Board of Trustees names Brandon Skidmore new president and CEO of Sunflower Foundation
The Sunflower Foundation Board of Trustees is proud to announce Brandon Skidmore as its new president and CEO.
Skidmore, who will assume his new role effective April 8, has been with the foundation since 2016, having been vice president of Health Systems since 2022 after previously serving as a senior program officer and program officer. He will succeed Billie Hall, who retires this month after a 23-year stint as the foundation’s founding chief executive.
With a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities to improving health in Kansas, extensive relationships with health system leaders, strong appreciation for the foundation’s collaborative culture and a passion for its mission to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of all Kansans, Skidmore is poised to lead the foundation.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the board for this tremendous opportunity. I am honored and excited to help guide Sunflower Foundation into its next chapter,” Skidmore said. “I inherit an organization that has been painstakingly built to best serve the organizations and individuals across this state who do the hard work every day of serving their neighbors and improving their communities.”
After an extensive national search by the nonprofit executive search firm Kittleman & Associates attracted a pool of 90 applicants, it was Skidmore’s breadth of experience and steadfast commitment to Sunflower Foundation’s catalytic approach to philanthropy that led the selection committee to choose him as the next president and CEO.
“Brandon understands and appreciates the catalytic philosophy that has long been a cornerstone of Sunflower Foundation’s work. He also embraces collaboration and has an eye for innovation,” said Liz Sosa, chair of the Sunflower Board of Trustees and the selection committee. “These qualities, along with his intelligent and humble approach, make him the best candidate to build upon what the foundation has established and lead it into the future. I think I speak for the board when I say I am looking forward to working with Brandon and am excited to see what the future holds for the foundation under his leadership.”
Over his eight years with Sunflower, Skidmore has worked to develop regional and national partnerships that leverage the work of the foundation and its grantees. During his time with the foundation, he has progressively taken on more of a leadership role, including overseeing the foundation’s work in public health, mental health, primary and acute care, and integrated care, which unites primary care and behavioral care into one seamless system. Highlights of his work include:
Elevating the foundation’s ongoing work and investment in integrated care, including expanding integrated care support to rural health clinics across the state and guiding its national work with the Bipartisan Policy Center to develop program and funding recommendations to better support primary care integration.
Advancing the foundation’s investments in public health in Kansas and its work with national funders to develop recommendations to modernize the U.S. public health system.
Exploring and cultivating new shared investment strategies in health systems innovation with private funders, venture philanthropists and government entities.
Providing oversight and strategic leadership for the foundation’s Kansas Fights Addiction work.
“Thanks to Billie’s steady leadership, the concepts of collaboration, partnership, empathy and shared learning are all part of Sunflower’s DNA,” Skidmore said. “I cannot think of a stronger foundation on which to build the next chapter of this great organization.”
Skidmore earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Kansas before embarking on a career in public health, including a 13-year stint in state government, where he served in a variety of leadership positions within the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s (KDHE) Bureau of Health Promotion. Prior to his time at KDHE, he served as a public health consultant for three years, providing support to community coalitions and nonprofit organizations from across the country working to improve the health of their communities.
A native of Augusta, Skidmore and his wife, Jenna, have three children: Noah, 12; Reid, 10; and Ayla, 6.
