Full name: Teri Fontenot
Title: President/CEO
Company: Woman’s Hospital
Age: 54
Hometown: Clinton, Miss.
Why do you do what you do?
It is very gratifying to know that our work helps create and strengthen families, and that we provide uniquely exceptional care to women in all phases of their lives.
What is your greatest professional accomplishment?
Rebuilding cohesion and trust among the employees, medical staff, and community following the decision not to merge Woman’s Hospital with a national healthcare company in 1996.
What was your first job?
File clerk for a regional insurance company office.
What is the best advice you've ever received?
There was a particularly thorny challenge confronting Woman’s a few years ago. Mr. Ron Phillips, the board chair at the time, asked if Woman’s could survive the worst outcome. If we could, the mind can be cleared of emotion, the threat is mentally diminished, and the best option can be more easily identified.
If you could have any job other than your own, what would it be?
Finding homes for homeless dogs.
What is the greatest personal or professional obstacle you've overcome?
Seeking a college degree as a single parent with no financial support.
What is your prescription for life?
Be fair and ethical in all facets of life.
What do you do to unwind?
Travel.
What is the most expensive purchase you've made for yourself?
The most expensive impulse purchase was a silk rug on a vacation in Turkey.
What is your favorite weekend activity?
Taking day trips to interesting sites in south Louisiana.
What's your favorite spot in Baton Rouge?
Home!
How do you take your coffee/tea?
Green tea plain.
What is something that you can't live without?
BlackBerry and laptop.
If you could change one thing about Baton Rouge, what would it be?
That its citizens would talk about all the great things it has to offer rather than being critical, especially to visitors.
What is your greatest hope for Baton Rouge?
That we are able to manage the growth so that it enhances what we have; the future is very exciting!
What is your greatest fear for Baton Rouge?
That young professionals won’t see Baton Rouge as an ideal place to rear their children.
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