The DFW Hospital Council’s (DFWHC) announced today the 2023 recipients of its Young Healthcare Executive of the Year and Kerney Laday, Sr. Trustee of the Year awards. Amanda Thrash, president of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen has been named this year’s Young Healthcare honoree while Michael Guyton of the Texas Health Board of Trustees will be the Kerney Laday, Sr. awardee.

The awards will be presented during DFWHC’s 75th Annual Awards Luncheon on October 27 at the Irving Convention Center. The reception begins at 11:00 a.m., followed by the luncheon and awards from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m.

The Young Healthcare Executive of the Year Award honors youthful professionals who display the impressive abilities of future North Texas leaders. Nominees must be 40 years of age or younger and employed by a DFWHC-member hospital. This year’s recipient Amanda Thrash has worked with Texas Health for more than 14 years. Since becoming president at Texas Health Allen in 2022, she has overseen all hospital operations and community relationships. Under her leadership, the hospital achieved maximum quality index and patient satisfaction scores for the year. Following the mass-shooting at Allen Premium Outlets Mall on May 6, Thrash quickly responded on-site at her hospital and served as a calming presence to her busy staff. She also maintained an open line of communication throughout the difficult week with local EMS crews.

The Trustee of the Year honor was named in memory of Kerney Laday, Sr., who served on the Texas Health Resources Board for a decade. The award was created in 2013 to honor trustees who have displayed excellence throughout their careers. A retired senior vice president and chief customer officer at Oncor Electric Delivery, Michael Guyton has been a member of the Texas Health Board of Trustees since 2020, serving as chair since 2021. His tireless service also consisted of serving as chair of the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth Board of Trustees from 2009-2017 and as a member of the People and Culture Committee from 2013-2017. Guyton was involved in the planning of Texas Health Fort Worth’s Jane and John Justin Surgical Tower which opened in 2022, overseeing the approval and progress of the largest expansion project in Texas Health’s history.

“With these awards, we are proud to acknowledge the extraordinary community leadership of Amanda Thrash and Michael Guyton who have dedicated their careers to our community’s health and well-being,” said Stephen Love, president/CEO of DFWHC. “We are looking forward to recognizing their significant contributions.”

During the Annual Awards Luncheon, DFWHC will also present its Distinguished Health Service Award to former Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams. Serving as mayor from 2015-2021, Williams was instrumental in creating awareness about COVID-19 as a delegate on the United States Conference of Mayors during an April 29, 2020, meeting in Washington, D.C.

An additional highlight will be the appearance of Jane Pauley as keynote speaker. Pauley is anchor of the award-winning CBS Sunday Morning. Her presentation will be a unique Q&A session moderated by Cynthia Izaguirre, news anchor at WFAA Ch. 8 TV. Celena Rae, the in-arena host and singer for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League, will perform the National Anthem to open the program.

The awards luncheon will be sponsored in part by Hall Render and FORVIS.

Sponsorships and tickets are now available.

Executive Sponsorships can be found here.

Hospital Sponsorships can be found here.

Tables and tickets can be found here.

For information, please contact Chris Wilson at chrisw@dfwhc.org.