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Holy Cross Health has named Boca Raton resident Brandon Charette as Director of the Year, Fort Lauderdale resident Teresa Ables as Colleague of the Year and Tamarac resident Simone Atkinson as Leader of the Year for 2025.
“Our Annual Recognition Ceremony is a momentous occasion where we come together as a unified health care family to celebrate the extraordinary people who make our Mission possible every single day,” said Rachel Thompson, Chief Human Resources Officer at Holy Cross Health. “I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the compassion, excellence and unwavering dedication that radiates throughout our hospital, medical group and ambulatory centers. These three individuals embody our values, inspire their teams and elevate the care we provide to our patients and communities, and for that we are grateful. They are quiet heroes and visionary leaders who bring heart to health care.”
Director of the Year: Brandon Charette
Director of Strategy and Performance Brandon Charette was named Director of the Year for the second time since joining Holy Cross Health in 2013. He joined Holy Cross as an Operational Performance Coordinator and was soon promoted to Director of Performance Excellence. Since 2020, Charette has also served as an administrative leader for all initiatives relating to strategy. His impact extends far beyond Broward County and the state of Florida. He provides strategic ideas and support to Trinity Health, the nationwide, not-for-profit Catholic health system of which Holy Cross is a member.
With bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial engineering from University of Miami, Charette leads a highly successful team at Holy Cross Health that’s focused on operational support, strategic growth and project management. Over the past several years, he secured capital support for transformational projects including new health centers and freestanding EDs in Deerfield Beach and Fort Lauderdale, multiple new medical group ambulatory and urgent care locations, and enhancement of surgical services.
Additionally, Charette is a daily thought partner to executive leadership, department managers and colleagues across the health care system. He is always willing to brainstorm, help with problem solving and action plans and can easily translate a high-level idea into a detailed situation, background, assessment and recommendation to achieve needed attention and momentum. He has developed his team into a highly effective and relied upon part of the total infrastructure of Holy Cross Health. He is the glue that keeps finance, operations, strategy, planning/design, real estate and other functional departments aligned and moving in a forward trajectory. As a mentor to several up-and-coming leaders across Trinity Health and Holy Cross, he’s passionate about helping others advance and grow.
Charette’s dedication, work ethic and perseverance to achieving goals is unmatched and appreciated by his colleagues. During executive vacancies, he’s stepped up to take on responsibilities outside his regular job to add value and help in any way he can.
Colleague of the Year: Teresa Ables
This year’s Colleague of the Year Award was presented to Patient Care Coordinator Teresa Ables in recognition of her dedication, compassion and commitment to truly embody the Mission and values of Holy Cross Health. A shining example of serving others with excellence, she consistently goes above and beyond not only in the quality of her work, but also in the way she uplifts her team, supports physicians and ensures patients and families feel cared for every step of the way. Colleagues describe Ables as dependable, thoughtful and tireless in her commitment to doing what is right. She is always the first to step up, whether it’s helping to solve a problem, mentoring a peer or finding solutions that make Holy Cross Health’s programs and services even stronger. With a positive attitude that creates an environment where both colleagues and patients feel valued and supported, Ables has a gift for bringing people together and serves as a healing presence.
Leader of the Year: Simone Atkinson, DNP, MBA, RN, CCRN, SCRN, NEA-BC
Simon Atkinson, an inpatient Nurse Manager at Holy Cross Health, has been named Leader of the Year. She is quietly powerful, relentlessly dedicated and consistently impactful and embodies what it truly means to be a servant leader. When a project demands precision, technological expertise or large-scale coordination, Atkinson’s name is always among the first mentioned. Her ability to “get to yes” is not just a phrase, it’s what drives her. Over the past several years, she has worked on initiatives that have improved clinical outcomes, provided new opportunities for nursing education and increased nurse engagement.
Atkinson has studied multiple languages to better connect with colleagues and patients. In high-pressure situations, she remains calm and focused, communicating with clarity and compassion. Her leadership is defined by the lives she touches, systems she improves and example she sets. She is the kind of leader who inspires excellence simply by being who she is.
Atkinson also serves as a mentor and educator to colleagues as they pursue advanced degrees. She teaches at a local nursing school and is a trusted resource for onboarding new leaders.
ABOUT HOLY CROSS HEALTH
A member of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Hospital, dba Holy Cross Health, is a full-service, not-for-profit, Catholic, teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy. Holy Cross has been recognized for six Types of Care in U.S. News and World Report’s 2025-2026 Best Hospital rankings, was named among the 2024 America’s Best-In-State Hospitals by Newsweek and selected as a Forbes America’s Best Employers for Healthcare Professionals in 2025. Holy Cross has also been designated as a High Performer by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for LGBTQ+ health care access. Through strategic collaborations and a commitment to being a person-centered, transforming, healing presence, the 557-bed hospital offers progressive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services and clinical research trials to serve as the community’s trusted health partner for life. Holy Cross Health also includes Holy Cross HealthPlex outpatient facility, urgent care centers and more than 40 Holy Cross Medical Group physician practices. To learn more about Holy Cross Health, visit holy-cross.com. Connect with Holy Cross Health on Facebook, LinkedIn and Inst
Photo Credit: Robert Mayer, Holy Cross Health
