On February 12, almost 600 Texas Children’s employees whose careers span between 15 and 45 years were celebrated and honored at the 31st Annual Employee Recognition Ceremony. Winners of other organization-wide awards such as Super Star, Best of the West and Caught You Caring also were recognized. As always, the beloved affair included an appearance from President and CEO Mark Wallace, who mingled and posed for pictures with employees before speaking to the crowd of 567 honorees.
“This is your day, this is the day that you celebrate what you’ve helped build at Texas Children’s,” Senior Vice President Linda Aldred said as she opened the ceremony. “This rich culture, the legacy of Texas Children’s is something that will truly last forever.”
Employees, their leaders, and executives filled the Bayou City Event Center just before noon to support and honor the recipients on their lasting commitment to the organization.
Following lunch, Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Larry Hollier introduced Texas Children’s Board of Trustee Scott Wulfe. Wulfe began with a short heartwarming story about his neighbor who received excellent care from Texas Children’s years ago, and is now a part of providing that care to patients today as an employee. He went on to speak highly of Texas Children’s and our President and CEO Mark Wallace, and he congratulated all of the honorees.
“The fact that you have chosen to dedicate so much of your lives and career to Texas Children’s speaks volumes to your character and to the unique culture at Texas Children’s,” Wulfe said.
Many of the honorees expressed how much they love working at Texas Children’s and what keeps them coming back year after year. Renee Williams, Supply Chain Clinical Product Evaluation Coordinator, celebrated 40 years at Texas Children’s and talked about how the organization has evolved over the years.
“We’ve grown so much. We reach more children, and now women, than I ever imagined,” Williams said. “We’ve also expanded into other parts of the state, including Austin. Taking that care to other areas is just phenomenal.”
This year’s ceremony continued to reflect why we are one of the leading pediatric hospitals in the nation.
“I’m beyond proud and touched to know how much you love and believe in this organization and our vision for accelerating health care and improving the lives of everyone we touch,” Wallace said. “It’s my honor to be your president and CEO, and I am deeply appreciative of each and every one of you and all that you and your families have given to this organization.”
View photos from this year’s employee recognition ceremony below.
