Children’s Wisconsin appoints Jonathan Brouk as president and chief operating officer to oversee hospital performance

Leadership change at Wisconsin’s pediatric health system

Children’s Wisconsin has named Jonathan Brouk as its new president and chief operating officer, a role focused on overseeing operational performance across the system’s hospital footprint in Milwaukee and Neenah. The appointment was announced Friday, Jan. 16, 2026.

In the new position, Brouk is expected to lead inpatient and ambulatory operations and guide enterprise-wide initiatives aimed at improving operational efficiency and advancing care delivery. The organization also said the role will include supporting care model redesign efforts intended to meet changing needs among children and families across Wisconsin.

How the role fits into Children’s Wisconsin’s executive structure

Children’s Wisconsin is led by President and Chief Executive Officer Gil Peri, who began in that position in August 2024 following the retirement transition of longtime CEO Peggy Troy. Brouk’s appointment adds a senior operational executive focused on hospital performance, a function typically responsible for translating strategy into day-to-day clinical and administrative operations.

Operational priorities outlined for the new president and COO

Children’s Wisconsin said Brouk’s responsibilities will include oversight of:

• hospital performance in Milwaukee and Neenah, spanning inpatient and ambulatory operations
• performance excellence initiatives across the organization
• efforts to improve operational efficiency and support redesigned care models

The system did not disclose a start date in its announcement, nor did it provide details on whether the appointment follows a vacancy or internal reorganization.

Brouk’s background in pediatric hospital operations

Before joining Children’s Wisconsin, Brouk served as president of Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health, an academic children’s hospital and health care network in Louisiana. The organization credited him with work that included strengthening patient safety infrastructure and outcomes, and implementing revenue and cost containment strategies.

Earlier in his career, Brouk held enterprise leadership roles at LCMC Health’s Manning Family Children’s in Louisiana, including chief operating officer and chief strategy officer. Children’s Wisconsin also noted that Brouk has experience developing population health strategies in nonprofit health systems.

Children’s Wisconsin said the position will focus on operational performance and initiatives aimed at strengthening care delivery and efficiency across its hospital sites.

Education

Children’s Wisconsin reported that Brouk earned a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Loyola University Chicago’s Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy and a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Tulane University in economics, political science and Spanish.

The appointment comes as pediatric health systems nationally continue to face pressures tied to workforce stability, patient throughput, and cost management—areas typically influenced by hospital operations leadership.