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Jon Duckert ’05, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer
Baylor Scott and White Medical Center at Sunnyvale
United Surgical Partners International (USPI)
Sunnyvale, TX

Like many who choose health care as a career, Jon Duckert ’05 learned the value of helping others from his family. Through his work in the Boy Scouts and a number of broken bones as a childhood daredevil, he was exposed early on to the field. He majored in pre-med at the University of Texas at Austin, but after working in the county hospital and spending time shadowing the hospital administrator “I found purpose in the need to help the community from the perspective of hospital administration.” In particular, he was drawn to the strategic and financial elements of the profession.

As a �԰����� HCAD student, Duckert learned from Professor Ted Sparling to identify the strengths of one’s colleagues to learn where the talent lies and how a good leader can capitalize on the innate skills of his or her team. “He also taught me that only when I acknowledge my own biases can I truly demonstrate leadership by helping teams and individuals come together.”

Duckert applied those precepts to positions with increasingly more responsibility at the VA North Texas Health Care System and then at Children’s Health, both in Dallas. Along the way, mentors advised him to build his personal brand as an operational professional with a really strong financial backbone.

As he became more involved with financial products, he moved to Baylor Scott and White Medical Center Uptown in 2013 as chief financial officer (CFO). Based on his work in revenue cycle management, Duckert was honored as CFO of the Year by United Surgical Partners International (USPI) two years later.  He was also invited to speak at the annual conference in Chicago, and later that year was named chief executive officer (CEO).

Just as his career seemed to skyrocket Duckert suffered a health crisis of his own. A series of MRIs following a bike accident revealed a brain tumor. Neurosurgeons insisted his brain, which had sustained a serious concussion, had to heal before any surgery. Throughout the agonizing months-long wait, Duckert made his executive team aware of his situation. Just days before the surgery, he reluctantly shared the news with the entire organization. Their response awed him. “I was taken aback by the care, support, and generosity at every level in the organization,” he says.

The tumor was found to be benign but the experience strengthened his belief that “leaders are responsible for creating a culture that cares for its people at all levels in the organization.” He witnessed how organizations thrive on good, strong people and says leaders should get out of their way and let them thrive. “It’s our job to develop bench strength in an organization and this incident forced me to recognize that intimately. I was fortunate to have a cadre of strong people who took on additional responsibilities and did so willingly, and for that I’m grateful.”

In early 2018, USPI acquired Baylor Scott and White Medical Center Uptown through a joint venture and Duckert became CEO of Baylor Scott and White Sunnyvale. As they work through the acquisition, Duckert and his team are focused on aligning key systems in financials, human resources, and IT departments as well as their mission and organizational goals. They have converted to a new electronic health record system and their strategic priorities include enhancing the patient experience and growth in key service lines to meet the needs of the community.

Duckert enjoys a strong relationship with the entire staff and says because they are relatively small, about 800 staff and physicians “it’s much easier to know people, their families, and their life stories.”

Duckert’s family includes his wife, Crystal ’05, (a�԰����� alumna with a master of arts in teaching degree), and two young children. When not working, he enjoys camping, hiking and running, but admits to Netflix and video games as favorite guilty pleasures.

As he reflects on his career, Duckert credits �԰�����’s HCAD Program and its alumni with being instrumental to his career success. “Professionals in the industry recognize and respect the degree, and the networking opportunities have exceeded my expectations,” he says.

“As I look forward, I would like to continue to train, grow, and develop teams and individuals. Doing so allows me the opportunity to give back to the industry and show gratitude for the people who have helped me personally and professionally.”