Cris Daskevich: People-First Leadership

Long before she led in hospital hallways, Cris Daskevich’s instincts were forged in the rugged outdoors of West Texas, where hard work and responsibility were traits instilled at an early age, and you learned to drive ranch vehicles before you had your driver’s license.

“I can haul hay, drive a tractor, build fence, sprig coastal, ride a horse, work cattle,” said the native Texan, born in Lubbock, raised in Abilene, and who now calls San Antonio home. “Early on, I learned that nothing gets handed to you. You have to do the work.”

In the blazing Texas summers, Daskevich learned that early mornings, working as a family and watching out for one another weren’t optional. She received a crash course in sweat equity and learned to love the earthiness and natural beauty of the great outdoors. She learned that in ranching, the best work was hands-on and personal, and that your work ethic determined outcomes – including your reputation and character.

Today, just a few hundred miles down the road, Daskevich brings that same hands-on, personal approach to a bustling urban hospital environment. She leads CHRISTUS Children’s, the only hospital in San Antonio exclusively focused on pediatric and high-risk maternal care. Located in the heart of downtown San Antonio, the not-for-profit hospital and its network of ambulatory care sites, in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine, have nearly half a million patient encounters across ER, inpatient and outpatient areas annually.

As THA’s newly elected 2026 Board Chair, Daskevich is charged with uniting the Texas hospital industry and championing the work that makes hospitals and health care better for patients. This work carries special challenges in 2026, with ongoing federal turbulence and an “interim year” for the Texas Legislature. During an interim year, the industry’s foundation for advocacy must be rebuilt and thoughtfully executed before the start of the 90th legislative session in January 2027.

Daskevich brings a unique perspective as CEO of one of the state’s few Texas hospitals dedicated to the state’s smallest patients.

“Ours for Life”

People don’t walk into the hospital as statistics. And when a hospital’s patients are pregnant women, children, and families, leadership must be people-first. A product of West Texas, the daughter of an independent businessman who was a rancher at heart and a coach and schoolteacher, Daskevich understands the value of putting people first and working together for good. She was student council president in elementary school, class president in high school and was often the captain or “playmaker” on her high school volleyball and basketball teams.

Off the Clock with Cris Daskevich

Favorite San Antonio Recommendation
The Pearl

Surprise Skills Most People Don’t Know About You
Hunting and driving a tractor

One “Thing” That Tells a Story About You
Charm bracelet. “Every charm was a gift from a family member or friend and represents a moment or milestone, or a challenge we walked through together.”

The Perfect Fun Day
A day that includes mountain adventures like skiing, hiking 14ers and tackling steep trails in our Bronco with Phillip and the kids (Caroline and Dillon)

One Food That Instantly Brings You Back Home
Perini’s filet or prime rib in Buffalo Gap, Texas

She learned how to bring people together, set a positive tone, take action and move teams forward. She learned to pay attention to others and lead with authenticity, humility, and honesty.

In her role at the helm of CHRISTUS Children’s, and as Senior Vice President for Maternal and Pediatric Services for CHRISTUS Health, Daskevich and her team are a lifeline for families across San Antonio and South Texas. Whether providing care for children with complex conditions such as rare genetic disorders or congenital anomalies, administering lifesaving gene therapy drugs, training the next generation of pediatric specialists and nurses, or supporting families as they make difficult decisions, such as donating their child’s organs, a children’s hospital holds a special place for families and communities.

“Many of these children and families are ours for life. This is just the beginning of their journey,” Daskevich said. “It’s an honor to be part of this sacred space.”

Beyond expanding access to pediatric primary and subspecialty care to San Antonio and South Texas, beyond developing new state-of-the-art pediatric cardiac, neurosurgical, maternal and fetal, and cancer centers, and beyond supporting over 3,400 providers and frontline staff and tens of thousands of families, Daskevich shares her No. 1 “why” when it comes to leading a comprehensive freestanding children’s hospital within one of the largest Catholic health systems in the United States, CHRISTUS Health.

“We have the privilege of sharing extraordinary moments with each patient and their family,” Daskevich said. “Not only do we provide hope and healing, we help bring life into the world, and it’s joyous.”

Seeing a New Future

Grounded by her faith, Daskevich’s upbringing paved the way for broader horizons and big shoes to fill. She doggedly blazed her own trail that led her from her early Abilene roots to her current role as a respected health care leader in the San Antonio community.

In her earliest memories, Daskevich knew she wanted to work in health care. The pictures she drew as a child were of her as a doctor, not a C-suite hospital administrator. She graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in psychology, and, fascinated by the world of clinical neuropsychology, began working on a Ph.D. and took a job working directly with stroke and traumatic brain injury patients.

As she learned more about the administrative side of health care, she became drawn to the business aspects, learning how leaders can transform entire systems of care, not just individual patient encounters. Daskevich enrolled in the MHA/MBA program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Shoulder to shoulder with classmates from big names in the world of business – Lockheed Martin, Boeing, NASA and the Texas Medical Center – Daskevich saw a new path emerge, one that would eventually allow her to have an even broader positive impact on the health of children and families.

“Those experiences, along with the mentors who invested in me early, helped me see a future in leadership rather than a strictly clinical role,” Daskevich said.

Built By Believers & Mentors

Throughout her interview with THA, Daskevich was quick to acknowledge the people who helped shape her path. “I’ve been lucky to work with people who cared enough to give me real advice. … My success has only been because of other people.” Beyond her parents and grandparents, Daskevich is grateful for the Texas giants who believed in her along the way, including:

John Adams
Sister Kathleen Coughlin
Jeptha Dalton, LFACHE
Susie Distefano
Ralph D. Feigin, MD
Doug Hock, FACHE
David Lopez, FACHE
Jack Lynch, FACHE
Diane Peterson, LFACHE and Larry Mathis, LFACHE
Sally Nelson
Jeff Puckett
Ann Stern
Brigadier General Donald B. Wagner, LFACHE
Mark A. Wallace, FACH

During her more-than 21 years at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Daskevich was exposed to tremendous heavyweights in the world of hospital leadership – mentors like Mark Wallace, who once impressively cut her interview short so he could take his daughter to her driving test. Daskevich learned you could run a major organization and still prioritize family.

At Texas Children’s, she also learned the many corners and crevices of running a hospital: business development, community relationships, radiology, pathology, physician practice management and inpatient services. She also helped oversee the historic construction and launch of the Pavilion for Women, a defining moment for maternal health in Texas and a defining moment for Daskevich’s passion and career trajectory.

Helping Mothers First

Being at the helm of building the Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women in Houston was a turning point for Daskevich. She was charged with overseeing the strategic planning, design and operations of this new, state-of-the-art facility for women’s, fetal and newborn health. She convened an all-women project team. The team consulted with a women’s advisory council that helped shape everything from the flow of the units to the feel of the experience.

“It was truly built by women, for women,” Daskevich said.

Daskevich dove into the inpatient obstetrics world from the inside out. It was clear that details matter – the quiet halls, the color palettes, the calm atmosphere – and that a comprehensive approach to women’s health needed to include maternal fetal medicine, fertility, gynecology and mental health.

“Families felt it the moment they walked in,” Daskevich said. “That entire experience opened my eyes to how much is lacking in women’s health. It pushed me to think beyond one hospital and look at the broader system of care.”

Beyond hospital administration, Daskevich’s resume is packed with voluntary leadership roles that she juggles while running a hospital and raising a family. She tackled the maternal health landscape on a national stage when she joined the American Hospital Association’s Regional Policy Board and later chaired AHA’s national Maternal Child Health Committee.

In Texas, she was instrumental behind the scenes in establishing the Perinatal Advisory Council, which helped launch maternal and neonatal levels of care across Texas. She was also part of the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies, which advanced improvements in quality and safety.

“Those efforts reinforced something I believe deeply. If we want to improve the health of children, we must improve the health of mothers first,” Daskevich said. “This continues to guide me today.”

On the home front, Daskevich is a mom, wife and role model for leadership and hard work. Her family observes that she rarely slows down, and she and her husband, Phillip, put their kids first. Whether it was supporting their daughter’s horse competitions or their son’s mountain biking events, there is mutual respect and cheerleading for everyone’s success.

Parenting has taught her humility, patience and knowing when to challenge, when to support and when to step back. She has learned from her children that love and tough love both matter, and she sees herself in them.

“Watching your children imitate your behavior can be eye-opening and sometimes humbling,” Daskevich said. “Kids are brutally honest, and they will hold up a mirror whether you want them to or not.”

Her West Texas roots continue to show up today, from tackling steep mountain trails with her family to quietly gardening in her backyard. Being outdoors with her family is her happy place. Early mornings are a time for quiet reflection, purpose and the ongoing recognition that “to whom much is given, even more is expected.”

Cris Daskevich and THA Staff Walking to Texas Capitol

A Passion for Advocacy

When Daskevich was an administrative fellow in 1997, Wallace took her to her first THA board meeting where she learned in full measure the dramatic ways in which state and federal policy shape the care families receive.

“Sitting in that room, surrounded by leaders who influenced health care across the state, I knew advocacy had to be part of my career path,” she said.

Hospital funding, access to care, maternal health, pediatric services and workforce all hinge on the ability to successfully advocate for policies that allow hospitals to thrive for their patients. Pushing back on insurance hurdles and red tape has been a central focus for THA.

Hospitals are working hard to tell their stories – how hospitals go above and beyond on charity care and community benefit, and how the 340B Drug Pricing Program allows hospitals to serve vulnerable patients and give them access to medications that would otherwise be out of reach.

“None of these things can be left to chance,” Daskevich said. “If hospital leaders are not at the table, decisions get made without the people who truly understand the impact on patients.”

Advocating for patients in Texas has been at the heart of Daskevich’s interactions with THA for years. She has served on THA’s Leadership Development Council (now the Fellows program) and THA’s influential Council on Policy Development.

Daskevich Passes it Forward – Lessons Beyond the Title

Mentorship. Find a strong mentor early in your career. And remember, you can be a mentor, too, as you move forward throughout your career.

Authenticity. Be your authentic self. Be open about your imperfections and be willing to have honest conversations.

Listen. Be a good listener. People need leaders who listen more than they speak.

Be Direct, With Respect. Get comfortable with crucial conversations. The ability to address hard issues directly and respectfully will shape your success more than almost anything else.

Don’t Micromanage. Recruit the best and brightest. Ask if you can help remove any performance barriers and then get out of their way.

In 2020, Daskevich received AHA’s Grassroots Champions Award and in 2022, she received the HOSPAC Star Award for her tireless advocacy work on behalf of hospitals. She served as HOSPAC chair in 2018-2019 and has been on THA’s Board of Trustees since 2011. She also has served on the board of the Children’s Hospital Association of Texas. She currently chairs the Education Committee for the national Children’s Hospital Association and serves as a board member of Solutions for Patient Safety.

Advocating for children’s hospitals presents a unique challenge, as most of the sickest children in the country are covered by Medicaid, which reimburses at roughly 80% of the cost of care. Daskevich understands firsthand that hospitals must try to maintain access to essential services while navigating workforce shortages, payer pressures, regulatory changes and supply chain disruptions. Like it or not, the larger financial picture shapes a child’s care.

“When conversations about cuts or restrictions come up, I wish people could see the children who depend on this support. It’s not abstract,” Daskevich said. “It determines whether some of the most vulnerable kids in our state get what they need to thrive and grow.”

From the hospital chapel and child life zone to the emergency department and NICU, Daskevich is a leader in helping lawmakers understand and see the enormous role hospitals have during some of the hardest and most beautiful moments of human life. In high-risk maternal and pediatric care, an orchestra of people, medications and equipment move together to care for the whole person and the whole family, not just the clinical diagnosis.

“The notes from kids and families stay with me the most,” she said. “Hearing from them in their own words is incredibly meaningful, especially when it is many years after their hospitalization or care and they share their successes in life.”

The Future is Female

Daskevich is the 13th woman to serve as THA’s board chair, going back to the association’s historic inception in 1930. Each year, a new chair is elected by key hospital leaders from across the state who have a stake in making sure the industry is strong and well represented. Daskevich now joins the ranks of other legendary female board chairs including Alice Taylor (1933), Sister Kathleen Coughlin (1994) and most recently Erin Asprec (2023).

Asked about unique obstacles or challenges being a female CEO, Daskevich quipped, “There aren’t many of us.” The number of women leading in hospitals, while still low, has grown over the decades, and Daskevich understands the weight and responsibility of being a role model for other women.

“If I was going to continue on and become a CEO, I knew that I had to have the courage to jump out of my comfort zone,” she said, “and part of that motivation, quite frankly, was that I needed to role model for other women that it’s possible.”

Reflecting on where she is today, Daskevich recognizes the historic courage displayed by women before her. “It is a tremendous honor to be part of a Catholic health system that was founded by three brave young women who answered a call to lead and serve over 156 years ago,” she said. “They built a legacy that we have been entrusted to carry forward today.”

Daskevich still recalls attending that first THA board meeting as a guest. Walking into a room full of Texas health care giants, she immediately knew that she wanted to sit at that table someday. She knew that women needed a stronger presence in that space, as the room was almost entirely men.

At that meeting, in a bit of foreshadowing, Sister Kathleen, then CEO of CHRISTUS Spohn, pulled young Daskevich aside and said, “You need to have a seat at this table. You need to be chair someday.”

“That level of confidence from someone who barely knew me was powerful,” Daskevich said. “Looking back, I’ve had many role models. Some taught strength. Some taught softness. All of them cared enough to invest in me, and that is a gift I try to pay forward.”