Following an extensive national executive management search, Arkansas Children’s has hired Chanda Cashen Chacón, MPH, FACHE, as its new executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO). The announcement was made by ACH President and Chief Executive Officer Marcy Doderer, FACHE.
Cashen Chacón comes to Arkansas Children’s from Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, where she is president of Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in West Houston. She has served for more than 14 years in progressive leadership roles at Texas Children’s Hospital including ambulatory operations, pharmacy, the Heart Center, the Fetal Center and women’s services.
As Arkansas Children’s COO, Cashen Chacón will report directly to Doderer and assume overall executive responsibility for operational leadership and accountability for system operations. This includes Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) and the new Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW) campus, currently under construction in Springdale with an opening date of January 2018; Cashen Chacón will be working in partnership with ACNW SVP/Chief Administrator Trisha Montague on the project.
In addition, Cashen Chacón will be responsible for creating and maintaining positive working relationships with members of the medical staff and boards, and assist the president and CEO with building a stronger partnership with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
In her current position at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, Cashen Chacón directs the operations of the first pediatric community hospital in West Houston with more than 900 employees.
She holds a master of public health from Yale University School of Public Health and Yale School of Management, and received her bachelor of arts (cum laude) from Vanderbilt University with dual majors in biology and Spanish.
Cashen Chacón is a national member and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). She serves on the board of the Southeast Texas chapter of ACHE and is an active member in the Texas Hospital Association. She is also committed to connecting with the community and serves as a board member for the Houston West Chamber of Commerce and West Houston Association, and has served as a court-appointed child advocate for the past nine years representing 11 children in child protective custody.
Photo/Credit: Gittings