Daisha Robles, B.S.N., R.N., CMSRN, nursing supervisor, medical progressive care unit, said Stone was supportive in a way she didn’t expect when her daughter Emery, 12, passed away in 2021.

“Stephanie left her honeymoon with her husband early to drive 14 hours back to Texas to support my family and me in the worst time in our lives,” Robles said. “I will forever be grateful for her. She actually dropped everything to be with us. She made sure all of the details for my family leave were correct and helped me navigate the process to make sure my job was protected until I was able to come back. Stephanie even shopped for the funeral clothes that me and my family wore so that I did not have to.”

Robles said that when she returned to work in January 2022, Stone encouraged her to apply for a full-time charge nurse role that had opened up.

“When I was concerned that I had been off for several weeks, she reassured me and encouraged me to review the qualities in myself that were a good fit for the job.”

Her life’s best work

The five nurses who credit Stone with their entry into leadership are: Brittany Bolton, B.S.N., R.N., CMSRN, nursing supervisor, renal transplant; Christine Clay, B.S.N., R.N., CMSRN, nursing supervisor, surgical trauma progressive care unit; Amanda Helton, B.S.N., R.N., CMSRN, nursing supervisor, surgical trauma progressive care unit; Amber Jones, B.S.N., R.N., CMSRN, nursing supervisor, medical progressive care unit; and Robles.

All five mention Stone’s key strengths as a leader: fairness, the ability to keep tough conversations constructive and a huge knowledge base – if Stone doesn’t have an answer to a question, she knows how to find one.

For Stone, mentoring is part of doing her life’s best work.

“The biggest reason I love mentoring and being a part of people’s career paths and journeys is that I believe that we should all seek to learn and grow each day, regardless of what role we’re in,” she said. ‘And so, being able to support them and be a part of that is really fulfilling to me.”

Stone also recognizes the broader implications of mentorship: “I think that it’s really crucial not only to the success of us as individuals, but to the goals of Texas Health in our departments to really create these mentor relationships and support and encourage new leaders,” she said. “And I think it’s something that all leaders should want to do.”

Jennifer Chavez, D.N.P., R.N., ACNP-BC, NEA-BC, CCRN, chief nursing officer, said, “Stephanie is an inspirational leader. It has been a blessing watching her flourish over the past few years. Stephanie’s superpower is her ability to objectively look at all angles and proactively create solutions and redundancies for sustainability. She inspires others to think outside the box and elevate nursing practice to create environments that embody safety and quality.”

Stone said she’s received support and encouragement from other nursing leaders at Texas Health, especially as she used the Tuition Reimbursement program to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Stone now is working on her doctorate in nursing practice.

“Nursing leadership is a demanding, fulfilling career path that requires compassion, critical thinking on the go and deep knowledge,” said Mary Robinson, Ph.D., R.N., NEA-BC, chief nursing executive. “The kind of mentorship Stephanie Stone provides builds a pipeline for strong leaders – a key piece of our Six by ’26 strategy of maintaining our culture of excellence.”

More mentoring strengths 

All five nurses initially worked with Stone on the medical progressive care unit, progressing to PRN and full-time charge nurse roles, and then to supervisor positions in that unit and elsewhere. The mentor relationships were all unofficial at first, but today she is officially assigned to Clay and Helton, along with another mentor, through the Texas Health Fort Worth Leadership Development program.

Here are more mentoring strengths each nurse found helpful:

Bolton: “Stephanie truly cares about the people she manages, and who they are. She wants to see everyone happy where they are in life and work, and I have seen her help several employees move into different areas of nursing so that they could do their life’s best work and be happy.”

Clay: “The way she carries herself as a leader and the knowledge base that she has is unheard of.  I have been in multiple different tough conversations with her, and she has a way with words that even if the conversation is negative, you never feel like she is berating or looking down on you.”

Helton: “Stephanie has such a natural ability to lead people and engage in all aspects of their lives. She truly is a gem of a person but an incredible leader as well. I was drawn to her during our very first interaction during my interview to join the team as a new graduate nurse. I could feel the difference in this unit as soon as I stepped foot in her office for my interview.”

Jones: “She is an excellent listener. If you just needed to vent about your shift – she would just listen. If you had a question or wanted advice, she would give it without ever making you feel poorly. Stephanie inspires people through her actions and positivity.”

Robles: “She is a natural leader; she is intentional and thoughtful. She has the ability to offer constructive feedback that encourages you to improve, but she does it in a way that is empowering. Stephanie is a fair leader, holding everyone to a high standard, and helping them achieve that standard. She is always willing to jump in and help.”