The DFW Hospital Council (DFWHC) announced today the 2026 recipients of its Young Healthcare Executive of the Year and Kerney Laday, Sr. Trustee of the Year awards. Graham Torres, vice president, operations at Children’s Health, has been named this year’s Young Healthcare honoree while Rev. Ralph Emerson of JPS Health Network will be the Kerney Laday, Sr. awardee.

The awards will be presented during DFWHC’s 78th Annual Awards Luncheon on October 16 at the Loews Arlington Hotel and 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 Torres Joined Children’s Health as an Administrative Resident in 2012. He has held a variety of leadership roles during his 14 years at the facility including Business Services Manager, Director of Ambulatory Operations and Vice President of Facility Operations. Most notably, Torres led the expansion of Children’s Medical Center Plano. He served as operational leader for the project that expanded the hospital from 72 to 212 beds through the addition of a 400,000-square-foot inpatient tower. His efforts will allow the hospital to successfully serve the growing communities in Collin County and North Texas.

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. Emerson has been a JPS Health Network trustee for more than 18 years. Throughout his tenure on the Board of Managers, including his service as Board Chair, Emerson has consistently challenged the organization to make decisions that improve the lives of Tarrant County patients. Among his most significant contributions has been his leadership in guiding the JPS Master Facility Plan, which was the largest investment in healthcare infrastructure in the hospital’s history. Emerson played an important role in helping the public understand why the investment was essential, emphasizing that the Master Facility Plan was more than just a construction project, but an investment in the health of Tarrant County and its residents. As Senior Pastor of Rising Star Baptist Church, Emerson has dedicated his life to serving the people of Tarrant County through faith, civic engagement and a dedicated commitment to improving the health and well-being of his community.

“With these awards, we are proud to acknowledge the extraordinary leadership of Graham Torres and Rev. Ralph Emerson, 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 important contributions.”

During the luncheon, DFWHC will present the Distinguished Health Service Award to Duncan Webb, the Collin County Commissioner and former Board Chair at Medical City Plano. An additional highlight will be the presentation of the Boone Powell, Sr. Award of Excellence to Barclay Berdan, the long-time CEO of Texas Health Resources. As announced earlier this year, Berdan will step down in September as one of the longest-serving CEOs of a major health system in North Texas. Serving as keynote speaker will be Amanda Beard, an American swimmer and a seven-time Olympic medalist who has the distinction of being the second-youngest American medalist in history.

The awards luncheon will be sponsored in part by Hall Render, Forvis Mazars and PwC.

You can find Executive (Non-hospital) Sponsorships here.

Hospital Sponsorships can be found here.

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