Former Children’s Mercy Exec Dawn Wolff Joins Children’s Hospital Association

Posted September 29, 2026

Dawn Wolff, a long-time leader at Children’s Mercy, has joined the Children’s Hospital Association as its new chief innovation & transformation officer.

Wolff’s new position is a first for the organization. The executive leadership role is designed to advance Children’s Hospital Association’s (CHA) long-term strategy, innovation agenda, and future readiness on behalf of children’s hospitals nationwide, according to a release.

The CHA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and partners with more than 200 children’s hospitals. The organization operates a regional office in the Kansas City metro area located at 16011 College Blvd, Suite 250.

“I am honored to join CHA and excited to work alongside such an exceptional team and its member organizations as we advance our shared mission and strengthen our collective impact on children’s health,” Wolff said in the release.

Prior to this appointment, Wolff served at Children’s Mercy for over two decades. She began as a project analyst for strategic planning and business development in 2006. Most recently, she served as the vice president of strategy, innovation and partnerships.

While at Children’s Mercy, Wolff held several other leadership positions, where she led strategy, innovation, community impact initiatives, strategic partnerships, and organizational growth efforts. She also helped establish Children’s Mercy’s Center for Pediatric Innovation in 2015 and co-created PedsMarket, an e-commerce platform that connects pediatric startups and digital health companies.

Wolff has served on CHA’s Chief Strategy Officer Forum since 2018.

“Throughout her career, she has brought people together around bold ideas, transformed strategies into action and created meaningful value for health systems and the communities they serve,” Matthew Cook, CEO of the Children’s Hospital Association, said in the release.

Wolff holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Henry W. Bloch School of Management.