Callenders set to serve mission, people of UTMB
By Chris Comer
SEPT. 27, 2007--It isn’t every day that the leader of one of the nation’s largest academic health centers and his accomplished wife admit to believing in the existence of wizards, but Dr. David L. Callender and Teri Wenglein-Callender unconditionally do. They’ve met a number of them in their lives.
Not monkish Gandalfs or flashy Dumbledores. The “wizards” UTMB’s new president and first lady have known and treasured are everyday people who believe that everyone can reach their potential—no matter their circumstance or background—and who go about helping others have the same belief in themselves.
Both Callenders consider George Wenglein—Teri’s father, and former president and CEO of Luby’s Cafeterias Inc.—one of the very best. When he died two years ago, men and women who’d worked for him for 60 years as fry cooks and dishwashers attended his funeral.
“He promised employees they’d never be asked to do something their manager hadn’t done him- or herself, whether it was scrubbing a floor or cleaning a grease trap,” Teri explains. “And he focused on helping them be successful.”
David Callender became UTMB’s fifth president on Sept. 1. But long before the couple arrived in Galveston, stories about his engaging and effective leadership style were making their way from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, where the head and neck surgeon held numerous senior leadership posts, and from UCLA, where he served from 2004 to 2007 as vice chancellor and chief executive officer for the university’s hospital system.
“Teri and I are both committed to a servant leadership approach,” Callender says. “We believe leaders best serve an institution when they give the people who are really doing the work the greatest chance for success. If they’re successful, the institution is successful.”
Teri defines her role as a volunteer, one willing to serve in any capacity to advance the institution, whether it’s championing priority programs or working behind the scenes to improve the campus environment. “We’re all here to make UTMB better,” she says. “My focus is on how I can help people be more successful in their jobs and on what I can do to make to make their work more rewarding.”
Callender says no single individual can determine the success or failure of an organization as large and complex as UTMB. “A number of us have to engage in identifying opportunities, defining priorities, and securing our future by making the right investments in those priorities.”
He acknowledges that this won’t happen overnight. “It’s a challenge for us to communicate well, to get enough information from everybody to make good decisions about what those priorities are, and to come to a collective understanding about where we’re going in the future. And that takes time. We’re also a diverse institution. Diversity is a marvelous thing, but you need to make sure you give yourself enough time to take full advantage of it.”
But the process is already under way. As president-designate, Callender began meeting in July with groups and individuals campus-wide to learn what they need from him, what they consider obstacles to success, and what they see as UTMB’s strengths. Everything he’s seen and heard so far conforms to what first attracted the Callenders to UTMB.
For Teri, it was the people. “They’re interested in making a difference, in making things better than they already are. There’s a deep sense of compassion and community here.”
Her husband agrees. “Teri and I have visited many great institutions, but nowhere has the collective dedication to mission and to accomplishing excellence been stronger.” While Callender holds UTMB’s legacy of service and its history of accomplishments in high regard, his focus is on the “marvelous expertise and excellence” that exist here today.
“Given the internal and external pressures of the past few years, perhaps we haven’t been able to focus on leveraging our strengths,” Callender explains. “We need to honor the traditions and accomplishments of the past, but we also need to be able to bring our expertise and excellence to bear on current and future problems in health care—here in Texas, across the nation and around the world.”
Those external pressures aren’t likely to diminish anytime soon. While Callender affirms that UTMB will never abandon its mission of caring for the underserved, he’s quick to point out that “you need enough paying patients to cover the cost of that care.” The corresponding focus on enhanced access and service includes plans for additional facilities on the mainland to meet the needs of UTMB patients and the growing population in southern Galveston County. New inpatient facilities on the island will look to attract patients from around the state, nation and world in need of specialty care. A new research building is also on the drawing board.
Callender also wants to broadcast far and wide the excellence in education, research and clinical care that exists at UTMB. “Even our own people are unaware that we have so much on the cutting edge in so many different areas. Let’s tell that story. Let’s make sure people within and beyond the institution understand what we’re doing and where we’re going.”
He’s been on a personal hunt for the “great stories” since he arrived and has ambitious plans for strengthening communication among senior leadership, faculty, staff, and students. He and Teri are also looking to enlarge the all-important network of UTMB alumni and friends, and they’re finalizing dates for visits throughout the state.
Both Texans were happy to return home. “You have deeper ties to the place you were born,” says Teri, a San Antonio native. The Callenders met on blind date orchestrated by a mutual friend 25 years ago. Teri was enrolled in graduate school at UT Austin. David, a Wichita Falls native, was completing a rotation at Brackenridge Hospital. The double date involved country western dancing, a pre-dawn breakfast at Denny’s and a two-hour guided tour of the state capital—ably led by history buff David.
The couple is equally enthusiastic about Galveston Island. “One of the marvelous things about being here is that it’s a small community,” says Callender. “It’s also a very active community. Now, some people may lament that at times, because there are so many different opinions about what we should be doing. But the fact that so many people are interested and involved creates opportunities for the community and for UTMB”
According to Teri, Galveston is also “heaven” for son Kerry—an affable, athletic 10-year-old who was as comfortable wielding a gavel with the chairman of the UT Board of Regents the day his father was named president-designate as he is on the gridiron with teammates.
Being “bleacher parents” affords the Callender family precious time together, something they’re committed to preserving in the face of their demanding schedules. Both Callenders also set great store in carving out time for exercise. Jogging for Teri is “think time and stress-reliever” combined. David, a regular at the Alumni Field House, believes people need to be “physically healthy and mentally clear to get the most out of their work.” And he considers it part of his job to “promote the concept of taking care of ourselves as we take care of others.”
Did young David Callender dream of leading a major academic health center one day? “I wanted to be an astronaut,” he says with a grin. When that didn’t pan out and medicine called, he became the first physician in his branch of the family. “I never set my sights on becoming the president of such a prestigious academic institution,” Callender admits. “It’s just something that happened. But I’m pleased about the opportunity and thrilled to be here.”
The Callenders say Jack and Mary Ann left “huge shoes to step into.” But Teri has no doubt her husband will be a good president, thanks to his integrity, his collaborative approach to the important work at hand, and his ability to make it fun. “He’s at the helm,” she explains, “but we’re all in this together.” UTMB’s new president credits his wife with “helping [him] see what success looks like for people at every level of the organization.”
Simply put, David and Teri Callender are committed to making a difference wherever they are. And it’s clear the wizards in their lives have prepared them well to lead an institution known for its long legacy of service and pioneering excellence.