HURST, TX – A salute to the North Texas hospital workforce, the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council (DFWHC) Foundation’s 28th Annual Employee of the Year Luncheon was held April 21 at the Hurst Conference Center. More than 700 attendees turned out to honor 160-plus nominees and 14 award recipients from health systems across the region.
“We were thrilled by the turnout, and we hope this day was an inspiring one for the nominees,” said Jen Miff, president of the DFWHC Foundation. “The Foundation is a strong proponent for workforce programs that make a difference in the quality of care for North Texans. This recognition is critical to boost staff morale, retain a strong workforce and honor the roles of every employee who contributes to the successful delivery of patient care, whether on the front lines or behind the scenes. These nominees deserved to be recognized, and it was our honor to award them.”
Themed “Be Extraordinary,” the luncheon’s masters of ceremonies included Juan Fresquez, president of Methodist Mansfield Medical Center and chair of the DFWHC and DFWHC Foundation Boards; and Will Turner, president of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Waxahachie and chair-elect of the DFWHC and DFWHC Foundation Boards.
Award recipients included:
Rex McRae Scholarship
- • Sarah Birdwell, Extern, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center
Physician of the Year
- • Dr. Nancy Georgekutty, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center
Volunteer of the Year
- • Alicia “Ali” Goodfellow, Children’s Medical Center Plano
Preceptor of the Year
- • Dustin Trevino, Senior Registered Nurse, Parkland Health
System Employee of the Year
- • Lauren Hendrix, Outpatient Care Coordinator, Children’s Health
Community Service Award
- • Beena Varghese, RN Professional Development Practitioner, Parkland Health
Special Recognition Awards
- • Yvette Amerson, Infection Prevention Manager, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne
• Janell White, Security Officer, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Lake Pointe
• Rae Delgado, Stroke Coordinator, Clinical Outcomes, Methodist Charlton Medical Center
• Aisha Honore-Otis, Clinical Nurse Outcomes Coordinator, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas
Employee of the Year Awards
- • Deana Carter, Orthopedic Program Coordinator, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Flower Mound
• Pamela De Tomas Medina, Clinical Quality Improvement, Children’s Medical Center Plano
• Jerry Stevenson, Information Systems Solution Architect, Children’s Medical Center Dallas
• Thuong “Trizzy” Bui, Supervisor, Tech Imaging Services, UT Southwestern University Hospitals
Young Healthcare Executive nominees of North Texas and board members of the North Texas Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives judged the blinded nominations on March 24. Individual and hospital names were removed in advance and selections were based entirely on the facts presented within the form letter. Nominees were separated into four categories of hospitals including 1-99 beds, 100-250 beds, 251-499 beds and 500-plus beds.
Top sponsors of the event were Hall Render and Forvis Mazars.
Additional sponsors included GroupOne Background Screening, Konica Minolta, ShiftKey, Diana Health, Baylor Scott & White Health, Children’s Health, Cook Children’s, Medical City Healthcare, Methodist Health System, Parkland Health, Texas Health Resources, UT Southwestern University and JPS Health Network.
The DFWHC Foundation is a non-profit 501c3 with a mission to serve as a catalyst for continual improvement in community health and healthcare delivery through education, research, communication and collaboration.
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IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 22, 2026
CONTACT:
Chris Wilson, DFWHC
chrisw@dfwhc.org
972.719.4900