First Latina CEO Named at South Texas Health System McAllen

South Texas Health System McAllen welcomes Emma Maria Montes-Ewing as its Chief Executive Officer.

In her role as Chief Executive Officer at South Texas Health System McAllen, Emma Maria Montes-Ewing will be responsible for leading the facility’s 1,100-plus staff members in the delivery of quality, compassionate care to patients in the Rio Grande Valley. Montes-Ewing, who brings more than 20 years of healthcare leadership experience, becomes the first Latina CEO at South Texas Health System’s largest acute care facility.

Throughout her career, she has helped build high-performing teams, develop service lines, increase revenue in competitive markets, and build healthy organizational cultures. Additionally, Montes-Ewing has demonstrated strengths in attracting talent, driving overall performance, and championing a high-quality patient experience.

“It is a privilege to have been selected to lead STHS McAllen, and I look forward to working closely with staff and physicians at the facility to continue to provide nationally recognized healthcare at the highest level to the residents of the City of McAllen and its surrounding communities,” says Montes-Ewing. “As an integrated network of care, South Texas Health System has a strong reputation in the community, and I’m honored and excited to usher in a new

era of leadership at STHS McAllen to ensure the hospital continues to serve patients, their families, and the community with quality, compassionate care.”

STHS McAllen has proudly served Valley residents since 1919. The full-service acute care facility — home to a Level 1 Trauma Center, Comprehensive Stroke Center, and Level III neonatal intensive care unit — opened its doors at its current location in 1985 after spending more than 50 years in downtown McAllen as McAllen Municipal Hospital, McAllen General Hospital, and McAllen Methodist Hospital.

“With her wealth of experience in a market similar to the Rio Grande Valley, her stellar track record built over two decades of leadership in healthcare, and her demonstrated commitment to quality, compassionate care, Emma will lead STHS McAllen into the future,” says Chuck Stark, Regional Vice President, South Texas Health System. “We look forward to working with Emma, who has the skill set necessary to build on STHS McAllen’s track record of clinical excellence and lead the facility forward.”