BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MEET FIVE OF OUR INCREDIBLE BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S HEALTH, AS WE ENTER THE NEXT CHAPTER OF OUR HISTORY WITH A NEW VISION FOR MEETING THE UNIQUE AND WIDE-RANGING NEEDS OF GENERATIONS TO COME.
ADVOCATING FOR QUALITY CARE
Lisa Guerrero of Plano serves on the Children’s Medical Center Foundation Board and is a lifetime member of the Plano Women's Auxiliary. She also gives of her time on the Quality, Credentials and Appointments committee. For years, she has participated in the Adopt-a-Family Program during the holiday season, bringing smiles to the faces of patients whose families are experiencing financial and emotional hardships associated with their child’s illness. “To bring a little love and joy and light to those hard times is the least we could do,” Lisa said.
Her passion for quality care and patient safety fuels her giving to Children’s Health. She believes all patients, regardless of their financial status or insurance coverage, deserve the best care in the best facilities. As the pediatric population continues to grow and current facilities remain at capacity, she says we must be able to support our current needs and those to come.
“Thinking of the future for my own kids, the kids in the community, maybe grandkids one day – to truly have the best care here for our community, I want to be a part of that,” Lisa said. “I want others to be a part of it, too, and choose Children’s Health for their care.”
BELIEVING IN THE MISSION
Ed Heffernan lives in Plano and serves as chairman of the Children’s Health System of Texas Board. Ed spent much of his career at Alliance Data Systems, where he served as president and chief executive officer. It’s also where he first connected with Children’s Health, which was his company’s cause-of-choice. He enjoys working alongside other board members who believe in our mission to make life better for children, while also combining their expertise to make the best financial decisions for our health care system. A desire to see Children’s Health remain a resilient, independent entity able to manage the huge influx of children in North Texas now and in the future, motives his giving.
“Health care has changed so dramatically, and if we want to maintain our mission and retain the uniqueness of Children’s Health, it’s going to require investment, growth and participation by a lot of folks. It’s critical. We need the support,” Ed said.
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
A loyal supporter of Children’s Medical Center Dallas for more than three decades, Amy Korenvaes currently serves on the Children’s Medical Center Foundation Board. After she and her family moved to Dallas from New York in the late 1990s, Amy began volunteering at night at Children’s Health. A self-professed creative, Amy and her husband, Harlan, founded the former therapeutic clown program at Children’s Health and now support the virtual reality program, a newer resource offered by the Child Life Department to encourage patients to have fun and move using technology. She says it’s a privilege to watch the hospital, a special place near and dear to her, evolve and grow.
“A child can get sick, but at Children’s Health, they can also recover and be put back into their little world and thrive. That’s what we want for all our kiddos. I can’t think of a better place to bring your child when that child is in trouble,” Amy said. “I want Children’s Health to be the best it can possibly be, long into the future.”
ANSWERING THE CALL
Katy and Kyle Miller of Dallas experienced firsthand the wonderful care Children’s Health provides patients and their families when their infant son, who was battling RSV and pneumonia, was admitted to the ICU and placed on a ventilator. He made a full recovery, and they said after that experience, their loyalty to Children’s Health became even stronger. Katy serves on the Children’s Medical Center Foundation Board and Kyle is a member of the Chairman’s Advisory Board. The Millers recognize the growing mental health concerns among kids in North Texas, so they are committed to supporting mental health initiatives at Children’s Health.
“We’re in a mental health crisis, and if we don’t answer the call and put some resources toward it, it’s only going to get worse,” Katy said.
Additionally, they give to support the current priorities of Children’s Health and those to come. “There is an increased need for expanded services, a need for more beds, a need to serve more and more kids and a need to keep up with modernized facilities. We are excited to get behind the effort, excited to be a part of it and really excited about the future of Children’s Health,” Kyle said.