Growing up in West Philadelphia, Stephanie Conners began her career as a bedside nurse and steadily rose through the ranks in the healthcare system. She moved from management roles to becoming the youngest chief nursing officer in the country at the time. She later served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer for Jefferson Health in Philadelphia. Today, the mother of four and grandmother of two serves as the president and CEO of BayCare Health System, the largest health system in west-central Florida and the second-largest employer in the region with 32,000 individuals.
I always wanted to go into nursing. Nursing was something I always say is who I am, not a career I chose. When I was young, I took care of family members who were ill, and I just had a natural instinct to try to make others feel better. I really believe my purpose in life is to make a difference in the lives of others—sometimes one person at a time, and other times through opportunities like this, where I can help a larger number of people.
I think the most impressionable part of my childhood was wanting to go to Villanova. I really wanted to go to college, and I was the first in my family to do so. It was important to me to build a life for myself so I could have a family of my own and build that life with my husband.
My biggest supporters—my mom and dad, obviously—have supported me in reaching my goals. But really, it’s my husband and my children. My husband, with whom I’ve been married for 30 years, is an incredible human being. We built a life together that most only dream of, and I’m blessed in love and family. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him.
When it comes to fun, I love to run, take 10-mile walks and be outside. I don’t mind the heat. A lot of people complain about it, but I absolutely love it here.
My children and my husband—my family—are the most important things to me. Everything I do in life is because I wanted to build that life for my family. Any free moment I have is with them, whether that’s walking 10 miles with my girls on a weekend, just sitting on the couch with my husband watching a movie, or going to lunch with my sons and spending time with them.
Hawaii is the most magical place on earth, I believe. We love it. We went there once with my family after my youngest son was really ill and we wanted to take him somewhere special when he recovered and since then, it’s been the most magical time as a family. We’ve gone back, my family scuba dives, we have friends there now and I just love it.
I’ve never been overseas; I’ve never been out of the country. I have been head-down, in the grind, building my career and raising my family. I’m not a world traveler, so I think I would like to travel more and see the world. That’s probably on my bucket list.
My greatest skill is that I’m very much a people person. I care deeply about people, and I will do anything I can to make a difference for a total stranger. That’s what I’m most proud of.
My business philosophy is to enable everybody to be the best version of themselves. I feel as though I am only as good as the people I surround myself with—their success is my success. If I enable them to be their best selves, then the organization I lead will be the best it can possibly be.
One day, when I’m no longer on this earth, I don’t want people to remember me as a CEO. I want people to remember me as the mom I am, the wife I am and the difference I made in the lives of others and those I influenced. I want my legacy to be those I influenced around me so they could be their best selves. That’s how I want to be remembered.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
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