New director joins the team

Children’s Miracle Network at UC Davis Children’s Hospital is thrilled to announce Kacie Merrick as the new senior director of development for the UC Davis Children’s Hospital and program director for the Children’s Miracle Network program. Merrick replaces outgoing director, Michelle Tafoya, who has accepted a new position as managing executive director of development at UC Davis Medical Center. Merrick will report to Tafoya.

Merrick comes from Children’s Hospital Colorado, another CMN hospital in the 170-hospital network. She is a relationship-driven fundraising leader with more than a decade of experience building corporate partnerships at Children’s Hospital Colorado, including Walmart, Panda Express, Marriott, Credit Unions for Kids, RE/MAX and Dairy Queen.

“I’ve seen firsthand the power of these partnerships to transform pediatric care,” Merrick said. “I’m thrilled to bring that experience to UC Davis Children’s Hospital and support the incredible work happening here, especially alongside such a dedicated team and under the leadership of Michelle Tafoya. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Michelle for many years, and I couldn’t be more excited that the stars aligned to make this opportunity a reality.”

Tafoya shares Merrick’s excitement and is ecstatic to have her on board.

“It’s truly an honor to pass the torch to Kacie because I know she’ll continue to grow the program,” Tafoya said. “Her experience, knowledge and passion for children and families will help us grow so we can continue to provide funding and support for our patients, programs and innovations in our hospital. I’ve had the great fortune to watch her make an incredible impact in CMN programs at other hospitals and I can’t wait to see what Kacie and the team will do and have no doubt her contributions to CMN at UC Davis will be tremendous.”

In addition to her CMN accomplishments, Merrick’s work at Children’s Colorado expanded beyond CMN to secure transformational gifts from local corporate supporters and lead the Corporate Leadership Council through the Foundation Board’s engagement strategy.

Outside of work, Merrick is quite the music fan, taking the tunes along wherever she goes. She enjoys running and has already found a go-to spot in Sacramento to watch Broncos games. Merrick is also excited to explore Northern California and hopes to find the same joy in the outdoors that’s always grounded her in Colorado. Welcome Kacie Merrick!