A New Endowment Fund Honors the Lessons of Leadership
Kim Bourne never had “hospital president and CEO” on her radar when she started as an associate director of clinical nutrition at Springfield Memorial Hospital in 1989.
Thanks to a Memorial culture that nurtures and equips leaders, she was well positioned to say yes when the opportunity to lead Taylorville Memorial Hospital was presented to her in 2015.
After she retires this month, she will continue to enrich aspiring leaders at Memorial thanks to the Taylorville Memorial Foundation’s creation of the Kim Bourne Emerging Leaders Endowment Fund.
She recently recalled how her supervisor, longtime Memorial leader Woody Hester, encouraged her to attend a one-week leadership forum at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
“The organization paid for me to attend, and it was a big investment at the time,” she said. “But the confidence it gave me that he wanted to invest in my leadership training was just as valuable as anything I learned that week. Someone I respected wanted to keep investing in me.”
Instilling confidence through stretch assignments, valuing people and being accessible were just some of the lessons Bourne incorporated into her own leadership style during her time as director of Food and Nutrition at SMH, then as a system director of Patient Safety and Regulatory Compliance and finally as president and CEO at TMH.
When news of Bourne’s retirement began to circulate, several donors and members of the hospital’s Auxiliary approached Katie Champion Williams, foundation director, with the idea of creating a leadership fund in her honor.
Williams was excited to offer an opportunity for people to support advancing leaders.
“Kim really wanted the fund to focus on professional development opportunities for individuals newer to leadership roles, less than five years,” Williams said. “We have designed the endowment to help them build confidence, strengthen their skillsets and grow into exceptional leaders who will shape the future of healthcare.”
Bourne is excited about the future for Taylorville Memorial Hospital. Her fondest accomplishment is building a team that keeps advancing, carrying forward the mission.
Yes, she appreciates the new hospital building, innovative programs and award recognition the hospital has received, but it’s the dedication and heart of the people behind those accomplishments she’s most proud of.
That’s the promise of the endowment created to honor her healthcare contributions throughout a long, accomplished career.
“The possibility of providing experiences to encourage someone just getting started in leadership really appealed to me,” Bourne said. “Offering resources so colleagues can gain some formal leadership training beyond the on-the-job experience, trying something new that will expand their perspective – that is an investment that will continue to make a difference.”
Want to donate to the Kim Bourne Emerging Leaders Fund? Visit memorial.health or contact Katie Champion Williams for more information. Email williams.katie@mhsil.com or call 217-707-5271.