Nemours Names Chief Nursing Executive for New Children's Hospital

Barbara DeBenham Meeks RN, MSN, MBA, has been tapped for the newly created leadership position of Chief Nursing Executive (CNE) of Nemours Children’s Hospital (NCH), the integrated pediatric facility under construction at the Lake Nona Medical Campus near Orlando, Fla.

Prior to joining Nemours, Meeks served as Vice President of Pediatric Patient Care Services for Medical College of Georgia Health (MCGHealth), Inc. in Augusta, Ga.

“We are confident that Ms. Meeks will be a valuable addition to the leadership team at NCH,” said Roger Oxendale, president and CEO of Nemours Children’s Hospital. “With more than 30 years of experience, she is a proven leader in children’s health and was instrumental in gaining national recognition to the patient-and-family-centered care philosophy at the MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center.”

Meeks earned a B.S. in Nursing from the University of Michigan School of Nursing, an M.S. in Nursing from the Indiana University School of Nursing and an MBA from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, Athens.  As Clinical Assistant Professor of the Department of Physiological and Technological Nursing at the Medical College of Georgia School of Nursing, she has actively lectured and assisted with clinical experiences of graduate and undergraduate nursing students since 2003. She was also an instructor for the Pediatric Graduate Nursing Program at Indiana University School of Nursing.

Beyond her dedication to pediatric health care, Ms. Meeks has a history of supporting the community and nursing profession.  She is a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives and the National Society of Pediatric Nurses, where she serves on the National Review Board of the Scope and Standards of Pediatric Nursing. Meeks is also a member of the Sigma Theta Tau, the national nursing honor society.

She serves as a Representative on the Section on Maternal and Child Health Governing Council of the American Hospital Association to the American Academy of Pediatrics and was President of the Board of Directors of Ronald McDonald House Charities, Inc. of Augusta. Meeks was a member of Leadership Augusta Class of 2002, a development program of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce.

"I look forward to joining Nemours," said Meeks. “I love pediatrics and my passion is improving the care these children receive. I enjoyed building and establishing a nationally recognized children’s hospital in Augusta, and together with the Nemours leadership team at NCH, we will do that to the benefit of the children of Florida.”

In addition to her role at NCH, Meeks will provide nursing leadership to Nemours Florida Clinics. She will join the organization in June.