Dr. Wesley Burks, Administrator and Board Chair
Wesley most recently served as CEO of UNC Health and Dean of the UNC School of Medicine from 2019 – 2025. He joined
UNC-Chapel Hill in 2011 as Physician-in-Chief of the UNC Children’s Hospital. As Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Curnen Distinguished Professor, he emphasized pediatric research, rural health initiatives and primary care education.
Prior to joining UNC, Wesley served from 2003 – 2011 as professor of pediatrics and chief of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Duke University Health System.
An internationally renowned expert on allergic disease and food allergies, particularly peanut allergy, he has led pioneering translational science work on the proteins of peanut and immunotherapy clinical studies. His foundational work in this area has informed multiple treatment regimens both in practice and in current development.
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Morgan Abbott, President, NC Children’s Foundation
 Morgan is the President of the NC Children’s Foundation, leading the governance, strategy, and operations for the Foundation. With experience in operationalizing early-stage charitable foundations, Morgan empowers mission-driven institutions to drive change by successfully navigating the intersection of strategic operations, financial stability, and compliance.
She joined the NC Children’s Foundation in December 2025 from the Duke University Office of Counsel, where she provided enterprise-wide advice to Duke University and Duke Health on matters involving nonprofit law, corporate formation, governance, tax, complex philanthropy, donor relations, endowment spending and management, executive compensation, and government relations.
Prior to Duke, Morgan was in private practice where she represented early-stage nonprofit organizations on business and legal matters. Prior to becoming a lawyer, she founded and led an international nonprofit organization supporting a network of infant rescue and care centers in East Africa.
Morgan graduated from UNC Chapel Hill and received her law degree from Duke University School of Law. She is a Triangle native and mom of three young children, and lives in Chapel Hill with her spouse, children, and energetic goldendoodle.
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Dr. Ian Buchanan, Chief Operating Officer
Ian is an experienced healthcare executive with a track record of operational, financial, and strategic success.
Prior to joining the NC Children’s team in 2023, Ian held a variety of positions across UNC Health, including as President of Ambulatory and Post-Acute Care, Chief Research Officer, and Vice Chair of Clinical Integration for the Department of Pediatrics, before ultimately serving as Chief Care Innovation Officer.
After graduating from Davidson College in 1998, he earned his medical degree at the UNC School of Medicine in 2004. He then continued his education at UNC-Chapel Hill with a master’s in public health in 2006, focusing on Public Health Leadership and Healthcare Administration.
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Erin Edwards, Chief Administrative Officer
Prior to joining the NC Children’s team in 2023, Erin served UNC Health as Executive Director of
Operations, where she led several system-wide initiatives including workforce planning, implementation of system reporting and operational benchmarking capabilities, and served as the administrative leader of the COVID leadership team.
She first joined UNC-Chapel Hill in 2011 and worked in research administration, contracting, and compliance for the School of Medicine.
Erin holds a JD from UNC-Chapel Hill, serves on the Board of the Ronald McDonald Houses of the Triangle, and is also child welfare advocate, serving as a foster parent, Guardian ad Litem volunteer and attorney advocate for children in the foster care system.
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Morgan Jones, Chief Strategy Officer
 In addition to her role with NC Children’s, Morgan also serves as the Chief Strategy Officer at Duke University Health System. In that role, she is responsible for leading clinical enterprise strategic planning, business development and growth, strategic intelligence, project management, and consumer insights.
Morgan has focused her career on expanding access to high quality healthcare. Over the past decade she has provided strategic leadership and guidance to Duke, through development of an Ambulatory Network and partnerships which resulted in servicing new geographies and a doubling of patients across broader geographies.
Morgan also serves on the Academy Chief Strategy Officer Forum, as past President Elect with the Southeast Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development, as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and Fellow and Board Member of the Carol Emmott Foundation.
Morgan holds a Master of Science in Public Health in Hospital Administration and Health Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Dr. Angelo Milazzo, Chief Clinical Officer
 In addition to his role with NC Children’s, Angelo is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Duke University School of Medicine and the Duke University Health System, where he serves as the Chief Medical Officer for the Duke Health Integrated Practice and leads the clinical operational and strategic management of a large, multifaceted, ambulatory care network of more than 4,200 physicians and advanced practice providers treating more than two million patients each year in more than 110 practice locations across North Carolina.
Angelo previously served as the Vice Chair for Practice and Clinical Affairs of the Department of Pediatrics at Duke Health. Angelo founded Duke Children’s Consultative Services of Raleigh, the first permanent pediatric practice of Duke Health in Wake County, and served as its Medical Director for 15 years.
He graduated from Harvard University in 1992 with a degree in history and subsequently earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and his master's degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
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Leslie Nelson-Bernier, Chief Philanthropy Officer
 Leslie most recently served as President of the UNC Health Foundation and Chief Philanthropy Officer for UNC Health and the UNC School of Medicine, roles she held for eight years. During her tenure, she led a high-performing team of nearly 60 philanthropy professionals and guided statewide efforts to advance research, education, and patient care through transformative philanthropic investment.
Since joining the UNC Health Foundation in 2005, Leslie has earned a reputation as an exceptional and results-driven leader. Her portfolio includes successful development work with the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, Otolaryngology, Pathology, and the UNC Neuroscience Center. She also served as Senior Executive Director of Development and Communications for UNC Children’s.
Before her career in academic medicine and healthcare philanthropy, Leslie spent a decade in corporate sales and event management within the hotel industry. She began her fundraising career at the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture.
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Elizabeth Runyon, Chief Legal Officer
 Prior to joining the NC Children’s team, Elizabeth served as Chief of Staff to the CEO of UNC Health and Dean of the UNC School of Medicine. She served UNC Health previously as Vice President & Senior Counsel for System Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
In her roles at UNC Health, Runyon was a trusted advisor and partner to system leadership in efforts to expand clinical offerings and develop new facilities in compliance with the state’s regulatory and oversight structure. She worked closely with leadership and the government affairs team on Medicaid expansion and other significant State health policy issues, and offered critical counsel and strategic guidance on issues and emerging trends.
Prior to joining UNC Health in 2018, Elizabeth spent more than ten years as a lawyer in private practice in Raleigh, largely advising health care clients. She is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Florida School of Law.
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Dr. Geeta Swamy, Chief Academic Officer
 In addition to serving as NC Children’s Chief Academic Officer, Geeta is the Haywood Brown, MD, Distinguished Professor of Women’s Health, and also serves as Executive Vice Dean for Clinical Sciences & Research Administration for the Duke University School of Medicine, and Associate Vice President for Research for Duke University.
In these roles, she oversees central operations aligned with clinical departments and research centers, facilitating research priorities in collaboration with clinical chairs and vice chairs, and managing research administration and compliance. Geeta also works closely with leadership across the Duke Health Integrated Practice (DHIP) and Duke University Health System on areas that intersect with the academic missions.
She collaborates with leaders across Duke University to provide a consistent vision for research administration, operations, quality, and accountability.
As a highly accomplished clinician-scientist, Dr. Swamy’s research specializes in perinatal infection, maternal immunization, and complications of pregnancy.
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