The future is now

Children’s Health leaders invest in the hospital system’s growth and hope their pledges will inspire others to join them.

Kris Sanders and Marshall Stephenson had always known they wanted to work in health care. From the beginning, they saw it as an opportunity to give back and help care for people as they experience the impossible.

They’re inspired by moments big and small at Children’s Health℠, from helping move patients into a new tower to hearing the laughter of kids throughout the hospital hallways.

They bring big ideas to the table and advocate for team members, patients and families.

And they also look to the future.

In honor of their commitment to the hospital system’s mission to make life better for children, Kris, Senior Vice President of Northern Market Growth and Development, and Marshall, Vice President of Nursing, have made philanthropic pledges to support the growth of Children’s Health.

With their generous gifts, which will go toward the new Dallas pediatric campus, Kris and Marshall stand hand-in-hand with their communities as they come together to help care for kids now and for generations to come.

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We’re supporting the quality of care that Children’s Health provides, the kids, the team members that work here and the hospital system’s ongoing growth. We support Children’s Health as a whole so we can all continue to thrive as our communities grow.

— Kris, Children's Health Employee

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From within and beyond the Children’s Health walls

Despite serving different campuses and performing vastly different roles, Kris and Marshall’s strive toward the same guiding goal — contributing to the Children’s Health mission from within and beyond its walls.

Kris jokes she is responsible for leading “everything outside the walls” of Children’s Medical Center Plano, which opened a new tower last December.

In her role, Kris ensures the Plano campus is in tune with its rapidly growing community by learning about its needs and helping advance clinical programs to keep pace with a booming pediatric population north of Dallas.

Although her decade-long journey at Children’s Health started in Dallas, she didn’t think twice about stepping into an exciting opportunity to help navigate the growth of the Plano campus when plans to build an eight-story tower that would more than double the size of the hospital arose.

“I literally live across the street from the Plano campus, so it’s a huge deal for me to be able to be a part of its progress,” Kris said.

At the Dallas campus, Marshall oversees critical care areas, including the pediatric and neonatal intensive care units.

Throughout his more than 20-year-long career at Children’s Health, he’s seen the system evolve as he weaved through different roles and responsibilities.

Marshall began his journey as a patient care technician, before becoming a nurse and working his way up. He still recalls his old parking spot, which has since been turned into one of the hospital’s towers.

“It’s been quite amazing to see how we’ve changed from when I started here,” he said.

For the people of North Texas and beyond

The Dallas and Plano campuses are integral to Kris and Marshall’s communities, so they’re proud to be part of the future vision of Children’s Health as it grows.

The new pediatric campus in Dallas, a joint investment with UT Southwestern Medical Center, will be one of the country’s largest and most transformative pediatric hospitals and will strengthen our ability to provide comprehensive care for the communities’ youngest members.

As Children’s Health team members, Kris and Marshall are firsthand witnesses to the tremendous impact philanthropic support has on life-saving programs, research and campus enhancements.

“Not often do you get a chance to personally witness where your hard-earned dollars go, so to be able to see exactly where they are implemented and the impact that they have is incredible to me,” Kris said.

They also know it takes everyone coming together to help the hospital system respond to the evolving needs and rapid growth of North Texas.

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It takes more than one person to make those commitments to our community. As our communities grow, we need to continue to support the growth of our hospital for the next generation of patients and families.

— Marshall, Children's Health employee

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