Kendrick, Baird-Cox appointed to Nursing at Michigan’s CNO positions

Following a national search, Nancy May, D.N.P., RN-BC, NEA-BC, Michigan Medicine’s chief nurse executive, announced the appointments of two chief nursing officer positions on Wednesday, Sept. 15.

Cathy Kendrick, M.S., B.S.N., CNML, NE-BC, R.N., was named CNO of the University Hospital & Frankel Cardiovascular Center, and Kelly Baird-Cox, DNP, RN, CPNP, CPEN, CEN, TCRN, NEA-BC, CENP, CPPS, will lead C.S. Mott Children’s & Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital as CNO.

About Kendrick

Kendrick has served as the interim CNO since August 2020, after having the role of associate CNO in the cardiovascular and neurosciences service lines. 

Kendrick’s unwavering leadership and perseverance throughout the pandemic have been admirable and a source of positivity. She was vital in supporting a plan in the ICU and Moderate Care areas to care for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients, and more recently, has led efforts to refine the Advanced Practice Providers (APP) structure and scope of work.  She has been instrumental in reorganizing, balancing and executing the budget for her area of responsibility. Kendrick has served in numerous leadership capacities throughout her time at U-M.

Kendrick earned her master’s degree in Administration-Health Care from Central Michigan after earning her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Eastern Michigan University. She is a Certified Nurse Manager Leader, Nurse Executive Board Certified and serves on several professional committees throughout U-M Health, including the Joint Implementation Team, Anti-Racism Oversight Committee, Hospital Acquired Conditions (co-lead), UH/CVC Quality and Safety and Operations/Finance Committees, as well as the Nursing Health and Safety Committee.

“I am honored to have an opportunity to continue to serve our patients, staff and community,” Kendrick said. “These are challenging times, but these are also times that afford us the opportunity to look back with gratitude for all that we’ve accomplished and to look forward with hope and a plan for our future. I am excited about the future of Nursing at Michigan.”

About Baird-Cox

Baird-Cox has led with excellence in the interim CNO position since December 2020 and has been vital in the strategic planning, budgeting and resource allocation of the children’s and women’s units.  She has also been instrumental in leading improvements in safety and quality outcomes at Mott.

She has held several leadership roles over the past 12 years at the University of Michigan, which includes serving as the associate chief nursing officer of Children’s and Women’s, nursing services senior director of Mott Children’s Hospital, and clinical nursing director of Children’s Emergency Services and 7E Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT. Baird-Cox was a pediatric nurse practitioner in Dexter, Michigan, for several years and was a Nursing Services Clinical Leader of Pediatric Emergency and Urgent Care at St. Joseph’s Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Novi, and Canton, Michigan.

In May 2017, Baird-Cox obtained her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Madonna University. She obtained her post-graduate certificate of parent, child and family nursing (CPNP-BC) at Wayne State University, master’s degree in Nursing Administration from Madonna and her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Ohio State University. Baird-Cox is active in several societies including the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), and American Organizational Nurse Leaders (AONL), from which she earned an Executive Nurse Leadership Fellowship in 2020.

“While I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as the chief nursing officer for Children’s & Women’s Hospitals, it comes at a time when healthcare has never been more disrupted,” Baird-Cox said. “The demands of our current environment are impacting our health and well-being. Prioritizing and focusing on each other first will enable us to lead through authentic presence to achieve a safe and caring environment for our patients and families.

“My vision for nursing is that we are an inclusive team, influencing one another through caring, integrity, teamwork, and innovation while embracing a model of caring that recognizes and values the honor of being invited into the lives of our patients and families who entrust us with their care. There is no higher honor for me than the privilege to lead and partner with nursing within the Children’s & Women’s Hospitals and across the health system. We can do anything if we do it together.”