Chris Koch
Phoenix Children’s has appointed Carlisle Companies Chairman, President and CEO Chris Koch to its board of directors, adding a corporate leader closely tied to the health system’s expanding youth mental health and suicide prevention initiatives.
The appointment comes as pediatric health systems across the country face growing demand for behavioral health services and increasingly seek partnerships with business leaders and corporate donors to support large-scale prevention and intervention programs.
Phoenix Children’s said Koch and Carlisle Companies played a significant role in launching the system’s suicide prevention program, which has conducted more than 190,000 screenings and connected more than 3,600 children and teens in crisis with care services.
“At Phoenix Children’s, our vision is to improve the health of a generation,” President and CEO John R. Nickens IV said in a statement. “Chris’ dedication to the mental health needs of our young people is transformational.”
The appointment reflects a broader trend in healthcare governance where hospital systems are increasingly recruiting executives with operational, financial and civic leadership experience as they expand beyond traditional acute care into broader public health and community wellness initiatives.
Koch leads Carlisle Companies, a publicly traded manufacturer focused on energy-efficient building envelope products and infrastructure solutions. While outside healthcare, his corporate background brings expertise in operational scaling, long-term capital planning and sustainability strategy — areas that are becoming increasingly relevant for large nonprofit health systems managing regional expansion and rising infrastructure demands.
Phoenix Children’s has been growing rapidly across Arizona through new hospital campuses, specialty centers and outpatient networks. The system now includes multiple hospital campuses, urgent care centers, outpatient clinics and more than 75 pediatric subspecialties statewide.
Koch framed pediatric healthcare access as both a healthcare and economic development issue.
“High caliber pediatric healthcare attracts talent, improves quality of life, and signals to businesses that we are a community worth investing in,” he said.
That framing aligns with how regional healthcare systems are increasingly positioning themselves as economic infrastructure assets tied to workforce recruitment, population growth and broader regional competitiveness. In high-growth states such as Arizona, pediatric healthcare capacity has become especially important as population migration drives demand for expanded family and specialty medical services.
Phoenix Children’s board chairman Michael Ebert said Koch’s experience and focus on youth health outcomes would support the organization’s broader mission to transform pediatric healthcare delivery across the state.
Koch’s appointment also highlights the growing role corporate leaders are playing in behavioral health initiatives, particularly around youth mental health. Employers and business organizations have become more active participants in mental health investment as concerns about adolescent anxiety, depression and suicide increasingly intersect with workforce, education and community stability issues.
Beyond Phoenix Children’s, Koch serves on the boards of both public and private companies as well as several nonprofit organizations.
For Phoenix Children’s, the addition strengthens a board that is helping oversee continued expansion of one of the nation’s larger pediatric health systems during a period of rising demand for integrated pediatric and behavioral healthcare services.