Esther Kwon
Chief Executive Officer, Methodist Hospital Texsan
Esther Kwon joined Methodist Hospital Texsan in May of 2023.Previously, Esther served as the Chief Operating Officer for St. David’s Medical Center, holding various administrative roles since 2012.
During her time as COO, Esther led 16 hospital departments/services with more than 400 full-time employees, and she has played an instrumental role in leading the hospital through multiple regulatory and emergency operation situations, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Esther is a member of the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Texas Board of Directors, as well as a mentor for the St. David’s Foundation Neal Kocurek Scholarship program.
Tonja Thigpen
Chief Nursing Officer, Methodist Hospital Texsan
Tonja Thigpen, MSN, CCNS, CCRN-K, NEA-BC joined Methodist Hospital Texsan as Chief Nursing Officer in August of 2022. She has been responsible for driving service line growth, staff development and cost reduction.
Previously, Tonja served as the CNO for Methodist Hospital | Atascosa. Having served as a Nursing Director over several departments including, Critical Care, Emergency Department, Trauma and Adult Care Services, Tonja brings extensive experience to the hospital. At Mary Washington hospital, she improved nurse retention in her Critical Service line and Emergency Department. She also received the Outstanding Leader Award in 2018 and 2019 and led her Emergency Department to obtain a high-performing team award in 2018. Tonja also served in the United States Army for nine years.
Janelle Lopez
Chief Operating Officer, Methodist Hospital Texsan
Janelle Lopez started serving Methodist Hospital Texsan as the Chief Operating Officer in April 2022. Previously, Janelle served as the Associate Chief Operating Officer for Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital. Prior to joining the Methodist Healthcare System in 2008, Janelle served our country in the United States Air Force as a Medical Technician. She has held various leadership roles within the system including Manager, Director and Admin Director of Ancillary Services at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital.
During her tenure at Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital, Janelle successfully opened a seven bed Methodist Sleep Lab with an estimated revenue of $2M, expanded the Inpatient Rehab Unit to 24 bed capacity with an average ADC of 22 and built a business case for future expansion for up to 30 beds. During the pandemic, Janelle was instrumental in opening MASH as a COVID facility and assisting with the vaccination clinic at the MH/MCH.
David Heckman, CPA
Chief Financial Officer, Methodist Hospital Texsan
David Heckman joined Methodist Hospital Texsan as Chief Financial Officer in December 2018. David has direct responsibility for all financial activities to include accounting and budgeting along with planning and development of operational strategies.
David most recently served as Vice President of Finance at Methodist Hospital. He supported various projects to include the $252 million campus expansion, along with overseeing all financial aspects of facility operations.
David joined Methodist Healthcare in 1998 and has served in various roles, such as controller, assistant controller and senior financial analyst. David holds a Certified Public Accountant license in the state of Texas.
Christopher Ward, CMO
Chief Medical Officer, Methodist Hospital Texsan
Christopher C. Ward, MD, MBA, FACEP, CPE, OStJ serves as the Chief Medical Officer for Methodist Hospital Texsan. Most recently, Christopher served as the Vice Chair for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Steward Healthcare in Boston. Ward's goal is to build on the foundation of improving clinical outcomes, enhancing medical staff collaboration, and empowering our team to uphold the highest standards of care.
Christopher has an extensive background in healthcare, specifically within the Emergency Department. Christopher received his Bachelor of Science from Florida State University, obtained his Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and completed his Emergency Medicine Residency Program at Emory University. Recently, Christopher also completed the Trium Global Executive MBA program from NYU Stern, London School of Economics, and Paris HEC.