Valerie M. Kading, DNP, MBA, MSN, PMHNP-BC is the VP of Clinical & Medical Development at Acadia Healthcare where she leads strategic initiatives to enhance clinical and medical quality and excellence through delivery of evidence-based interventions, driving process improvement efforts aimed at improving care for Acadia's patients and clients across all levels of care. Dr. Kading was previously the CEO of Sierra Tucson where she provided the strategic vision to ensure that the facility’s patients and their families receive the most innovative, compassionate, and leading medical and psychiatric treatment for trauma, addiction, and other mental health conditions from a world-class staff of clinicians and behavioral health professionals.

Dr. Kading joined Acadia and Sierra Tucson in 2015, where she rose to become chief medical operations officer, then interim chief medical officer, chief operations officer, and ultimately Group Chief Executive Officer for the entire 258-bed Sierra Tucson Group – Sierra Tucson in Arizona, along with Sierra by the Sea and Sunrise Ranch in California.

Dr. Kading brings expertise and a special interest in women’s mental health including perinatal mood disorders, maternal well-being, and postpartum depression. In addition, she has deep expertise in addressing the trauma of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) that can lead to substance use and other issues in adulthood. Dr. Kading has written articles for multiple professional journals. She has led a variety of webinars and CE events on topics ranging from perinatal mood disorders, substance use disorders, adverse childhood experiences to compassion fatigue and provider resilience for organizations.

Dr. Kading graduated with honors from New Mexico State University with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. Her doctoral studies focused on optimizing health care systems, translational methods, and evidence-based practice, health care organization innovation, epigenetics, utilization of informatics in healthcare, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Her dissertation focused on increasing health care provider knowledge on perinatal depression, and she created a web-based educational program for health care providers aimed at facilitating evidence-based treatment to perinatal women.

Dr. Kading graduated with honors from the University of Arizona with a master’s degree in nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Dr. Kading also received her Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Arizona. In 2006, she founded and served as president of the Southern Arizona Advanced Practice Nurse – Nurse Practitioner Society.

She has received recognition with honors and awards throughout her career, including most recently “Leaders to Watch in 2021” by AZ Business, “The 10 Most Admired Women Leaders in Business, 2020” by CIO Views and the “Advocate State Award for Excellence” from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.