Strauss Award winners show the way to service excellence
Congratulations to the latest recipients of the Diana and Richard C. Strauss Service Excellence Awards.
Each quarter, six employees within the UT Southwestern Health System are honored for demonstrating excellence and professionalism in the workplace.
The winners for the first quarter of 2025 were celebrated on May 23 during a virtual event hosted by Chris Rubio, M.B.A., Vice President and Health System Chief Operating Officer.
Three things define Strauss Award winners:
- They excel at their jobs.
- They serve as role models for the next generation of employees.
- They share a spirit of volunteerism that strengthens our community.
Watch: The winners are honored during the virtual event.
Alicia Bosse, M.B.A., B.S.N, CMS-RN, AMB-RN
Clinical Nurse Educator
Ambulatory Nursing Operations
“Alicia is an ultimate team member who volunteers to teach classes and cover for other team members when needed. Her dedication to continuous improvement and professional development is evident in all she does.”
UTSW career: Alicia Bosse has been a nurse for 14 years and came to UT Southwestern in July 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Having started in the Blood Disorders Clinic, she was promoted to a supervisor role just three months later, taking on a position that allowed her to embrace nurse educator responsibilities.
In her role: Mrs. Bosse supports Ambulatory nurses with telephone triage education. She teaches a triage onboarding class, monthly skill refresher courses, and makes herself available to more than 100 clinics to offer additional training and assistance when and where it’s needed.
Favorite part of her job: “One thing I absolutely love about my job is that it’s different every day and I never get bored. I’m always doing something different with nurses to try to help them elevate and heighten their practice.”
Connecting with the community: When second graders from Biomedical Preparatory at UT Southwestern came for a field trip, Mrs. Bosse recruited volunteers and crafted a plan to ensure they had an engaging experience by arranging a visit to the Simulation Center.
Fun fact: “From the time I was in elementary school all the way through high school, I participated in all the school plays and directed some of them. My favorite role was Ms. Hannigan in Annie. I’d like to get back into doing some adult theater because I’m still a musical kid at heart. But for now, I’m satisfied to be in the audience. My husband and I support the performing arts, and we still love to attend musicals.”
Christopher Cleaver
Superintendent of Maintenance
Hospital Facilities
“Chris is highly regarded for his strategic thinking and collaborative approach to problem-solving. He approaches challenges with foresight, ensuring that decisions are effective in the short term and also align with the long-term goals and integrity of the facility.”
UTSW career: Mr. Cleaver celebrated his third anniversary at UT Southwestern in January. Originally from New York, he worked for his family’s construction business, amassing more than 40 years of experience in his field before he arrived in Texas.
In his role: His job includes running UT Southwestern’s paint, carpentry, and locksmith shops, which are tasked with keeping our facilities in good repair, looking sharp, and secure.
Floored by his abilities: Mr. Cleaver’s proactive thinking saved UT Southwestern thousands of dollars when he recognized that flooring material used extensively at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital (CUH) was being discontinued. In response, he proactively stockpiled the remaining supply for future repairs, preventing the need for large-scale floor replacement by ensuring matching material was on hand for smaller fixes.
Prolific with projects: In just over three years in his role, Mr. Cleaver has already completed more than 120 jobs with a total value of more than $1 million, saving money by keeping the work in-house.
What he loves about his job: “My greatest days at work are when I finish a project and the customer has had a positive experience, when I leave something better than I found it, and when I know my projects will have a lasting impact on staff, patients, and visitors.”
Stephanie Houser, M.S.N., RN, CCRN-CSC, E-AEC
ECMO Coordinator
William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit
“Stephanie has taken ECMO education to the next level. I have seen the evolution of the ECMO bedside and ECMO specialist classes significantly improve year after year.”
UTSW career: Mrs. Houser started at UT Southwestern in 2015, just after CUH opened, as a nurse in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit and quickly became an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) specialist. She transitioned to the ECMO Coordinator role in 2021.
Outside the box: One touching example of Mrs. Houser’s tremendous compassion and her can-do spirit is helping fulfill the wishes of ICU patients who have been confined to a hospital room for weeks or months and just want to go outside to feel the sunlight on their skin. For a person connected to life support equipment, the process of facilitating even a short trip outdoors can be complicated. But she said the work is worth it to bring a smile to a patient’s face.
Ex-Vivo extra credit: Mrs. Houser recently took on the additional responsibility of helping to manage the Ex-Vivo Lung Perfusion program, which allows donor lungs to be evaluated in a closed circuit outside of the body and extends lung donor assessment prior to final acceptance for transplantation. She recruits new team members, sets up training, and has created reference booklets for the staff.
What she loves about the job: “My favorite part is any time we get to celebrate someone going from their sickest moment on ECMO to receiving a transplant. We have several patients who come back to visit us, and they let us know all the amazing things that they can do now. Being a part of that process reminds me of why I became a nurse and motivates me to continue this rewarding work!”
Janna Jellum-Velasquez
Senior Project Manager
Medical Equipment Planning
“She has a unique ability to foresee potential issues and coordinate expedited resolutions. This, coupled with her ‘can-do’ attitude and focus on patient care, sets her apart in her field.”
UTSW career: Janna Jellum-Velasquez has worked with UT Southwestern for four years, accepting a new challenge following a career in the architectural and design industry.
In her role: She plans and coordinates the implementation of equipment for hospital and ambulatory projects. Mrs. Jellum-Velasquez works with departments to determine their needs, ensuring equipment decisions align with operational goals and patient care needs in both new and existing facilities are met. Since joining UTSW, she has taken ownership of larger-scale efforts, leading the planning and implementation of equipment solutions that support clinical care and long-term operational success.
Bringing everything together: One of Mrs. Jellum-Velasquez’s biggest projects was working with clinical staff, equipment vendors, and contractors to coordinate the complex and comprehensive equipment needs on the recently completed Zale Lipshy Pavilion renovation. Her nominator credited her with being “instrumental” and added that she “helped all perioperative service areas and kept us sane during a very challenging experience.”
Attention to detail: In addition to the Zale Lipshy renovations, Mrs. Jellum-Velasquez was vital to the success of key construction initiatives. During all of them, she demonstrated the ability to balance large-scale construction demands, while focusing on the clinical team’s operational requirements and minimizing disruptions to patient care.
Favorite part of the job: “I’d say it’s getting to know the people in the clinics and the clinic leaders – the ones who are working with the patients every day – helping them figure out what their needs are and seeing that come to fruition.”
Denise Maddox, M.S.C., B.S.N., RN
Nurse Coordinator
Neurology
“These are complicated patients with large numbers of geographic, financial, psychosocial, and emotional barriers to adequate care. Denise approaches them all with a spectacular attitude that includes a commitment to excellence, compassion, advocacy, and emotional support.”
UTSW career: Denise Maddox has been with UT Southwestern for seven years. She currently works in the Pediatric Neuroimmunology Clinic.
In her role: Her team members care for children suffering from multiple sclerosis, myelitis, encephalitis, and other rare diseases, implementing care plans and guiding patients. Due to the complexity and rarity of the cases, medication and procedures for her patients are often denied by insurance companies. But Ms. Maddox is an expert at pursuing appeals until she gets the “yes” she is looking for.
Favorite part of the job: “It’s working with our multidisciplinary team. We encourage each other. We have the same attitude about patient care, and we support each other’s decisions. We pick each other up and every thought or opinion is welcome. I know that comes across to our patients.”
Always appreciated: Ms. Maddox is routinely praised by patients and their families for the extra effort she makes. Her nominator wrote: “There is not a clinic I go to where patients and their families don’t indicate the profound impact Denise has had on their care.” The nominator added they have never received such sustained, passionate, and unsolicited feedback about another employee.
Off the clock: Ms. Maddox is working for rare disease pediatric patients even when she isn’t on the job. She donates her time by visiting summer camps and other patient events.
Delbretta Peterson, B.S.N., RN, RNC-OB
Registered Nurse
Labor and Delivery
“In terms of communication and compassion, Del is a standout. She actively listens to patients’ concerns, provides explanations about care plans, and follows up consistently, ensuring patients feel heard and valued.”
UTSW career: Known by her colleagues as “Del,” Delbretta Peterson is the longest-tenured member of this Strauss Awards class, coming to UT Southwestern 24 years ago directly from nursing school.
In her role: Her job includes working as the Charge Nurse in Labor and Delivery. She makes assignments, ensures that operations are running smoothly, and that all necessary resources are on hand to support the safest care of mothers and the delivery of their newborns.
Go, team, go: “Teamwork is one of her greatest strengths,” her nominator wrote. “Del fosters collaboration across departments, anticipates team needs, and steps in to help without being asked. Her leadership shines in multidisciplinary meetings where she offers thoughtful input and helps drive patient-centered care plans.”
Favorite part of her job: “I love that UT Southwestern is a teaching facility,” she said. “It’s rewarding to be able to be an influence on the next generation of nurses. I love that part of the culture of working here, just allowing me to do that. It’s a passion.”