February 18, 2019

After coming to Texas Children’s throughout her youth as a patient, recently hired medical assistant Blanca Alonso got something she always wanted – the opportunity to join the organization as an employee at Texas Children’s Specialty Care Sugar Land.

“It’s really incredible working with the kids and patients, and I don’t plan on going anywhere else,” said Alonso, one of more than 40 new members of the Texas Children’s family who attended the first Mark Wallace New Employee Pep Rally of 2019, held February 4 at West Campus.

Fashioned in the same back-to-school theme of the Texas Children’s Hi orientation, the pep rally allows new employees to learn more about the organization and meet executives and other leaders within a festive atmosphere complete with foam fingers, pompoms and lively music. Participants included new and recent hires based at West Campus, as well as those from specialty care clinics in surrounding communities.

“West Campus is flourishing and we’re lucky to have all of you here,” President and CEO Mark Wallace told the new employees, recalling Texas Children’s early days in a single, seven-floor building – well before the opening of Legacy Tower at the Medical Center campus; the suburban hospitals at West and The Woodlands; and the urgent care centers and specialty care clinics that stretch across Harris County and now reach into Austin and Central Texas.

“In 1989, I knew this was our destiny,” Wallace said. “I knew Texas Children’s was going to grow and flourish because that was part of the plan: taking care of more patients and more families. The key to our success has always been the people and the leadership.”

Wallace reminded the new hires that they, too, are leaders in their personal and professional lives, and encouraged them to develop their own leadership definitions. He also introduced himself and shook hands with every new employee at the pep rally, pausing often to pose for photos and snap selfies.

As she enjoyed refreshments and connected with her new colleagues, Shamira Connor reflected on the warm welcome she has received since becoming a medical assistant at the Sugar Land specialty care clinic. “I’ve always wanted to work at Texas Children’s. Now I’m here and I love it,” she said.

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.

August 2, 2018

Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark Wallace is committed to meeting every employee at Texas Children’s, and one way he does that is during a New Employee Pep Rally.

New employees at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus hired between January 1 through June 30 attended the most recent Pep Rally on July 30, and from the moment team members arrived, they shared their excitement to be with Texas Children’s!

New employees, leaders, and assigned “buddies” mixed, mingled, and snapped selfies around the room. To close the event, team captain – Wallace – celebrated what our team had accomplished and what’s ahead as our One Amazing Team keeps growing!

June 26, 2018

Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark Wallace is committed to meeting every employee at Texas Children’s, and one way he does that is during the New Employee Pep Rally. More than 500 new employees were invited to attend the most recent Pep Rally on June 4 and from the moment team members arrived, they shared their excitement to be with Texas Children’s.

New employees, leaders, and assigned “buddies” mixed, mingled, and snapped selfies. To close the event, team captain – Wallace – celebrated what our team had accomplished and what’s ahead as our One Amazing Team keeps growing.

June 12, 2018

A little more than one year after opening the doors of the hospital to its first patient, hundreds of new and recent hires at The Woodlands attended their first Mark A. Wallace New Employee Pep Rally – waving red pompoms and foam fingers, nodding along to classic dance music, noshing on refreshments and enjoying the opportunity to meet, greet and even snap photos with Mr. Wallace himself.

Modeled after the Texas Children’s Hi new employee orientation, the energetic pep rally format has replaced the more traditional reception that Mr. Wallace has hosted for decades. The rally gives new employees the chance to become better acquainted with Texas Children’s and connect with executives and leaders in an informal and festive atmosphere.

“Mr. Wallace is really personable and everyone is so down to earth,” said Nicole Bolden, an ambulatory service representative II in Developmental Therapy who attended the rally with her colleague, Adina Clay. “You can see why Texas Children’s has such a good culture and reputation in the community.”

With nearly 450 new employees to be celebrated at The Woodlands and his own goal to personally introduce himself to each of them, Mr. Wallace hosted two rallies back to back.

“It means a lot to have our first pep rallies here and give our employees a warm welcome,” said Executive Vice President Michelle Riley-Brown, who also serves as President of The Woodlands. “Our first year has been phenomenal, and it’s our people and our staff who have made The Woodlands so successful for the patients and families we see every day.”

In congratulating the team for the “grand slam” success of The Woodlands thus far and describing Texas Children’s ongoing efforts to expand access and care to even more children and families at the Legacy Tower and in Austin and Central Texas, Mr. Wallace thanked the new employees for supporting each other and working so hard to meet the needs of those we serve.

He also encouraged each new employee to give serious thought to their own personal definition of leadership, reminding them of his top two maxims: that leadership always influences and determines outcomes, and that leadership applies to everyone. Leadership is the reason that Texas Children’s has grown and achieved so much in just the 29 short years since he joined the organization, he said.

“Everyone has to lead; that’s part of our culture here,” Mr. Wallace said. “You’re all leaders, not just the people with a certain title or rank. We want to create a culture of empowerment. We want to listen to you. We want your ideas. We want you to lead. This unfolding story at Texas Children’s keeps happening and we all get to be part of it.”

For Brittnie Wright, a senior administrative assistant who was part of the team that helped bring the vision for The Woodlands to life, the fun and warmth of the pep rally and meeting Mr. Wallace underscored why she enjoys being part of the Texas Children’s family.

“I genuinely love it here. I love my leaders and I love my co-workers,” Wright said. “There’s a certain pride when people see you with that Texas Children’s badge because it stands for something. It makes me feel good to know that we are here for a purpose and we are fulfilling this purpose. We are really helping people in this community.”

February 27, 2018

More than 528 employees and staff with a total 10,150 combined years of Texas Children’s service were honored last week at our 30th Annual Employee Recognition Celebration.

On February 20, veteran employees poured into the Bayou City Event Center just before noon, to celebrate the core of Texas Children’s past, present and future. The event recognized our long-time honorees and award recipients for their continued commitment to the mission of Texas Children’s.

“This is one of my favorite events,” said Human Resources Senior Vice President Linda Aldred. ”I love being here with you, I love chatting it up with you, and I particularly love celebrating you.”

Lavish decorations filled the large ballroom, and a delectable three-course meal was served. Entertainment included music from the past 40 years, but the crowd favorite was a photo booth that broke the ice as everyone took pictures, mixed and mingled.

Our very own ukulele choir kicked off the program, grabbing the crowd’s attention as they sang their original song, The Texas Children’s Way. Texas Children’s Board of Trustees member Willie Alexander, and Radiologist-in-Chief Dr. George Bisset delivered inspiring speeches and congratulated each employee as he or she crossed the stage to receive recognition for15 to 45 years of service.

In addition to long-time honorees, the ceremony recognized recipients of the Best of the West, Mark A. Wallace Catalyst Leadership, Smiles and Super Star awards.

“You’ve turned our values into actions,” Aldred said, driving home how much employees contribute to Texas Children’s success of being the top children’s hospital in Texas and one of the best in the country. “A lot of organizations have values, but they don’t make them the core of who they are. All of you have done this for us.”

When asked, employees’ collective perception of Texas Children’s culture is simply unity. Many agree with Texas Children’s current longest working employee of 45 years, Dorothy Botley, who said her job is her “home away from home.”

“I’ve worked in many departments, and it’s all the same,” Botley said. “It’s like being in a family, because everybody looks out for everybody.”

The annual event was a day to celebrate accomplishments and honor those who have carried out the values and the mission of Texas Children’s to ensure we meet the health care needs of our patients and their families.

“Your infinite passion will always have our infinite gratitude,” Aldred said as she brought the program to a close. “We will never take that for granted and will always take the time to recognize and celebrate it. So with that said, I plan on seeing you all back in 5 years!”

Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees!

February 6, 2018

The Mark A. Wallace New Employee Pep Rally was held at West Campus last week complete with giant foam fingers, pompoms, dance music, and of course, our President and CEO, Mark Wallace. The gathering gave nearly 100 new and recent hires a cheerful and uniquely spirited welcome to the Texas Children’s family.

The pep rally, modeled after the redesigned Texas Children’s Hi orientation that sends new employees back to school to learn about the organization and its special culture, is an opportunity for new employees to become better acquainted with the organization as a whole and meet executives and other leaders within a friendly and festive atmosphere.

The high-energy pep rally format replaces the more traditional new employee reception that Wallace has hosted for decades. All new employees invited to attend were part of the Texas Children’s Hi Class of 2017 with their mascot the “Armadillo.”

“You don’t work for me; I work for each and every one of you,” said Wallace, who personally introduced himself to every new employee attending the pep rally, trading jokes and posing for photos and selfies – complete with duck-faces.

Recalling the days when Texas Children’s consisted of just one, seven-story building with fewer than 300 registered nurses, Wallace discussed the growth the organization has experienced since he arrived in 1989 and the plans to expand even further by moving into Austin and opening the Legacy Tower in the Texas Medical Center. Having so many great employees dedicated to the Texas Children’s mission plays a key role in driving that progress, he said.

“This is not just a job. You can build a career here,” Wallace said. “Thank you for choosing us and allowing us to choose you for this partnership. You’re going to enjoy working at Texas Children’s Hospital.”

Jordan Nedbalek, an orthopedic technician at Specialty Care Bellaire, attended the West Campus pep rally with colleagues and radiology specialists Anjail Abdullah and Amanda Schell. All three said they especially enjoyed the themed decorations and the lighthearted, warm mood set by Wallace and the other leaders and staff volunteers at the event.

“At every point you’re always made to feel welcome,” Nedbalek said.

Many new hires at the pep rally agreed and said their Texas Children’s careers are already off to a good start. Few expected to ever meet Wallace or leaders like Executive Vice President Michelle Riley-Brown, given the size of the organization, and they appreciated their chance to make a more personal connection.

“When I met Mr. Wallace it was like I’d known him for years,” said Ina Gill, an ambulatory service representative who handles scheduling for the Sleep Center at West Campus. “The pep rally experience is fun. We know all this is for us, which makes a difference. I’m loving it at Texas Children’s and learning a lot. It already feels like family and I’m here to stay.”