Jennifer Mitzner arrived in North Texas in 2021 to serve as the chief financial officer at Baylor Scott & White Health. She had previously been executive vice president of Hoag Health, a California-based multi-hospital system. Before that, she was chief executive officer of the system’s nationally recognized Hoag Orthopedic Institute.
As chief financial officer, she has been busy balancing increasing labor and supply costs with stagnant reimbursement, all while helping the system nearly double its Waxahachie medical center to the tune of $240 million. Baylor Scott & White Health also recently launched a healthcare-centric high school in coordination with Uplift Education in West Dallas.
Below, read on to learn about Mitzner’s surprising physical outlet, an adventure with a 1966 VW bug, a pivotal moment that changed her career, and more.
Education: University of San Francisco (MPA), Texas Christian University (BBA)
Birthplace: “Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois”
First job: “I was 14 years old and worked on Fridays in a family law office as a receptionist. I learned what a professional environment was like, developed a work ethic, and learned to deal with adults in emotionally charged settings.”
Best Advice: “A former CEO really pushed me (I was CFO) to say yes more often. He emphasized that people should start off open to anything and said that if you’re direct and transparent, you can always say no later. It really changed my perspective.”
Dinner Party: “I’m still new to the area, so I would choose Mayor Eric Johnson because I’m very interested in how he’s thinking about material in-migration from other states and would love to know how he’s thinking about leading and preparing the city for this growth. And second, Mark Cuban for his interest in Cost Plus Drugs and how committed he is to changing the Pharmacy Benefit Management business for the better.”
Destinations of choice: “Paris and Barcelona”
Hobby: “Interior design”
Industry Change: “Pricing and price transparency because I believe customers deserve it.”
Guilty pleasure: “Interior design. For me, I love the classic Southern design with touches of chinoiserie. Pieces like blue and white china, toile, and maybe a foo dog here and there.”
Fun fact: “Believe it or not, I like to kickbox for stress relief.”
Key adviser: “Yes, it’s Rick Afable, an MD who was a CEO early in my career. He believed in me more than I believed in myself and gave me opportunities. Rick really helped shape me from a finance person to developing a business executive mindset.”
Biggest challenge: “I would say the workforce crisis that immediately followed the pandemic. Helping navigate the nursing shortage was and remains a huge macro and micro problem.”
First ride: “I lived in southern California at the time, and at 16, I saved up and bought a white 1966 VW Bug for $800.00. It barely ran. I took the engine out and apart twice. There are still parts from it in my mother’s garage.”
Biggest success: “Without question, the workforce challenges. We have returned our nurse turnover rates to pre-Covid levels. We invested in our workforce.”
A better DFW: “Coming from a different business environment, I find North Texas to be very business-friendly and collaborative across industries. I can tell that the community is committed to ensuring the business community stays vibrant.”
Pivotal moment: “Many years ago, I was involved in a merger, and the positions post-merger did not turn out how I expected. Still, I kept my head down and moved forward with the role I was assigned. I subsequently went on the CEO path instead of the CFO role in another company. It was a very humbling experience, but it widened my executive aperture, so something really good came of it.”
Walk-up song: “Instead of a theme song, I’d like to walk into a lovely design aesthetic.”
Must-read: “The Worst Hard Times by Timothy Egan. It’s about the Dust Bowl and the people who stayed behind. I think history offers so much context and it talks to how resilient and tough American people are. Especially for young people, a reminder of history is beneficial. It was a transformative book when I read it. Also, The Outsiders: 8 Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success by William Thorndike. It’s a study of the attributes that made these eight CEOs and their companies great.”
Alternative reality: “Anything where I could deploy large amounts of money to solve real problems. I’m all in when it’s about solving problems.”
Bucket list: “I collected memories and spent New Year’s Eve in Paris with my family and our best friends.”
Key strategies: “One, straight talk. Two, building high-performing teams.”
Future forecast: “For the industry, two things. One, over the next 10 years, I think customers are finally going to win and be at the center of healthcare. Two, price transparency. The intersection of technology and consumer expectations are going to drive us there.”
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