growth and success,” O’Donnell said. “Our clinical expertise continues to be recognized nationally by U.S. News and World Report and, most notably, we have assembled a team of more than 8,000 employees who give their all each day to provide the best care possible to our patients and families.
“The year ahead will be one of great change and, more important, of great success,” Rand said. “Thanks to our employees, Children’s Mercy is well positioned for a bold new future, and our patients and families will be the better for it.”
Kempinski is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, the immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware, and a member of the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Greater Brandywine, the largest suburban Y in the country. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Penn State University Undergraduate Program in Health Policy and Administration, and he is an alumnus of Leadership Philadelphia. He also is a sought-after and frequent presenter at national meetings and conferences on healthcare issues.
A graduate of Penn State University with a Master’s in Health System Management from Rush University in Chicago, Kempinski and his wife, Maureen, have three children, Kristen, Brian and Jenny.
“Maureen and I are absolutely thrilled to be joining the Children’s Mercy family,” Kempinski said. “Everyone who we have met to date has demonstrated a passion for improving the lives of children and families. The vision and legacy of the Berry sisters is alive in the work of Children’s Mercy, a valued and respected resource for the Kansas City community and beyond.”
About Children’s Mercy Kansas City
Founded in 1897, Children’s Mercy is one of the nation’s top pediatric medical centers. With not-for-profit hospitals in Missouri and Kansas, and numerous specialty clinics in both states, Children’s Mercy provides the highest level of care for children from birth through the age of 21. U.S. News & World Report has repeatedly ranked Children’s Mercy as one of “America's Best Children's Hospitals.” For the fourth time in a row, Children’s Mercy has achieved Magnet nursing designation, awarded to fewer than seven percent of all hospitals nationally, for excellence in quality care. Its faculty of more than 700 pediatric subspecialists and researchers across more than 40 subspecialties are actively involved in clinical care, pediatric research, and educating the next generation of pediatric subspecialists. Thanks to generous philanthropic and volunteer support, Children’s Mercy provides medical care to every child who passes through its doors, regardless of a family’s ability to pay. For more information about Children’s Mercy and its research, visit childrensmercy.org. For breaking news and videos, follow us on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.