The following announcement was first sent via email on February 5, 2025 from CEO Michael Garcia.
Sally Shen, our associate chief nursing officer, will retire in April. We deeply appreciate her 22 years of service to Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, where she is a steadfast leader, mentor and true advocate for our nurses.
Sally joined HMSL in January 2003 as director of our medical/surgical units. When she started, we had only 16 beds. Now, thanks in part to Sally’s leadership, we have 10 med/surg units serving our community. She was director for 14 years before transitioning to ACNO in 2017. She has been instrumental in shaping our hospital and throughput operations, and her team’s contributions have played a key role in helping us achieve consistently high Vizient scores.
Beyond her operational impact, Sally is deeply committed to developing talent. She mentors through communication, team building and trust — allowing her staff to grow in their strengths. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sally and her team of directors, managers, charge nurses and others provided unwavering leadership as they cared for patients around the clock. Together, they balanced supporting staff, guiding and encouraging them during an unprecedented time.
Sally’s leadership is recognized across our hospital system. In 2012, she was among the first recipients of the I CARE Leader Award, an honor given to those who go above and beyond. Now, she is stepping into a new chapter, retiring to spend more time with her two children, who both work in health care, and welcome her first grandchild in June.
We are experiencing a significant transition with Sally’s and Janet Leatherwood’s retirements, but we are committed to maintaining strong nursing leadership and a smooth transition. Our nurses are vital to this hospital, and we will continue supporting you as we move into this next chapter together.
Please join me in congratulating Sally on an incredible career and wishing her all the best in this exciting new chapter.
Michael Garcia
Chief Executive Officer
Houston Methodist Sugar Land
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