One of My Proudest Moments

Jun 7

Returning to the Dominican Republic as Chief Executive Officer of the International Children’s Heart Foundation remains one of the proudest and most personal experiences of my life.

The foundation worked to bring lifesaving pediatric cardiac care, medical knowledge and sustainable programs to children in countries where specialized treatment was limited. Returning to the country I had called home during my early years made that mission especially meaningful. Very little separated me from the children we were there to help. Under different circumstances, I could easily have been one of them.

Before joining the foundation, I knew very little about pediatric cardiology. I remember sitting across from its founder and medical director, Dr. William Novick, as he explained why he believed I was right for the organization. He told me they did not need another doctor; they already had medical leadership. They needed an executive who could strengthen the organization, develop its strategy and help move its mission forward.

At that moment, I understood the challenge in front of me. I may not have been a physician, but I knew how to build organizations, create partnerships and bring people together around an ambitious purpose.

My work took me throughout Central and South America and Eastern Europe. I met with government officials, health leaders, hospital administrators and medical teams to help expand programs for children living with congenital heart disease. Each country presented different challenges, but the purpose remained the same: creating the partnerships and infrastructure required to give more children access to care.

Ecuador was my first trip with the medical team as CEO. During that visit, I met a young girl who moved me to tears. Until then, I had understood the mission strategically. Meeting her made it profoundly personal. I could see the human life behind every meeting, negotiation and organizational decision.

Returning to the Dominican Republic brought everything full circle. I was no longer looking at the country only through memories of my childhood. I was returning with the opportunity to help build something capable of improving and saving children’s lives.

I remain proud of this chapter not because of the title I held, but because of the people I served, the teams I worked beside and the mission we carried together. The experience reminded me that leadership has its greatest meaning when it is used in service of others.

The photographs below preserve moments from that journey—from Moldova and the Dominican Republic to Ecuador and Honduras. Each one represents a place, a partnership and a child whose life gave our work its purpose.