FWC » Chamber Awards » Susan Halsey Executive Leadership Award

Susan Halsey Executive Leadership Award

PRESENTED BY

The Susan Halsey Executive Leadership Award is a recognition program sponsored by the Fort Worth Chamber to honor leadership excellence in business in the Fort Worth Metro area. It recognizes presidents, principals or chief executive officers for devoting time and energy to strengthen and transform the organization they lead. This includes specific situations or initiatives where the recipient’s insight, discernment and ability to lead and inspire have guided their organization to a new level of growth, achievement or recognition.

QUALIFICATIONS

In order to be considered, the nominee’s employer must be a current member of the Fort Worth Chamber and be located within the Fort Worth metro area. All nominations must be submitted online. The submittals must meet all of the requirements below:

A Nomination Form describing the nominee’s qualifications and how the individual uses their best efforts to: accelerate advancement and innovation, inspire others and increase community involvement. Include the nominee’s professional bio, photo and upload an Official Letter of Endorsement.

Timeline

February 17, 2023 – Deadline for Nomination Forms
February 23, 2023 – Winner Selected
March 30, 2023 – Award recipient honored at Annual Meeting

Submit Your Nomination

Recipients

2022 Award Recipient

John Avila

Owner and Chairman of Byrne Construction Services

John Avila, Jr. is the Owner, Chairman of Fort Worth based Thos. S. Byrne, Ltd., the largest commercial construction services company in Tarrant County and the largest minority owned commercial construction company in the State of Texas. His 40 years of experience as a senior-level executive for several of the nation’s top commercial construction firms have contributed to Byrne’s reputation as one of the most highly regarded contractors in the industry.

2021 Award Recipient

Barclay Berdan

CEO of Texas Health Resources

Berdan was named CEO of Texas Health in September of 2014, after serving as senior executive vice president and chief operating officer the previous two years. He is one of the longest serving CEOs of a major health care system in North Texas and is a nationally recognized and respected professional in the industry.

2020 Award Recipient

Paul Andrews

Founder and CEO of TTI, Inc.

Paul Andrews is founder and CEO of TTI, Inc., a globally recognized electronics distribution company that he founded nearly 50 years ago. As a self-made business man, Andrews leveraged his collective know-how and entrepreneur spirit to turn his dream into a reality.

2019 Award Recipient

Michael Williams

President of UNT Health Science Center

Dr. Michael Williams, President of UNT Health Science Center since 2013, is a Fort Worth native, a 1981 graduate of UNTHSC and the first alumnus to lead the 49-year old institution. He practiced anesthesiology and critical care medicine in Dallas and Fredericksburg, Texas, for more than 20 years.

2018 Award Recipient

Rusty Reid

Chairman & President of Higginbotham & Associates

Rusty was named president and CEO of Higginbotham in 1989 at the age of 25. At that time, he implemented the firm’s defining “single source” service model whereby customers can obtain all their insurance and financial services under one roof. He also had the foresight to establish Higginbotham’s employee ownership structure, aligning all employees’ interests in the success of the firm.

2017 Award Recipient

Rick Merrill

President & CEO of Cook Children’s Health Care System

As president and CEO of Cook Children’s Health Care System for the past eight years, Rick Merrill led the organization at a time of unprecedented growth; including the historic expansion of Cook Children’s Medical Center which nearly doubled the size of the campus to respond to the growing need for its services.

2016 Award Recipient

Lillie Biggins

President of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital

Lillie Biggins became hospital’s first female president in 2012. In her years at Texas Health Fort Worth, Lillie has improved hospital operations and played a vital role in enhancing performance in the areas of strategic planning, program development, cost effectiveness, clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.