Published: June 8, 2026
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
The Norton Healthcare Foundation and Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation have hired Leslie Smart, CFRE, and Lance Wilkerson to serve as system directors of outreach. Smart will support initiatives east of Jefferson County, Kentucky, while Wilkerson will focus on counties west of Jefferson County, Kentucky.
“These two roles represent growth in the foundations’ teams in areas where we have seen community desire to support Norton Children’s and Norton Healthcare,” said Lynnie Meyer, R.N., Ed.D., FAHP, CFRE, senior vice president and chief development officer, Norton Healthcare and Norton Children’s. “Both Lance and Leslie have individual passion for our work and will be uniquely able to engage families around improved access to top-notch healthcare for children and adults.”
Smart was most recently chief executive officer of the Louisville Ballet. She also is former president and market vice president of development for CHI Saint Joseph Health Foundations, executive director of philanthropy for Norton Healthcare and Norton Children’s Hospital foundations, director of development and marketing for Yew Dell Botanical Gardens and president of Technique Marketing + Development. She is a longtime volunteer for the Festival of Trees & Lights, benefiting Norton Children’s, and a former faculty member of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s School of Fundraising and Engagement. She continues to serve multiple community groups as a member of their advisory boards as well as the board for the Louisville Ballet.
Wilkerson was most recently director of donor relations for ProMedica Foundation in Toledo, Ohio. He also served as executive director of the Deaconess Foundation (Evansville, Ind.), senior marketing coordinator for Deaconess, senior associate athletic director of development and external opportunities for the University of Evansville. He is a longtime volunteer for various community groups with missions around behavioral health and youth sports.
“We find there are many people in the community who want to leave a legacy or support ongoing care for the entire region in some way,” Meyer said. “We’re excited that these two roles represent the importance of care for all, especially as we embark on ambitious plans to expand pediatric care in a way the commonwealth has never seen.”
The Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation and Norton Healthcare Foundation have a goal of supporting groundbreaking research, new technology, medical care for all and better health for the entire community and beyond.
The foundations raised more than $40 million in 2025 for adult and pediatric services and research at nine Norton Children’s and Norton Healthcare hospitals, and more than 480 outpatient and clinic locations. This includes specialty heart care, cancer care, neurology and neurosurgical care, mental health services, high-risk maternal-fetal medicine, neonatal care and diabetes care provided through Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute, a part of Norton Children’s and Norton Healthcare.
Since 2004, community support has enabled the foundations to grant more than $332 million to support groundbreaking research, new technology, education and programs at Norton Children’s and Norton Healthcare. For more information on ways to support these critical initiatives, visit HelpNortonChildrens.com or NortonHealthcareFoundation.com, or call (502) 446-4483 (GIVE)