About
It all started in a flower shop.
Theresa didn’t grow up dreaming of a career in hospitals or healthcare. She was raised in a florist shop, where she would wire boutonnières before she could drive.
Her parents, orchid importers and entrepreneurs, handed her the keys to the shop at 17 and said, “You’ll figure it out.” That early experience, running a team, solving real problems, and adapting on the fly, was her first taste of leadership, long before she knew that’s what it was.
Life got real. Fast.
Years later, life threw a series of curveballs that pulled Theresa deeper into the world of caregiving.
Her mother suffered a massive stroke and was sent home without adequate discharge planning. With no formal training, Theresa transformed her townhouse into a rehab center and cared for her mother while nursing a newborn. When her father lost his job and her husband took on extra work, Theresa kept the household and everyone in it afloat.
Then came another test: her 8-year-old son fell critically ill. A simple sore throat turned into a life-threatening complication that left him hospitalized for 25 days. Theresa and her husband became de facto care team members, driven by necessity and grit. When a nurse asked if she was in healthcare, it planted a seed. Not yet, she thought, but soon?
A late start. The right start.
After losing her father and reevaluating her purpose, Theresa applied to a direct-entry nursing program. No clinical background. No backup plan. Just determination and a deep calling to be present when things fall apart. She worked night shifts throughout her graduate studies, became a nurse practitioner, and quickly found her niche in oncology, where care, strategy, and emotion intersect on a daily basis.
From bedside to boardroom
At Massachusetts General Hospital, Theresa led operations for 22 disease centers and pioneered financial care coordination models that changed how patients accessed cancer care. She rose through the ranks, eventually overseeing entire clinics and building multidisciplinary teams that blended innovation with humanity.
Eventually, Theresa transitioned to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, where she stepped into the role of Chief Nursing Officer and later Senior VP of Operations. There, she navigated seismic changes, including mergers, acquisitions, and a global pandemic. She managed billion-dollar infrastructure projects, implemented system-wide technology, and never lost sight of her roots in the frontline.
- Theresa reflects on her time as a student
“It was a crazy, wild ride being exposed to all kinds of things that I never could have imagined I would have been doing when I started as a direct-entry student back in 2002.”
Now: Leading at Scale
Today, Theresa is the Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive at Duke University Health System and Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs & Innovation at Duke University School of Nursing, overseeing 12,000+ nurses across three hospitals and 140+ clinics.
Theresa also serves as the chairperson of the board for Watts College of Nursing and continues to be a practicing Oncology Nurse Practitioner. She leads workforce innovation, global strategy, and AI-enabled clinical transformation, all while staying grounded in real-world care.
She has been named one of Modern Healthcare’s 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives, and her insights are shaping conversations around healthcare innovation, tech-enabled care, and nurse-led leadership across the globe.
“Terry had a profound effect on my late husband and me, she got us where we needed to go when we were ready to handle it, including home hospice care, providing stability and comfort every step of the way.”
Fran Menendez-Aponte & Tony Menendez-Aponte, age 42, diagnosed with Stage IV esophageal cancer.
“From the day my husband John was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer, we felt Terry was always by our side. She gave us back our lives. We returned home to spend the winter in California, where Terry e-mailed us every day. Her daughter sang at John’s funeral.”
Carol Gray McCarthy, because of Terry’s devoted care, Carol established the John J. McCarthy Jr. Foundation for Pancreatic Research at Mass General.
“Terry, you're a true catalyst for connection - thank you for creating a space where each of us feels seen and heard.”
Paul Evangelista, Physical Therapist, Duke University Health System
Book Theresa to Speak
Theresa is a dynamic and deeply human speaker who shares powerful insights on frontline-led innovation, clinical operations, and building leadership from lived experience. She has spoken at stages including Harvard Medical School, ASCO, and The Atlantic Live. From global conferences to intimate panels, she brings candor, clarity, and compassion to every stage.
trusted voices
- Margarita de la Fuenta, Assistant Vice President, Duke University Health System
“Terry is a true visionary in nursing and healthcare. She pushes the profession, and our organization, forward with out-of-the-box, brave ideas. She sets a clear destination, ‘this is where we need to be,’ then empowers her leaders to design the path. She understands where the gaps are and mobilizes teams to close them.”
- Suni Elgar, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
“Terry marries two rare traits. She’s a very thoughtful leader and a very determined leader. She welcomes new ideas and gives you room to fail, recover, and keep moving forward. Every opinion counts with Terry, every opinion matters.”
- Craig T. Albanese, Chief Executive Officer, Duke University Health System
“Terry embodies the best of what Duke stands for—compassion, innovation, and impact. Her ability to lead from both the frontlines and the boardroom is inspiring.”
Connect With Theresa
Award Winning Healthcare Executive | Transforming Healthcare Through Innovation, Global Collaboration and Thinking Differently