KIMBERLY WRIGHT
Olympia Fields,IL
Summary
Transformational healthcare executive with 9+ years of progressive nursing leadership, including Chief Nursing Officer, Executive Director, and Director-level roles across acute care, behavioral health, and emergency services. Proven ability to improve patient outcomes, reduce labor and supply costs, stabilize staffing, ensure regulatory readiness, and align nursing strategy with organizational goals. Trusted executive partner to CEOs, CNOs, and medical leadership. Recognized for building high-performing teams, strengthening nurse-physician collaboration, and driving sustainable operational excellence.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Emergency Room Agency Nurse
Chicago, IL
01.2014 - Current
Director of Nursing
The New Community – Roseland Hospital
Chicago, IL
04.2025 - 12.2025
- Executed oversight of nursing operations for 134-bed acute care hospital, managing 189 FTEs across inpatient, emergency, and specialty units
- Partner with executive leadership on strategic planning, service line expansion, and patient throughput initiatives
- Led performance improvement initiatives targeting quality, safety, and regulatory compliance
- Increased staffing by 50+ FTEs to support rising inpatient census and acuity
- Reduced agency reliance, improving workforce stability and labor cost efficiency
- Co-led implementation of a Suboxone program within the Medical Stabilization Unit
- Implemented a Psychiatric Boarding process to safely manage medically complex psychiatric patients
- Reported to Chief Quality Nursing Officer on nursing quality metrics and performance
Chief Nursing Officer
Montrose Behavioral Health – Children & Adolescent Hospital
Chicago, IL
02.2023 - 01.2024
- Led as senior nursing executive responsible for nursing operations, quality, staffing, and budget performance
- Strengthened nurse-physician collaboration to improve clinical outcomes and care coordination
- Designed and implemented recruitment and retention strategies, improving workforce stability
- Re-designed Nursing Administrative Team to enhance productivity, staff morale, and admissions
- Streamlined clinical orientation and onboarding to reduce time-to-competency for new hires
- Managed nursing budget, FTEs, payroll approval, and supply utilization
- Significantly reduced agency usage, generating measurable cost savings
- Established survey readiness protocols to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations
- Communicated regularly with CEO to discuss strategic initiatives
Executive Director of Nursing
Loretto Hospital
Chicago, IL
04.2022 - 02.2023
- Provided enterprise-level leadership and oversight of nursing practice across hospital operations
- Advised executive leadership on nursing strategy and organizational goals.
- Developed leadership programs enhancing skills of unit directors and mentoring emerging leaders
- Contributed to establishment of system-wide standards of care, policies, and clinical objectives
- Led recruitment and onboarding initiatives, improving performance management processes
- Communicated updates to CNO regarding nursing operations
Director of Staff Development
Loretto Hospital
Chicago, IL
08.2020 - 02.2023
- Developed curriculum and professional development initiatives to enhance staff competency
- Led hospital-wide clinical education, onboarding, and competency validation programs
- Coordinated external clinical rotations and academic partnerships to expand training opportunities
- Revised and implemented Patient Care Services policies to ensure compliance and improve patient care standards
- Partnered with HR to ensure clinical compliance and licensure readiness
Director of Emergency Services
Jackson Park Hospital
Chicago, IL
12.2019 - 07.2020
- Strengthened collaboration between physicians and nursing staff to improve care coordination
- Implemented policies that streamlined workflow and elevated patient experience
- Led emergency department operations, enhancing staff performance and maintaining clinical standards
Charge Nurse – Emergency Department
Jackson Park Hospital
Chicago, IL
10.2015 - 06.2020
- Supervised nursing staff in fast-paced emergency department environment.
- Supervised clinical teams in high-acuity situations to ensure effective patient care
- Trained and mentored new nurses while coordinating rapid response care to enhance team readiness
- Coordinated patient care with multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
- Administered medications and monitored patient responses effectively.
Director of Med/Surg, Telemetry & CCU
Loretto Hospital
Chicago, IL
05.2019 - 11.2019
- Led multiple inpatient units with operational budgets exceeding $6M
- Managed staffing and scheduling, ensuring quality metrics and performance audits met operational standards
- Collaborated with physicians and interdisciplinary leaders to align clinical practices with operational goals
Director of Behavioral Health
Loretto Hospital
Chicago, IL
05.2018 - 05.2019
- Directed inpatient psychiatric, medical stabilization, outpatient residential, and crisis units
- Managed five cost centers, ensuring financial accountability and operational effectiveness
- Oversaw staffing, scheduling, and performance metrics for expressive therapy programs, enhancing service delivery
- Implemented policies and educational initiatives that improved care quality and staff compliance
Nursing Supervisor
Chicago Behavioral Health
Des Plaines, IL
10.2016 - 09.2017
Registered Nurse – Emergency Department
Trinity Hospital
Chicago, IL
12.2012 - 04.2014
Education
Master of Health Administration -
Capella University
Minneapolis, MN01.2022
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, UT01.2021
Associate Degree - Nursing
Indiana Dabney University
Hammond, IN01.2012
Skills
- Executive nursing leadership and governance
- Patient care management
- Quality, safety and performance improvement
- Regulatory compliance
- Strategic and operational planning
- Budget management and cost control
- Workforce stabilization and retention
- Talent development and succession planning
- Change management and cultural transformation
- Nurse-physician collaboration
- Behavioral health and acute care operations
Credentials
- MHA
- BSN
- RN
Licensure Certifications Affiliations
- Registered Nurse, Illinois
- Registered Nurse, Indiana
- ACLS (AHA), 2027
- BLS (AHA), 2027
- PALS (AHA), 2026
- Mental Health First Aid Trainer, 2022
- Certified Mediator, Illinois
- National Education Association, 2020
- Board Member, Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts, 2023
Professional Highlights
- Workforce stabilization & agency reduction
- Executive-level budget oversight & cost containment
- Regulatory survey readiness & compliance
- Leadership development & succession planning
- Acute care, behavioral health & emergency services expertise
Timeline
Director of Nursing
The New Community – Roseland Hospital
04.2025 - 12.2025
Chief Nursing Officer
Montrose Behavioral Health – Children & Adolescent Hospital
02.2023 - 01.2024
Executive Director of Nursing
Loretto Hospital
04.2022 - 02.2023
Director of Staff Development
Loretto Hospital
08.2020 - 02.2023
Director of Emergency Services
Jackson Park Hospital
12.2019 - 07.2020
Director of Med/Surg, Telemetry & CCU
Loretto Hospital
05.2019 - 11.2019
Director of Behavioral Health
Loretto Hospital
05.2018 - 05.2019
Nursing Supervisor
Chicago Behavioral Health
10.2016 - 09.2017
Charge Nurse – Emergency Department
Jackson Park Hospital
10.2015 - 06.2020
Emergency Room Agency Nurse
01.2014 - Current
Registered Nurse – Emergency Department
Trinity Hospital
12.2012 - 04.2014
Master of Health Administration -
Capella University
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
Western Governors University
Associate Degree - Nursing
Indiana Dabney University