Marilyn Jacobson to Retire After Major Contributions to KVC and Kansas Child Welfare System

On July 1, Cheryl Marquardt will become General Counsel for KVC Health Systems, succeeding Marilyn Jacobson who is retiring. KVC Health Systems is a national leader in helping children, adults and families with behavioral healthcare and child welfare services.

In her new role, Marquardt will oversee all legal matters related to KVC’s services including in-home family support, mental health treatment, foster care, adoption and children’s psychiatric hospitals. She has been with KVC since 2015 as Deputy General Counsel and also serves as HIPAA Privacy Officer.

Jason Hooper

“I’m thrilled and excited to welcome Cheryl to this role,” said Jason Hooper, President and CEO. “Cheryl is passionate about using her legal expertise to help vulnerable children and families. She is beyond committed to our mission. Over the last five years, she’s worked to deeply integrate herself with our local teams, support her fellow leaders and help us provide the very best child and family services.”

Prior to joining KVC, Marquardt was Assistant County Attorney for Leavenworth County, Kansas. In that role, she prosecuted all crimes against child victims including child abuse, sex crimes, endangering a child and homicide. She filed all Child in Need of Care and Juvenile Offender cases for the First Judicial District, trained as a Child Forensic Interviewer, trained law enforcement officers, and argued cases in the Kansas Supreme Court and Kansas Court of Appeals. She was also a member of the Leavenworth Child Advocacy Center case review team.

For 15 years (1993-2008), Marquardt had a private legal practice dedicated to the rights and welfare of children. She was a Guardian ad litem, representing children in Child in Need of Care, Domestic and Juvenile Offender cases. She also represented other family members, conducted child custody investigations, and trained foster parents and Court-Appointed Special Advocates. She was the first woman to be nominated in the First Judicial District for consideration for a District Judge position, and was a member of and served on the Board of Directors of the Leavenworth Bar Association.

Marquardt received her J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law, where she was an articles editor on The University of Kansas Law Review and completed a Kansas Court of Appeals Judicial Clerkship. She also received her undergraduate degree from KU.

Marilyn Jacobson

Marquardt succeeds Marilyn Jacobson who is retiring. Jacobson was both Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and General Counsel at KVC Health Systems. Sherri Lohe became KVC’s CFO in January.

Jacobson made significant contributions to the Kansas child welfare system as a whole. She worked for the Kansas Department for Children and Families from 1992-2003 (at that time, it was known as the Department for Social and Rehabilitation Services), ending as the Assistant Secretary for Children and Family Policy. She oversaw the state’s pioneering move to use private, nonprofit partners to improve the delivery of foster care case management and related services. This resulted in greater safety for children and more children being cared for in families rather than group homes. Ultimately, Kansas’ public/private partnership in child welfare led to better outcomes for children and families and enabled the state of Kansas to exit a lawsuit.

Jacobson also worked for the Kansas Department of Administration from 2003-2013, retiring as Director of Office of General Services, a role that included responsibility for the state’s payroll and central accounting services, and serving as legislative liaison and public information officer.

Jacobson received her law degree from Washburn University and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington in Seattle. She also served in the United States Army for 11 years.

About KVC Health Systems, Inc.

KVC Health Systems, headquartered in the greater Kansas City area, is a private, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization committed to enriching and enhancing the lives of children and families by providing medical and behavioral healthcare, social services, and education. KVC’s diverse continuum of services includes in-home family support, foster care, adoption, behavioral healthcare, and children’s psychiatric hospitals. In its 50-year history, KVC has grown from a single Kansas home for boys to a national organization touching over 71,000 people’s lives each year in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kentucky and West Virginia and providing training and consultation internationally. KVC is accredited by The Joint Commission, considered the gold standard in healthcare. Learn more at www.kvc.org.