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Children's National Selects New Chief Legal Officer

Washington, DC – Children’s National Health System has selected Mary Anne Hilliard, Esq, as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. Ms. Hilliard has more than 25 years of experience at Children’s National – 18 years as an attorney on the legal team, 15 of which she served as the Children’s National Chief Risk Officer, five years as an outside defense attorney, and five years as a nurse.

“I believe that Mary Anne’s training and experience as a clinician allows her to bring a unique and special perspective to her role as General Counsel: she is a strong advocate for children,” says Kurt Newman, MD, President and CEO of Children’s National. “Her strategies and outlook keep Children’s National patients and families at the center of what we do while mitigating safety issues and risks.”

During her tenure as Chief Risk Officer, Ms. Hilliard led numerous critical initiatives that strengthened safety and engagement across the health system. Under her guidance, Children’s National created an employee recognition program that promotes positive behaviors and increases patient satisfaction and safety. She was instrumental in building a nationally recognized, best-in-class risk management program as well as implementing Children’s electronic event reporting system. As a reflection of her belief that the best way to manage risk is to prevent it, she has secured numerous local and national grants to increase data sharing related to risk and to study pediatric outcomes in order to reduce serious adverse events.

As Chief Legal Officer, Ms. Hilliard will oversee Children’s National legal services, risk management, compliance, internal audit, insurance, workers’ compensation, and management of the captive insurance company. 

After launching her professional career at Children’s National as a registered nurse, Ms. Hilliard spent time working at the law firm of Jackson & Campbell, P.C., in Washington, DC, where she specialized in malpractice defense and healthcare law. When she returned to Children’s National, Ms. Hilliard focused on risk management, insurance, and in-house pediatric healthcare issues. She is a past President of the American Society of Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) and past President of the local DC ASHRM Chapter. She served two appointed terms on the American Hospital Association Committee on Performance Improvement. She is a graduate of The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, and she currently serves on the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, Health and Human Services (HRSA).

Contact: Emily Hartman at 202-476-4500.

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