Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1544994
36 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING visionary leadership, measurable impact, workforce engagement, partnership and healthcare transformation. A distinguished panel of independent judges with expertise spanning healthcare delivery, policy and leadership scored each finalist through anonymized evaluation and facilitated discussion to reach consensus. The inaugural recipient is BayCare's Stephanie Conners, whose record stood out across every criterion for the 2026 honor. The judges were particularly struck by her combination of measurable organizational impact, authentic commitment to workforce engagement and a genuinely community-centered approach to care. Building a health system from the bedside up Ms. Conners began her career as a nurse and still maintains her clinical license. That foundation shapes her approach to leadership at BayCare, a nonprofit system that as of April 2026 has grown under her tenure to include 16 hospitals, $6.27 billion in operating revenue, and 34,000 team members. "Our people are our greatest asset. They're the heart of this organization," Ms. Conners said. BayCare is investing $2.8 billion in modern facilities and technology, including Tampa Bay's first proton therapy center and a new children's hospital backed by a historic $50 million donor gift. Ms. Conners is expanding graduate medical education from 145 residency positions to 650 by 2029, and an academic collaboration with Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine — ranked No. 1 in Illinois for 14 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report — is expanding specialty care so patients across West Central Florida never need to leave home for nationally ranked treatments. For the workforce, programs like Earn as You Learn offer paid training pathways into healthcare careers, while nurse-led Professional Practice Councils and the Voices of Extraordinary Care initiative empower caregivers to shape clinical practice directly. BayCare has implemented AI tools and virtual nursing programs to reduce administrative burden, giving clinicians more time with patients and less time on documentation. Ms. Conners also reinvested $100 million into the team through enhanced compensation and benefits, and reduced premium labor costs from $274 million to $84 million, saving $190 million for redirection into clinical care and the workforce. When Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck the Tampa Bay area, Ms. Conners established a $10 million matching relief fund for BayCare team members facing hardship — reinforcing the organization's commitment to its people in times of crisis, not just in future-oriented strategic plans. These efforts have earned BayCare national recognition. "I never dreamed of being a CEO. I became a nurse and I thought I hit the pinnacle," Ms. Conners said. "A title is temporary, but the impact you have on human life is forever." Ms. Conners' vision for BayCare is anchored in the promise that no patient should have to leave West Central Florida for care. "We want to take care of patients from first breath to last breath," she said. "Our organization has been very successful in advancing the environment so that [patients] can live, work and play where their home is, where their family is and where they want to be." The road ahead Ms. Conners' leadership illustrates a broader truth TIAA Institute's research continues to affirm: when healthcare leaders invest in the whole person — financial well-being, career growth, purpose and resilience — they build stronger institutions and healthier communities.¹ "Going forward, you can expect the TIAA