Nemours Names a CMCO with a Mandate: Unify the Story, Multiply the Trust

Why this matters for leaders in communications, HR, and the C-suite

Nemours Children’s Health has appointed Terry Haley, MBA, as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer (CMCO). Although some outlets carried the story later, the appointment was officially announced on November 17, 2025. In this enterprise role, Haley is charged with directing marketing, communications, and brand strategy—work that will elevate Nemours’ position as a national voice for Whole Child Health and align messaging across families, employees, partners, donors, and communities. Nemours+1

This move reflects a broader trend: leading health systems are giving a single executive clear authority to integrate brand, culture, and stakeholder trust. When that integration takes hold, organizations stop “announcing” and start “aligning”—turning every touchpoint into proof of who they are and how they care.

The signal: brand authority with enterprise scope

Health care’s reputation economy runs on two engines—outcomes and credibility. By elevating a CMCO with enterprise scope, Nemours is acknowledging that credibility is built (or broken) in the seams between clinical excellence, employee experience, and community engagement. Haley’s remit includes unifying the story internally and externally and strengthening awareness of mission—work that requires governance, measurement, and continuous feedback loops across channels. Nemours

For executive teams, the takeaway is structural: if you want trust to compound, assign one accountable owner for narrative coherence—across patient journeys, workforce communications, and partner ecosystems.

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Whole Child Health needs a whole-organization narrative

Nemours has long advanced a holistic model—addressing social, behavioral, and environmental determinants alongside clinical care—and it communicates that model through public-facing properties like Well Beyond Medicine and KidsHealth. That ecosystem gives the CMCO a powerful platform to translate strategy into lived experience: what families learn, what clinicians share, and how communities engage. Nemours+2Well Beyond Medicine Podcast -+2

For communicators, this is an execution challenge: connect the dots between narrative and navigation. A parent who reads an article on KidsHealth, listens to a Well Beyond Medicine episode, and then schedules a visit should feel one continuous promise—clear, compassionate, and consistent.

Digital, data, and the humane use of AI

The role description foregrounds digital strategy—a signal that personalization, analytics, and responsible AI will shape Nemours’ brand experience. In pediatric care, that must never mean speed at the expense of sensitivity. It means using data to anticipate needs, simplify access, and reduce cognitive load for stressed families—while protecting privacy and preserving the distinctly human cadence of care. Nemours

Practical guidance for CMOs/CHROs:

• Pair message frameworks with experience guardrails (tone, reading level, escalation paths).

• Build a cross-functional content council (clinical, DEI, HR, legal, digital) to vet and evolve narratives.

• Instrument the journey: track comprehension, time-to-answer, and “felt trust” alongside clicks and conversions.

  
  

What leaders can do now

1. Name the narrative owner. If your brand, HR, and comms functions still “negotiate” the story, you don’t have a story—you have a meeting. Assign enterprise authority to one leader and give them budget, data access, and governance.

   
   

2. Turn strategy into repeatable stories. Codify 5–7 master narratives (e.g., access, equity, innovation, employee well-being) with audience-specific adaptations and brief them into every channel—from intranet to community partners.

   
   

3. Measure trust, not just traffic. Add message clarity, empathy, and usefulness to your dashboards. Where the story is unclear, culture will feel it first.

   
   

Facts at a glance

• Appointment date: Announcement published November 17, 2025 (Nemours newsroom; PR Newswire syndication). Nemours+1

• System footprint: Nemours is among the nation’s larger multistate pediatric systems, with two freestanding children’s hospitals and an extensive practice network. Nemours

• Public education reach: KidsHealth is promoted by Nemours as the most-visited children’s health website; together with the Well Beyond Medicine podcast, it anchors a broad public-facing education portfolio. Nemours+1

  
  

Call to Insight

If your organization’s mission depends on trust, treat “unified storytelling” as an operational system—not a campaign—and empower one leader to run it.

Final reflection

Nemours’ CMCO appointment is more than an executive move; it’s a governance choice that aligns culture, care, and community under one accountable narrative. For leaders across sectors, the lesson travels well: when the story is coherent, behavior follows—and so does trust.

About AdvoCast

AdvoCast helps executives and communication leaders operationalize trust through the Human Impact Blueprint™—aligning brand, culture, and stakeholder experience with measurable outcomes.