Kris started out as a parent in the NICU. She then became a nurse and then a charge nurse. She then stepped into the Assistant Manager position and then the Manager position. She then became the manager's manager and then a step above that. She has remained the same committed member of the team that she was when she started as a mom in the unit. She wants the very best for our babies, their families, and for us as caregivers. She wants to know about us. She cares about us as people, and this helps us give better care to our babies and parents. To this day she comes through to see us.... to hear us... and to just be a driving force for us. She is the best at managing up. When she introduces us, she always adds in a personal experience so that we feel great about ourselves and that whoever she is talking to feels good about us as well. She has told families about my care of her baby many years ago. Her care about Intermountain values is deep. She defends Intermountain and yet helps us to understand while listening to our concerns. If she cannot help, she will be the first to find help for us. There is no better leader in Intermountain. She may not be able to chat, but she will step in to help the nurses and make sure we are OK.

***

Kris was a scared mom in the unit with a very sick little boy. She made a difference then. She loved the nurses and made us feel like she knew we were doing a great job with her baby. Then she moved up to nurse and charge nurse. She was an amazing co-worker. Working next to Kris would make the day go by with joy. She was quick to step in and help, and as a charge, she never let people drown. She was by your side, helping. She made sure you got breaks and would drop a treat by your bedside to let you know you were important! The families adored her, and she loved the babies she cared for! Those babies got the very best care that only Kris could give. She was so invested in her primary babies. She also helped mew hires a ton.

We had one nurse who just wasn't getting it. This nurse wanted to be in our unit so badly. Kris took it onto her shoulders to mentor this nurse. Together, this nurse made it and finally got it. The troubled nurse was with the unit for many years until she finally got her nurse practitioner degree. As an assistant manager and manager, she met with us frequently. She would come through the unit with a clipboard. If there were problems, she would write them down, but she also wrote down stuff about us, so she knew us. Then the next time she saw you, she remembered it and had something to talk about that was personal (your child, your next trip, your pets, etc.). She made it her job to be invested in her staff.

When things were going awry, she took the time to explain things to her staff. We always knew she had our backs while 100% supporting Intermountain's visions and values. She has a great work balance. She would come in early so that she could get to know her night shift. It was common to see her meeting with her nurses or helping them out at the bedsides. Now she has moved up the ladder and is still there for us. Her door is always open. We are her priority, and we all know it. That is a true leader, and we are lucky to have her in our corner.

Intermountain is lucky to have her there for them as well. I am not the only one who feels this way.