Tom Wright named Chief Human Resources Officer

Children’s Mercy announced today that Tom Wright has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer and will also serve as Executive Director of the Leadership Center within the Children’s Mercy Berry Institute.

After serving several months as Interim Chief Human Resources Officer, Tom has accepted the position on a permanent basis.

“I could not be more excited about this somewhat unexpected development,” said Paul Kempinski, MS, FACHE, president and CEO of Children’s Mercy. “We had every intention of completing a national search for a permanent Chief HR Officer, but after seeing first-hand Tom’s depth of strategic leadership, his collaborative approach, and his commitment to creating an environment where employees can reach their fullest potential, I realized that all of the most important attributes of our next CHRO were right here in front of us with Tom. Fortunately for all of us, he has fallen in love with Children’s Mercy and enthusiastically agreed to change his status from ‘interim’ to ‘permanent.’”

Tom added that he was a little surprised by this development too, “But from the first moment I arrived, I have been impressed and humbled by the skill of the teams here, by the quality of the leadership and, most importantly, by the unrelenting focus on the vision to create a world of well-being for all children. That’s a purpose worthy of our best efforts, and I welcome the opportunity to be a part of it by helping to fully engage and inspire each of our employees.”

Throughout his 33-year career – 16 years of which was spent at Hallmark Cards in several leadership roles, including Senior Vice President of HR – Tom has been recognized as a transformational HR leader, with a solid record of helping companies achieve success through employee engagement, talent acquisition, performance management, benefits design, succession planning, and executive coaching.

In 2018, Tom retired from his role as SVP of HR and Administration at EPR Properties, transitioning to the role of business consultant, HR advisor and board member to multiple organizations, including Samuel U. Rogers Health Center, Teach for America, Turn the Page Kansas City and the Kansas City Zoo.

Tom holds a Master of Science degree in Administration from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management and Economics from Marshall University.