Children's Executive Named 2016 Minority Business Leader by Washington Business Journal

Washington, DC – Children’s National Health System Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, Darryl Varnado, was recently named to the Washington Business Journal’s 2016 list of Minority Business Leaders. Mr. Varnado is listed among 25 business leaders in the area, and accepted an award on stage during last night’s honoree event at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC.

Varnado received this honor for his creative and successful contributions to the employee population at Children’s, and his passion for providing employees with the best workplace so they are better able to take care of patients.At Children’s National, Mr. Varnado serves as the Chief People Officer, using his exceptional leadership skills and commitment to talent development to design and implement programs and initiatives that directly benefit Children’s employees.  During his time at Children’s National, Darryl has led many innovative strategy initiatives including developing standout processes such as the Talent Optimization goal for Children’s National – designed to assess and identify successful employees through a Leadership and Workforce Development Program. Most recently, he developed a Paid Parental Leave Policy that offers new families enhanced leave benefits at full salary continuance outside of their standard short-term disability time.

“Darryl is truly a champion for Children’s National employees. His push for enhanced family leave benefit options is just one of the many ways in which he puts employees’ needs first. This award is well deserved, and we are proud to have Darryl leading our workforce strategies,” says President and CEO, Kurt Newman, MD.

Originally from Hammond, Louisiana, Darryl has an extensive background in human resources and has worked with some of the largest companies in the nation including a major airline, leading beverage companies, and a Vice President role with the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) where he served as the Chief Human Resources Officer for five years. During his time at UCH, Darryl was able to build a strong workforce and developed nationally-recognized programs focused on advancing quality outcomes for patients.

In addition to his duties as EVP and CPO at Children’s National, Darryl is an active member of the 2016 Children’s Hospital Human Resources Steering Committee, Society for Human Resource Management, American College of Healthcare Executives, and a lifetime member of WorldatWork Society of Certified Professionals. Darryl earned his Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations and his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Colorado, and has been with Children’s National since 2012.

Contact: Leah Parker at 202-476-4500