Donna Hyland, the longtime president and chief executive of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, is stepping away from the job after an 18-year run at the top and more than three decades with the system. The organization has named her successor: Dr. Patrick Frias, currently president and CEO of Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. Under Hyland’s watch, Children’s expanded specialty centers and built out new facilities that helped push Atlanta squarely onto the national pediatric care map.
Hyland confirmed the move in a TV interview
Hyland confirmed her retirement in a sit-down interview with Channel 2’s Linda Stouffer, as reported by WSB‑TV. The station reports she will step down after more than 30 years with Children’s and 18 years in the CEO seat, and that Dr. Patrick Frias has been tapped as the next chief executive. For a system that has grown up alongside modern Atlanta, it marks the end of one very long chapter and the start of another.
Hyland’s record and recent projects
Children’s leadership materials recount that Hyland joined the system decades ago and worked her way up from chief financial officer to chief operating officer, then into the CEO role. Along the way she oversaw the merger of Egleston and Scottish Rite and the addition of Hughes Spalding and the Marcus Autism Center under the Children’s umbrella. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta credits Hyland with advancing its research partnership with Emory and spearheading the Arthur M. Blank Hospital project, which expanded the system’s North Druid Hills campus. During her tenure, Children’s grew into one of the region’s largest pediatric providers.
Who is Patrick Frias?
Dr. Frias is a pediatric cardiologist turned administrator who spent 19 years at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta before heading west to Rady Children’s. He has served as Rady’s president and CEO since late 2018, according to Rady Children’s. His leadership profile there highlights work to expand integrated mental health programs and to protect staff and services through industry downturns. The profile also quotes him as saying, “I have the best job in the world.” Taken together, his clinical background and time in the executive suite at two major pediatric systems set the stage for a high-profile homecoming.
What the leadership change could mean
Leadership transitions at large pediatric systems tend to put a spotlight on fundraising, donor relations and big-ticket capital projects. Frias arrives with a reputation for deep involvement in philanthropy: coverage of his work at Rady notes he collaborated with leadership there to secure major gifts that fueled expansion efforts. Becker’s Hospital Review reported that fundraising tied to his prior transitions included landmark multi hundred million dollar donations. For Children’s staff and families, the immediate concern will be how smoothly the handoff happens and how ongoing projects and services carry through the change at the top.
Next steps
WSB‑TV says it will air Hyland’s full conversation with Linda Stouffer at 4 p.m. Thursday, offering the first public, on-camera look at the transition. The interview is expected to include Hyland’s reflections on her tenure and any timing details she is ready to share. In the coming days, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is expected to release more specifics on the succession plan and the official dates for the change in leadership.
