*The following article was published in the January 2016 edition of Ingram’s Magazine, a premier business publication that features prestigious monthly specials highlighting some of Kansas City’s top business people.

As of January 1, Jason Hooper is the President/CEO of KVC Health Systems, a behavioral healthcare and nonprofit child welfare organization headquartered in Olathe. He replaces Wayne Sims who led the organization for the last 35 years.

Many Kansas Citians are familiar with KVC due to its foster care and other child welfare work on behalf of the Kansas Department for Children and Families or its KVC Prairie Ridge Psychiatric Hospital in Kansas City, Kan.

The organization’s deep roots in Wyandotte and Johnson counties gave it a firm foundation to grow into the international leader it is today, serving nearly 60,000 children and families each year in Kansas, Nebraska, Kentucky and West Virginia. Several U.S. states and governments around the world have tapped KVC for expertise on topics such as replacing orphanages with family-based care and helping youth who have experienced trauma like abuse and neglect.

Hooper has been with KVC for over 20 years. In his previous role as president of KVC Hospitals, he managed a psychiatric hospital system that each year serves thousands of children and adolescents who struggle with depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and feelings of violence. In seven years, Hooper exponentially increased KVC Hospitals’ revenue and diversified the client base to serve private families and military family members in addition to children in the child welfare system.

Hooper is a forward-thinker and a visionary, eager to lead national trends in areas such as the integration of medical and behavioral healthcare, the unfolding lessons of neuroscience, the importance of evidence-based practices, and the need to innovate constantly. He champions a culture that is trauma-informed, technology-based, team-oriented and unafraid to lean into the curve.

On Twitter, follow KVC @kvckids and Jason Hooper @jasonrhooper.