Aracely P. Muñoz
Children's Health-Children's Medical Center Foundation
Dallas, Texas
Why is a 40 under 40 winner
- In 2018, her first full year in her current position, Aracely and her team increased corporate giving by partners through CMNH by 64%.
- She serves as a board member for Educational Opportunities, Inc., a volunteer organization that provides college scholarships to Dallas students. Aracely also volunteers with the DFW Hispanic 100 and the Texas Women’s Foundation.
- Aracely coordinated the COVID-19 engagement of corporate partners for the hospital, including contributions of 15,0000 meals for more than 5,000 employees and more than 10,000 masks and other essential items.
Q & A
1. How did you get into healthcare philanthropy?
I had been in the nonprofit sector and CSR for several years already before joining the hospital foundation team at Children's Health. It was a dear friend that I used to work with in a previous role that gave me a call one day and asked me to consider applying for a development officer position on the foundation team that he had joined the year before. I looked at the job description and was sold instantly on the potential impact I could make sharing the stories of patients and families with corporate partners.
2. Tell us about a pivot point or crucial step in your career journey.
I had to walk away once from a role that was not good on my mental health. I was a recent newlywed and also juggling being a stepmother to two teens and a tween at the time. I had to walk away from that position not knowing what would come next in my career journey. It was at this time that I received a call to consider joining the foundation team at Children's Health. That call changed my life, and it came when I was at my lowest point professionally in terms of confidence in myself. It was at Children's Health that I was given the opportunity to thrive, grow, and build out a team that has already done amazing things in the four years I have been at the hospital.
3. What piece of advice would you give aspiring 40 Under 40 recipients?
Stay the course. Learn from growth opportunities and use those moments to train future leaders coming behind you.