Meet Debra Brennan Tagg: 2021 Investment Committee Chair

MEET DEBRA BRENNAN TAGG

2021 Investment Committee Chair

Like her mother, Debra Brennan Tagg loves to give on behalf of children. Initially a volunteer at Children’s Health in the early 2000s, Debra has since served on various Children’s Health boards and committees that have helped shape Children’s Health into the leading pediatric health system of North Texas.

A Certified Financial Planner and President of BFS Advisory Group, Debra currently serves as chair of the Children’s Health Investment Committee, where she provides guidance on investments to support the Children’s Health mission to make life better for children.

WHEN YOU WERE LOOKING TO GET INVOLVED IN AN ORGANIZATION, WHY DID YOU FIRST CHOOSE CHILDREN’S HEALTH TO VOLUNTEER?

When I moved back to Dallas from Los Angeles in my 20s, I was looking for a place to volunteer. I have volunteered my entire life—it’s part of my DNA. My parents, Dave and Sandy Brennan, are longtime supporters of Children’s Health and donated to help build Children’s Medical Center Plano. When I heard Children’s Health needed volunteers to hold babies, I thought that sounded like the best volunteer job. WHAT KEEPS YOU WANTING TO SUPPORT CHILDREN’S HEALTH THROUGH VOLUNTEERING AND NOW SERVING ON VARIOUS BOARDS?

Now that I’m a parent, I better understand what parents go through if their child is at Children’s Health for a severe illness or trauma. The support that our amazing doctors and nurses give to those families takes an intense amount of energy and is really awe-inspiring. I can’t work on the front lines with patients, but if I can be some help in the boardroom to make sure the hospital is running well so families can be cared for in a safe place, that is gratifying volunteer work.

WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU’RE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF FROM YOUR SERVICE ON THE INVESTMENT COMMITTEE?

Within a few months of accepting the chair position for the Investment Committee, I was charged with helping hire a new Chief Investment Officer, which I had not anticipated. We launched a nationwide search and had an overwhelmingly positive response, with hundreds of people applying for the position. I knew this was a very meaningful decision we were making for Children’s Health, and the committee was extremely dedicated in finding the CIO that could lead us into the future. I’m very proud of our choice to have Ken Lee join as our CIO, and am excited about his leadership and what he will help us build at Children’s Health.

Our support began after watching a few families, near and dear to us, face the challenge of caring for one terminally ill child and another trying to overcome rare cancer. When these families face these hardships, it is hard to find any normalcy in life for themselves, their ill child, or any siblings. We established our fund in hopes of easing some of the burdens during such a difficult time.”

Stacey Atherton,

Vice President of J.L. Parker Plumbing Inc., on why they established the J.L. Parker Plumbing Endowment Fund