Jason R. Hooper

Jason Hooper, M.S.W. is the President and Chief Executive Officer of KVC Health Systems, a behavioral healthcare and nonprofit child welfare organization headquartered in the greater Kansas City area. KVC is comprehensive organization providing in-home family therapy, foster care, adoption, outpatient behavioral healthcare, youth substance abuse treatment and children’s psychiatric hospitals. KVC has 1,600 team members at 35 locations in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kentucky and West Virginia and provides consultation and training across the U.S. and around the world through its KVC Institute.

Jason has been with KVC for 25 years, beginning with 8 years of direct service helping children and families, followed by 7 years of management and 8 years of leadership.

In his previous role as President of KVC Hospitals, Jason managed a psychiatric hospital system that each year serves thousands of children and adolescents experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and other mental health crises. In seven years, Jason more than doubled KVC Hospitals’ revenue and diversified the client base to serve private families and military family members in addition to children in the child welfare system. These positive business changes came about while achieving strong safety and wellbeing outcomes such as safely reducing lengths of stay, increasing child stability after discharge, and maintaining a low readmission rate. Jason also expanded KVC Hospitals’ consultation and community education, with its core leadership team of experts and its thriving learning environment that trains over 150 students each year.

Jason champions a culture that is trauma-informed, technology-based, team-oriented and unafraid to lean into the curve. He recognizes that KVC has a unique opportunity to lead national trends in areas such as the integration of medical and behavioral healthcare, the unfolding lessons of brain science, the importance of evidence-based practices, and the need to innovate constantly.

Jason holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Kansas and bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology from Baker University.