CAITLIN BECK STELLA

CEO, JOE DIMAGGIO CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, HOLLYWOOD

Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital is one of six hospitals in the Memorial Healthcare System. As a regional perinatal center with both Level 4 and 3 NICUs, it annually delivers nearly 14,000 babies, sees over 375,000 patients and performs about 10,000 surgeries. The hospital operates offices in Broward and Palm Beach. Stella serves on the boards of the Museum of Discovery and Science, Make-A-Wish South Florida, the Jack and Jill Center and Junior Achievement. She also supports the American Heart Association, Habitat for Humanity and the Boys and Girls Clubs. “I believe that the best way to keep children out of the hospital is to support their health and well-being,” Stella says.

EDUCATION: Virginia Tech University (BS), UCLA (MPH)

FIRST JOB: My family owns a nursery, and I started working there during the summers when I was about 8. I would help my grandmother in the greenhouse, water plants and help customers with their purchases.

DREAM ALTERNATE CAREER: I would teach early childhood education. From birth to age 3 is a critical part of life. I admire the Montessori approach, which I have integrated into the children’s hospital when possible.

PASSION PROJECT: Education and literacy are more than academics, they are public health issues. Children who read at grade-level experience a trajectory that gives them an advantage academically, economically and health-wise. ... At our hospital, every child leaves with a book -— patients and siblings. It’s one small way we can make an impact.