Liz Youngblood and Teresa Thornton Honored with 2020 Women Who Mean Business Awards by Houston Business Journal

AUG. 20, 2020 (HOUSTON) – Liz Youngblood, president of Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center and senior vice president/COO of St. Luke’s Health – Texas Division, and Teresa Thornton, division director of patient experience, St. Luke’s Health – Texas Division and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, have been named as 2020 Women Who Mean Business honorees.

Youngblood and Thornton were among 96 influential women in Greater Houston who were recognized by the Houston Business Journal in this year’s Women Who Mean Business Awards after a competitive nomination process. Youngblood was honored as an outstanding business leader in the health care category while Thornton was recognized in the Women Who Inspire category, a new category that was created to recognize and celebrate exceptional women serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are thrilled that both Liz and Teresa were recognized by the Houston Business Journal as Women Who Mean Business,” said Doug Lawson, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, St. Luke’s Health, and Senior Vice President of Operations, Texas Division, CommonSpirit Health. “They live up to our ministry’s mission each and every day and exemplify the hard work that our hospitals and staff have done during these extraordinary times.”

The criteria for selection included career achievement, contribution to company and city success, community involvement and leadership.

During the pandemic, Youngblood and Thornton have had to react quickly to changing environments and emergent situations – all while still knowing very little about the disease. During the pandemic, they have done a remarkable job not just reacting and making evidence-based decisions to keep patients and staff safe, but understanding the strengths of those around them and leveraging their expertise and strengths during this critical time.

In the past five months since the first case of community spread in Houston, they have risen as strong leaders who firmly believe that having a diverse group and set of strengths creates a more resilient organization. As leaders, they have worked nonstop to ensure there is opportunity for people to step up and do what they are good at and support them along the way. The pandemic has helped facilitate that mindset.

Youngblood has served on multiple community, business and state boards, including the Mississippi Hospital Association Board and Legislative Committee, the SMU Cox School of Business Alumni Board and is past chairman of the board of directors for the Quality Texas Foundation. Liz has been named a Top 50 Leading Business Woman by the Mississippi Business Journal and has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumna by the SMU Cox School of Business.

Thornton has completed a number of certifications and trainings that have been critical to her success in assessing organizational needs, building consensus, and inspiring others to develop a culture of quality, safety, customer service and accountability. In addition to her training and role at St. Luke’s, Thornton devotes time to organizations whose missions are to heal communities in need, such as the Center for the Healing of Racism, Communities in Schools, Helping Hands, North Texas Food Bank, and The Bridge Homeless Shelter, among others.

All of the honorees will be recognized in a special section of the Houston Business Journal's Oct. 16 weekly edition and during a live, online awards event on Oct. 15. For more information or to register for the event, visit bizjournals.com/houston.

About St. Luke’s Health – Texas Division
St. Luke’s Health is a fully-integrated network that provides care to the communities in Greater Houston and the Southeast Texas region through 16 acute care hospitals and over 270 access points including numerous urgent care centers, freestanding emergency departments, and clinics conveniently located across the region. With a team of 11,000 employees and caregivers and more than 5,000 physicians, St. Luke’s Health is dedicated to a mission of enhancing community health through high-quality, cost-effective care. A joint venture with Baylor College of Medicine, St. Luke’s Health operates Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Texas Medical Center, a leading academic health center with quaternary care and advanced specialists. St. Luke’s Health is part of CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. It was created in February 2019 through the alignment of Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. Learn more at StLukesHealth.org.