Steve Newton is president of Baylor University

Medical Center and the Baylor Scott and White

Health Central and West Regions, which have

combined total annual operating revenue of 2.3

billion and 9,200 employees. Steve has 28 years’

experience in large integrated delivery systems in the

for-profit and not-for profit sectors, and more than

20 years’ experience as president of

tertiary/quaternary care hospitals.

Steve served as a board member of the DFW Hospital Council Foundation, United

Way of Tarrant County, Recovery Resource Council and the Healthy Tarrant County

Collaborative, and is past chairman of the Dallas - Fort Worth Hospital Council

and the American Heart Association Tarrant County affiliate. He was a founding

board member of the Healing Shepard Clinic of Union Gospel Mission. He is a

Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

He is a cum laude graduate of Williams College and received a Master’s Degree

in Public Health from Yale University. He is married, has three children, and is an

avid long distance runner and veteran of 17 marathons.

Alan Kramer grew up in Texas and completed his bachelors degree at Baylor University and masters degree in Health Management at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. Alan serves as Associate Vice President of Health System Emerging Strategies & Market Development at UT Southwestern Medical Center. In this role, Alan is responsible for UT Southwestern’s digital health, virtual care, patient access strategy, advanced analytics, practice acquisition & development, market development, and physician outreach. Previously, Alan worked at Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas, Texas and Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, Georgia. Alan currently lives in Dallas with his wife, Carmen, twin boys and daughter. In his free time, Alan enjoys spending time with his family and playing golf.

Joseph DeLeon became president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth in

January 2018. He joined the team at Texas Health Resources in Fort Worth in 2005 and in

addition to serving at Texas Health Fort Worth for 13 years he was the President at Texas

Health Southwest Fort Worth from 2013 through 2017. He has led the expansion of Texas

Health Fort Worth’s physical plant with the addition of the Jane and John Justin Tower

(427,000 sf), the implementation of the hospital’s first Graduate Medical Education

programs in General Surgery and Internal Medicine, and the Level 1 Trauma Center

designation. Since leading Texas Health Fort Worth in 2018 the hospital has grown annual

operating revenue by 43%.

In January 2013, DeLeon was named president of Texas Health Southwest. Under his

leadership, Texas Health Southwest achieved the Truven 100 Top Hospital four years in a row

and the Pinnacle of Excellence Award for Patient Experience from Press Ganey. The Texas

Health Southwest leadership team also worked to bring Texas Health Clearfork online and

become a joint replacement destination center in North Texas.

DeLeon is an active leader in the community, serving as chairman of the boards of Texas

Rehabilitation Hospital and the Tarrant County March of Dimes, American Heart

Association, and on the boards of North Texas Community Foundation and the Healthy

Tarrant County Collaboration. He previously served as Chair of the Fort Worth Hispanic

Chamber of Commerce. DeLeon has been recognized many times for his leadership of the

hospital, including a 2017 Minorities in Business Award from the Fort Worth Business

Press. He is a former captain of the United States Air Force Medical Services Corps and

has served in health care management since 1991. A graduate of Leadership North Texas,

Leadership Fort Worth and Leadership Bryan-College Station, DeLeon was previously

named to the Fort Worth Business Press 40 under 40 and holds a Certificate of Leader

Development from the U.S. Army War College Commandant's National Security Program.

Andrew Smith is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he earned a B.S. in Biomedical Science, and a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences. After working in the public research sector for four years, Andrew put his training in project management and data analysis/interpretation towards the private sector.

In 2011, Andrew joined McRight-Smith’s Business Development Team, where he was involved in the daily operations of multiple subsidiaries of McRight-Smith Holdings, most notably, McRight-Smith Construction. In January of 2013, Andrew was made a full equity partner of McRight-Smith Holdings. After playing a major role in the growth of McRight-Smith Construction for several years, Andrew was named President of McRight-Smith Construction in July, 2014.

As President Andrew’s responsibilities include developing and implementing high-level strategic goals and managing the overall operations and resources of McRight-Smith Construction. Most importantly, Andrew is also responsible for ensuring that McRight-Smith Construction maintains the highest standards of corporate integrity and citizenship.

Casey Woods is the Chief Operating Officer at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center. He has been

in the healthcare industry for 11 years, all of which has been at OU Health. Professionally, Casey has

been an administrative operator in approximately $500M worth of projects as part of OU Health ranging

from small renovation projects to large expansion projects, including the new Patient Tower and

Operating Room Expansion which will complete May 2021 on the University of Oklahoma Medical

Center campus.

Casey received his Masters in Healthcare Administrations from the OUHSC College of Public Health in

2011. His undergraduate degree was in Cell and Molecular Biology from Oklahoma State University in

2004. He is currently teaching MHA graduate classes at OUHSC. Casey was afforded the opportunity to

play professional golf between his undergraduate and graduate programs. Casey is married to his

beautiful wife, Sarah and has two kids, Sam (8) and Goldie (4).

Rebecca Davis guides strategy and business development for our growing healthcare team in the Dallas studio.

During her 20 years of practice, Rebecca has been dedicated to the planning, design and management of healthcare projects, with a passion and expertise in behavioral health spaces, oncology and support services departments, such as labs and pharmacies. Her portfolio includes more than 6 million SF of facilities, from small renovations and community hospitals to specialty medical centers and research facilities.

Julie rarely does anything without a goal in sight and a plan to achieve it. Case in point: when she first suspected in high school that architecture might be her future profession, she hand wrote letters to the leaders of the top-ranked local firms – an endeavor that solidified her path.

Whether working on a project, tackling global design initiatives like sustainability and resilience, or challenging herself to a new running goal, Julie believes in working smart and consistently getting out of her comfort zone. In each of these, but especially in healthcare environments with the potential to create life-changing outcomes, she’s driven by how research and metrics can be applied to produce continual improvement.

Ray Dunlap is the President of the Terrell Economic Development Corporation,

after having spent the previous ten years with the Fairview Economic Development

Corporation. His background includes hotel management, including a term as

President of the Longview, Texas Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of

Directors.

Ray is the immediate past chair of Team Texas, a statewide marketing

organization, that is a part of the Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC).

He will serve as chair of TEDC in 2023.

Ray and his wife Robin have two 14-year-old daughters, Chloe and Ashley and he

sings in a Southern Gospel Quartet, The Brookside Quartet, a group which he

helped form.

Russell graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas and went on to receive his Masters of Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington. He joined GFF in September 2006 and was named an Associate Principal in January 2015. A former member of the Architectural Studio, Russell has been part of GFF Interiors since January 2009. Russell is accountable for the full range of team-level business operations including project management, resource management, and direct interaction with clients as well as members of the local community. Responsibilities also include targeting opportunities for new business, execution of construction documents, and management of project service agreements.

Russell specializes in project management, technical coordination, and problem resolution. Project types include corporate office, retail, fitness centers, and interior finish-outs.

Current Responsibilities

Ethan Garner is a Managing Director & Region Lead specializing in

Healthcare & Life Sciences Brokerage at JLL. Mr. Garner joined JLL

in June 2020 and will serve as a Regional Healthcare & Life

Sciences Lead based out of our Dallas offices. Mr. Garner is

focused on partnering with local and national companies to drive

Dallas’ growth as the nation’s leading emerging life sciences

cluster. He is tasked with expanding JLL’s footprint in the areas of

healthcare and life science leasing and transaction management

as well as serving as an integrated partner on multi-service line

solutions, often including property and facilities management,

capital markets and construction management.

Experience

Prior to joining JLL, Mr. Garner spent 11 years with Fortune 500

REIT Welltower (WELL), where he oversaw the leasing of more

than 85 properties totaling in excess of five million rentable

square feet spanning from Ohio south to Texas and as far west as

Southern California. He was responsible for over 1,000 lease

transactions with lease values totaling in excess of $500 million

and maintained an occupancy in excess of 93% portfolio wide. Mr.

Garner was also responsible for sourcing and underwriting new

acquisitions and developments in excess of $400 million.

Education and Affiliations

Mr. Garner is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, holding a B.S. in

Human and Organizational Development as well as a Certified

Commercial Investments Member (CCIM) designation. He serves

as iC3 Chair on the Bio NTX facilities Advisory Committee and is

an active volunteer for the Armstrong Dad's Club, North Texas

Food Bank, Cornerstone, and Incarnation Academy. Mr. Garner

resides in Dallas with his wife and their four children aged 6 to 10.

Duane Dankesreiter is the Senior Vice President of Research

and Innovation at the Dallas Regional Chamber.

Duane oversees the Research team which is responsible for

creating research products that support the Chamber’s

strategic priorities. Duane’s also leads the Chamber’s

activities around supporting the launch and growth of

innovation activities in DFW by connecting entrepreneurs,

innovators, researchers, and the business community. Duane

is the co-founder of Dallas Innovates, an online and print

publication covering innovation across Dallas-Fort Worth.

Duane joined the Chamber in August 2009. He was

previously employed at the North Central Texas Council of

Governments (NCTCOG) for fourteen years. There he led

demographic and economic data research efforts.

Duane also serves on the board of directors for the DEC

Network (formerly the Dallas Entrepreneur Center), Cedar Hill

Economic Development Board, and the Southern Dallas

Inland Port Transportation Association Board. In January

2021, he was appointed to Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson’s Task

Force on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in Geography from Texas A&M

University, and a Master of Public Affairs (M.P.A) degree from

the University of Texas - Dallas.

As Vice President at Gordon Highlander, Nick brings over 25 years of construction industry experience and a strong commitment to operational excellence. He oversees the DFW market, leads strategic growth initiatives, and drives client engagement with a results-oriented approach that reflects the company’s core values.

Nick has successfully delivered projects across industrial, corporate interiors, and ground-up sectors, earning a reputation for building lasting relationships with clients, trade partners, and design teams. A proud Texas A&M graduate, he is also passionate about mentoring emerging professionals and championing continuous improvement across all areas of the business.

In his role as senior vice president, Bill Stinneford is responsible for

new client growth. He works with companies in the healthcare, retail,

and restaurant industries to identify ways to apply Buxton’s analytics

and technology to solve their biggest challenges. Additionally, Bill is

part of Buxton’s the executive team and collaborates with other

company leaders on corporate initiatives.

Bill has been a featured speaker at a number of retail, restaurant, and

healthcare industry events including ICSC RECon, SHSMD and the

IFA’s annual conference. He was honored as a recipient of the Fort

Worth Business Press’ 40 Under 40 Award, given to top, rising executives in the community.

Bill received his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and sits on the board of directors for the Texas A&M Center for Retailing Studies.