Blossom Where You Are Planted: Michelle Riley-Brown, MHA, FACHE

When Michelle Riley-Brown became President and CEO of Children's National in Washington, D.C., it was the culmination of many formative experiences over decades – in New Orleans growing up a doctor's daughter, in Texas for the bulk of her career in healthcare, and now in the DMV area since 2023. It was a pastor in Houston who gave her the advice, "Blossom where you are planted." In other words, focus on the job you have and the situation you're in presently, and good things will come.

Focusing on each role along her leadership journey has allowed Riley-Brown to thrive. As CEO of the only independent, freestanding children's hospital in Washington, D.C., Riley-Brown plays a critical role in giving voice to issues around children's health and pediatric care in the U.S. and globally. She regularly exercises that voice with lawmakers, to lobby for children who cannot speak for themselves. As she notes, children's healthcare in the U.S. is funded less than healthcare for adults, it's important to close that difference. "It's our job in pediatric healthcare to be that voice," she says.

In this Impactful Leaders Podcast with WittKieffer Senior Partner Rachel Polhemus, Riley-Brown shares her leadership journey (she's one of four out of five siblings who pursued healthcare careers), the tremendous impact of her physician father, and her leadership style of listening carefully to the input of others while using her own voice for greatest impact. Enjoy their conversation.