In early May, Marillac’s Board of Directors accepted President and CEO, Mark Richard’s resignation after 20 years of dedicated service. On Friday, June 1, the Board named Joy Wheeler as the agency’s interim President and CEO. Ms. Wheeler will serve in this role for an estimated three to five months while the board conducts an exhaustive search for a new permanent president and CEO.

Richards has been with Marillac since 1992 and served as the organization’s Chief Executive since 2006. Under his guidance, Marillac grew from an organization serving a few hundred children a year, to one that served over fifteen hundred children and families in 2011.

“Mark’s visionary leadership guided Marillac to its position as the premier provider of psychiatric treatment services for children and adolescents in the greater Kansas City Area,” said John McCarthy, Chair of Marillac’s Board of Directors. “Mark has been a fierce advocate for the needs of children with mental health issues in our community and has inspired many of Marillac’s dedicated employees.”

Wheeler enjoyed a very successful career in health care, starting her career as a registered nurse before moving to fill a series of executive-level positions with a variety of healthcare, managed care and insurance organizations. Her history includes roles as the Director of Ambulatory Care and Trauma with Liberty Hospital, President and CEO of FirstGuard Health Plans, and most recently, consulting engagements in the fields of Health Plan Development and Medical Relations.

Wheeler has been recognized as one of Kansas City’s most prominent and effective business leaders. Under her direction, FirstGuard Health Plan was the recipient of the Small Business Ethics Award in September 2001. In 2005, the Small Business Administration honored her with the “Executive Woman and Champion of the Year Award” for her efforts as a Kansas City business executive and advocate for women in business.

“We are very excited to have Joy's expertise available to help support Marillac,” said McCarthy.

“With Joy’s vast professional experience, we have every confidence that she will be able to lead Marillac through this period of transition by insuring that we are able to maintain the same exceptional levels of care that we have always provided.”

For more information please contact Jimmy Courtice, Communications and Public Relations at Marillac at 913-951-4309 or jimmy.courtice@marillac.org.

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