CEO

Ronald McDonald House Central Ohio; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 250,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Ronald McDonald House Central Ohio seeks a visionary CEO to continue four decades of growth and advance its mission of keeping families close to hospitalized children in Central Ohio. The ideal leader blends family-centered care with operational excellence and strategic fundraising acumen.

The CEO will guide a diverse staff and 600+ volunteers, partner with major hospital systems, and build durable structures to sustain growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required with strong leadership experience.
• Proven financial management and budgeting experience in a large organization.
• Exceptional relationship management and fundraising skills; proven experience raising and stewarding significant philanthropic support.
• Proven experience working with or serving on boards and an understanding of nonprofit governance.
• Successful experience building and managing cross-organizational alliances and partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability leading high-performing executive teams.
• Commitment to the mission of and families served by Ronald McDonald House Central Ohio and personal values that align with the organization's values.

Skills

Financial management

Fundraising

Board governance

Cross-organizational partnerships

Executive leadership

Relationship management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Introduction for Ronald McDonald House Central Ohio

When a child is hospitalized, distance is one more burden a family has to carry. Parents driving hours to reach a bedside, siblings pulled out of school, the cost of a hotel room stacking on top of medical bills: all of it pulls a family apart at the exact moment they most need to be together. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio exists to remove that barrier, keeping families close so they can focus on what matters most, their child's care.

Founded in 1982, Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio has grown into the largest Ronald McDonald House in the world, a 206-room facility completed in 2023 following a $42 million capital campaign. The organization partners with Nationwide Children's Hospital, OhioHealth, Mount Carmel Health System, and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center to provide free lodging, meals, and support to families with a hospitalized child. In 2025 alone, it served 5,602 families and provided more than 40,000 nights of rest, all at no cost to the families who stayed.

The Opportunity

Ronald McDonald House Central Ohio seeks a visionary leader to build on more than four decades of extraordinary growth and to advance a mission that is as simple as it is urgent: keeping families close to their hospitalized children when closeness matters most. The incoming CEO will bring a deeply family-centered instinct and a commitment to operational excellence to an organization with wide reach and reputation.

This is a moment of remarkable momentum. A landmark $42 million capital campaign made this the largest Ronald McDonald House in the world—one that is thoughtfully designed with room for future expansion alongside Nationwide Children's Hospital and other hospital partners. Three Ronald McDonald House Family Rooms and the Care Mobile carry that same welcome beyond the House itself, into partner hospitals and underserved communities across Central and Southeast Ohio. The next leader will inherit a thriving organization ready for its next chapter.

That chapter is about building the operational and people infrastructure to match the new footprint. The organization is assembling a relatively new leadership team, transitioning to a professional employer organization (PEO) after years of generous human resources support from Nationwide Children's Hospital, and adding capacity to a staff whose "all hands on deck" instinct has carried it through remarkable growth. Each of these is an opportunity: to design roles and systems intentionally, to professionalize the infrastructure behind the mission, and to position the organization for continued growth and long-term sustainability. The incoming CEO also follows a long-tenued, well-regarded leader whose legacy is visible in every room—an inheritance of community trust to honor and to build upon.

The next leader will be an inspiring and persuasive communicator, guiding a talented staff and more than 600 committed volunteers with high emotional intelligence, extraordinary empathy, and evident devotion to the families who walk through the door. The CEO will bring proven experience partnering with nonprofit boards: activating Trustees in shaping vision and strategy and drawing on their networks in support of Ronald McDonald House Central Ohio. They will be a natural collaborator, deepening partnerships with Nationwide Children's Hospital, OhioHealth, Mount Carmel Health System, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and with the individuals and institutions whose generosity sustains the work.

As lead spokesperson for an organization that depends on philanthropic support, they will bring—or quickly build—a deep understanding of the Central Ohio community and of the business, healthcare, philanthropic, and nonprofit leaders who shape it. They will also benefit from a strong working relationship with the Ronald McDonald House Global office, including onboarding support and a network of peers across the country.

The right executive for this moment is a builder with a servant's heart: someone who has led through growth, who finds real satisfaction in creating durable structure, and who understands that every system they put in place serves a single purpose—so that no family seeking care in Central Ohio has to be apart from their child. In this role, they will lead one of the most visible and most respected organizations in the city.

The full position description can be viewed here: https://bit.ly/RMH-CentralOhioCEOprofile.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree Proven financial management and budgeting experience in an organization or department of a similar size and complexity to Ronald McDonald House Central Ohio Exceptional relationship management and fundraising skills; proven experience raising and stewarding significant philanthropic support Proven experience working with or serving on boards and an understanding of nonprofit governance Successful experience building and managing cross-organizational alliances and partnerships Demonstrated ability leading high-performing executive teams Commitment to the mission of and families served by Ronald McDonald House Central Ohio and personal values that align with the organization's values

Compensation

Ronald McDonald House Central Ohio is pleased to offer a competitive base compensation, incentive compensation, and benefits package for this role. Projected base compensation is $250,000–$300,000, commensurate with experience.

To learn more about Ronald McDonald House Central Ohio, please visit: https://rmhc-centralohio.org/.