Harris Health Welcomes New Executives Ready to Lead Strategic Plan Goals

Harris Health System has two new executive administrators—Louis Smith, senior executive vice president and chief operating officer, and Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Brock, senior executive vice president and chief nursing executive—to help lead the system’s recently adopted 2021-2025 strategic plan and its goal of becoming a high reliability organization (HRO), which serves the needs of the community through a patient-centered focus with an emphasis on safety, efficiency and well-being.

Smith joins the organization with more than 30 years of experience working in major healthcare systems across the country. Locally, Smith worked at Memorial Hermann’s Northeast and Southwest campuses, where he received Press Ganey and Joint Commission/National Quality Forum recognition for his improvements in patient quality care and their financial turnaround.

“I’m looking forward to being a part of (Harris Health System’s) mission and ministry,” Smith says. “It aligns with what is important to me in my life and what I want to accomplish. I’ve always wanted to make a difference in people’s most vulnerable moments in their life, and here, I get a chance to do that.”

Most recently, Smith worked at Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital in Sumter, South Carolina, where he was interim CEO. He also served as president of Acute & Post-Acute Operations for the Northeast Georgia Health System. He was instrumental in helping place Northeast Georgia Health System among the Georgia list of top-ranked healthcare systems by the U.S. News & World Report and Healthgrades.

As chief operating officer, Smith is responsible for the operations of Harris Health’s integrated health system, comprised of Level I and Level III trauma centers, respectively, at Ben Taub and Lyndon B. Johnson hospitals, and the ambulatory care services. He also will oversee the system’s renowned information technology platform, pharmacy, engineering, transportation and post-acute care services.

He earned his masters of hospital administration from Virginia Commonwealth University (Medical College of Virginia) and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Mississippi College. He’s a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Brock, DNP, APRN, has nearly 30 years of nursing leadership experience in critical roles advancing healthcare organizations throughout her career. After holding several leadership positions at Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas, she served as division vice president of clinical education at Medical City Healthcare.

In this role, she oversaw and centralized the division’s clinical education programming and led the implementation of new professional development and competency models, including a graduate registered nurse support program and local academic partnerships.

Despite her move to the private healthcare sector, Brock says she always knew her career would again involve a safety-net healthcare provider like Harris Health.

“I spent the early part of my career (29 years) working in Parkland, so joining Harris Health System at this point in my life is an exciting opportunity with a mission of caring for the most vulnerable patient population,” she says. “This mission is near and dear to my heart and has driven the majority of my nursing career, so it feels right.”

As chief nursing executive, Brock joins Harris Health’s senior executive leadership team and is responsible for the system-wide practice of professional nursing. She leads the system’s efforts to create a culture of safety through collaboration and excellence in clinical care, education, research and promoting evidence-based practices. One of her main goals is to achieve a zero-harm benchmark for patient care.

Brock earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing from East Central University, a Master of Science in nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Texas Christian University.