THE WOODLANDS, TX (June 6, 2025) – St. Luke’s Health is pleased to announce the appointment of Kristen Taylor, MSN, RN, CCRN, NEA-BC, as Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for St. Luke’s Health-The Woodlands, Lakeside, and Springwoods Village Hospitals, effective June 22, 2025.

Kristen brings over 20 years of clinical expertise and more than 10 years of progressive leadership experience to her new role. She has a proven track record of elevating operational performance and quality through evidence-based practices and strategic workforce development. Her commitment to fostering a culture of high employee engagement and advancing professional nursing practice aligns perfectly with St. Luke’s Health’s mission to provide exceptional patient outcomes, all with humankindness.

Most recently, Kristen served as the Interim Chief Nursing Officer, overseeing nursing and support services at The Woodlands, Lakeside, and Springwoods Village Hospitals. In this role, she demonstrated exceptional leadership by improving nurse retention by 8% from calendar year 2023 to 2024 and successfully helping increase inpatient patient experience scores to the 87th percentile.

Prior to her role as Interim CNO, Kristen served as Director of Critical Care at The Woodlands Hospital, where she led and oversaw nursing practice on a cardiac telemetry unit in addition to the ICU/PCU department. She also has experience as Interim Vice President of Critical Care at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center as well as Manager of Intensive Care at St. Luke’s Health-The Vintage Hospital.

Kristen holds a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center, where she also earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She is a certified Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) and a Nurse Executive Advanced-Board Certified (NEA-BC).

"Please join us in warmly officially welcoming Kristen to her role," said Jim Parisi, Hospital President. "We are confident that her leadership, authenticity, warmth, expertise, and dedication will be invaluable as we continue to advance nursing excellence and provide the highest quality care to our patients and communities in North Houston."