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Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) Appoints Jessica L. Miley Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer

Photo of Jessica Miley
Lindauer partnered with CHOC to place Jessica Miley in this critical position. A proven fundraiser in healthcare who has dedicated her career to serving children and families in need, Miley will direct all fundraising and development programs for Orange County’s only pediatric healthcare system.

Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) has named Jessica L. Miley Senior Vice president and Chief Development Officer. Miley brings an impressive track record in philanthropy, with an emphasis on transformational giving. Most recently, she served as chief operating officer for the Children’s National Hospital Foundation in Washington, DC.

In her role at CHOC, Miley will lead the CHOC Foundation and direct all fundraising and development programs that advance the mission and vision of Orange County’s only pediatric healthcare system.

“I am thrilled to welcome Jessica to CHOC. An accomplished healthcare executive, she has demonstrated success in leading development teams, building relationships in the community, and exceeding fundraising goals,” says CHOC President and CEO Kimberly Chavalas Cripe. “And, given her background in pediatric healthcare, she is a passionate defender of childhood who shares our commitment to keeping children happy and healthy.”

“Lindauer was an exceptional partner in the search process. They truly took the time to get to know our mission, vision, and values. Through their stakeholder interview process, they were able to embrace our organizational culture here at CHOC as well as the unique Southern California philanthropic environment. They provided excellent counsel and support to our search committee, which led to us successfully finding our new leader for the CHOC Foundation.”


Tom Capizzi, Vice President, Chief People Officer at CHOC

During her time at Children’s National, Miley led the hospital’s most ambitious comprehensive fundraising campaign, which surpassed its original $500 million goal six months early. As part of the campaign, she secured numerous transformational gifts including a $96 million investment in support of neuro-oncology research and care and a $36 million commitment to support mental and behavioral health for young children and their families. Through her campaign leadership, the hospital identified new revenue sources and increased its annual fundraising by 45%. 

While serving as senior director, international development, principal gifts at Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, Miley developed a new revenue generating program that became the largest area of positive revenue growth for the hospital’s $1.3B campaign. She also launched its first international fundraising program, helping grow returns by approximately 30%.

“Serving children and families in need has been the sole focus of my professional career. I’m honored to now join the exceptional team of pediatric care medical staff, researchers, fundraisers and employees at CHOC and to partner with CHOC’s generous donors to make a lasting impact on children’s health,” says Miley. “I am grateful to become part of the CHOC family at this pivotal moment and look forward to collaborating with its many stakeholders to help fully achieve the organization’s potential for transformational growth. Together, we will further elevate the Foundation’s fundraising efforts to ensure the children and families of Orange County and beyond can thrive for a lifetime.”  

Miley earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. She has volunteered her leadership skills to a variety of organizations. She was the founder and chair of the principal gifts cohort for The Woodmark Group, a nonprofit organization comprised of children’s hospitals dedicated to improving health for children everywhere.

Jessica Miley was appointed April 2023. The search was led by Lindauer Executive Vice President and Managing Director Libby Roberts and Search Consultant Tensie J. Taylor.

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