Dayton Children's names new vice president of marketing and strategic planning

Dayton Children’s Hospital is pleased to announce Kelly Kavanaugh as the vice president of marketing and strategic planning. She is now a member of the hospital’s senior leadership team, guiding Dayton Children’s on its mission to remain an independent, locally-governed children’s hospital, leading in quality and safety and improving the health of children in the region.

“We are thrilled to have a professional of Kelly’s caliber,” says Deborah Feldman, president and CEO of Dayton Children’s. “As director of marketing for the past five years, she has overwhelmed me with her skill for driving and communicating our mission. She is tremendously talented at strategic planning, helping us define our direction and use our resources in the best way possible.”

Kelly, a Springfield resident, started at Dayton Children’s in 2010 as the director of the hospital’s nationally-recognized marketing and communications program. In that time, she developed the materials to communicate Destination 2020, Dayton Children’s Hospital’s strategic road map for the future. She has been instrumental in communicating key components of that plan, some of which include a $141 million dollar campus renewal and the building of a brand new eight-story patient care tower as well as partnerships that advance care of the children in our region, such as the Pediatric Care Alliance in Springfield. She also developed strategic plans for key services including endocrinology, the Children's Health Clinic and the Center for Pediatric Mental Health Resources.

“I couldn’t be happier to have the opportunity to help Dayton Children’s grow and thrive on an even broader scale,” says Kavanaugh. “I look forward to all we will accomplish in the coming years with a thoroughly researched and well-positioned plan of renewal and revitalization for Dayton Children’s Hospital.”

Prior to joining Dayton Children’s, Kelly was a vice president at Reynolds and Reynolds and has more than 30 years of experience in strategic planning; strategic marketing management with expertise in brand management, market segmentation and positioning; customer relationship management; organizational development; and communication planning and management. She also owned The Kavanaugh Group, a marketing management services company providing strategic marketing and interim marketing management services.

She has a bachelor's of arts from The Ohio State University and received her master’s in business administration (MBA) from Wright State University. Last year, Kelly was named the "Communicator of the Year" by the Public Relations Society of America, Dayton Chapter.

Kelly will assume many of the duties of outgoing vice president for strategic partnerships, Vicki Giambrone, who announced an early retirement in 2014.

For more information, contact:
Stacy Porter
Communications specialist
Phone: 937-641-3666
porters@childrensdayton.org