Where Excellence Meets Care: Honoring Our Outstanding Nurses

05/18/2026

Awards

min. read

Topics

Nursing

This year’s Nurses Week celebration honored the extraordinary nurses across Texas Children’s whose compassion, expertise and commitment to excellence make a difference for patients and families every day across our Houston and Austin campuses.

In a message to team members, President and CEO Dr. Debra Sukin shared: “To our more than 4,400 nurses: thank you. You are the lifeblood of our organization and the embodiment of excellence in action. Whether at the bedside, coordinating care or leading teams, you bring hope and healing to our patients and families every day.”

2026 Nursing Excellence Awards

Texas Children’s Nursing Excellence Awards are presented each year during Nurses Week to recognize exceptional nurses for going above and beyond in patient care, collaboration with team members for their overall contributions and innovations in the nursing profession.

This year’s award winners are:

Houston

Staff Nurse of the Year: Maxwell Roark (Pediatric Radiology, Medical Center Campus)
Nurse Preceptor of the Year: Tina Knutson (PICU, The Woodlands Campus)
Nurse Leader of the Year: Kim Holt (Infusion Center, The Woodlands Campus)
Nurse Resident of the Year: Rachael Lee (PICU, The Woodlands Campus)
Advanced Practice Nurse of the Year: Sharon Record (APP Acute Care, Medical Center Campus)
Advanced Degree Nurse of the Year: Melissa Cashin (Simulation Center, Medical Center Campus)
Friend of Nursing: Allan Watkins (Support Services, West Campus)

Austin

Florence Nightingale Award: Amanda Holder (LDRP)
Quality and Safety Award: Amy Williams (Behavioral Health Support)
Nurse Leader & Preceptor Recognition: Claire Shiramizu (PICU)
Collaborative Partner: Gabriela Montes (Environmental Services)

Additionally, nursing scholarships were awarded to provide financial assistance in continuing education and development:

Flo McGee Scholarship: Rebekkah Lerman, Tiarra Douglass and Brooke Hortness
Polly & Dr. David Roth Scholarship: Vanessa Jones, Amanda Serrato and Tamila Ellis
Len Slusser Scholarship: Davida Chatman, Itzel Garcia, Irene Alvarez, Hannah Zeller and Ana Mendez Lopez
Dr. Lois Moore Scholarship: Sarah Waterwall
Molly Mae LeBlanc Scholarship: Kristen Cole, Lois Mae Llamas and Chiana Williams

Houston Chronicle’s Salute to Nurses
Every year, the Houston Chronicle recognizes and celebrates the integral roles nurses play in delivering patient care by requesting nominations from the Greater Houston community. Texas Children’s is proud to announce four of our team members were included in the Top 15 Nurses of the Year:

Marika Highberger (Hematology/Oncology)
Felicia Washington (Nursing Float)
Tasha Bryant (NPP Acute Care Service)
Troy Newcomb (Transport Services)

Congratulations are also in order for the 27 additional Texas Children’s nurses who earned recognition among the Salute to Nurses Top 200 Nurses of the Year list:

Vanessa Coronado
Tori (Victoria) Stovall
Michelle A. Nguyen
Virginia Jones
Lindsey LeCates (Duncan)
Christine Doan
Joanne Cummings
Jessica Fontiero
Ashley Makara
Kimberly Hase
Rachel Gonzales
Misty Plummer
Terry Hogue
Mary Ann Callejo
Melisa Marcial
Marc Milan
Rhea Noval
Kim Looby
Jason Narciso
Asha Thomas
Dana Smith
Olivia Davis
Esmeralda Salinas
Colin Keller
Rebecca Goldstein
Courtney Woods
Mili Vakharia

Learn more about Salute to Nurses. You can also read more about how Texas Children’s is revolutionizing nursing through innovation and opportunity.

Austin American-Statesman – Recognizing Nurses

The Austin American-Statesman honors local nurses through its annual “Recognizing Nurses” program during National Nurses Week in May. The initiative highlights exceptional nurses nominated by patients, colleagues and friends for their compassion, dedication and care in the Austin metro area. The following Texas Children’s Austin nurses were included in the paper’s coverage of the program: