BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

hroughout Christine VanDeVelde Luskin ’ s career as a journalist and best-selling author focusing on education , she ’ s interviewed some of the nation ’ s foremost leaders in the sector and has spoken extensively about college admissions . She ’ s written two books : College Admission : From Application to Acceptance , Step by Step , and a new book focusing on early child education to be published soon .

When she and her husband , Don , moved to Highland Park from Chicago in

2019 , Christine quickly immersed herself in two boards whose missions aligned with her passions for healthcare and education : Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation and Uplift Education . Christine shares why these two board roles are meaningful to her .

What led you to become involved in the BSW Dallas Foundation board ?

A longtime physician of mine , Dr . Vani Konda , whom I originally met in

2012 when she was at the University of Chicago , took a position at Baylor Scott & White . She was instrumental in my overcoming a health crisis and I was interested in supporting her in her work . One of the highlights of moving to Dallas was being back under her care . I worked closely with the team at

BSW Dallas Foundation to make an estate gift in Dr . Konda ’ s honor . As I learned more about the Foundation ’ s role in advancing healthcare innovation in our region , I was honored when I was asked to join .

How has your role as a mother influenced which topics you choose to cover as a writer ?

Being a parent has been my highest achievement in life . When my daughter was an infant , getting into a preschool in our area was competitive . One of the great strokes of luck of my parenting journey was that Stanford University ’ s Bing Nursery School accepted her . Bing so enriched and informed my own parenting that I wanted to write a book with some of those lessons that all parents could benefit from .

When my daughter was applying for college , I found there weren ’ t any good books about the application process . I ran into Robin Mamlet , the former dean of admissions at Stanford , whom I ’ d interviewed several times . I told her my frustration . She was transitioning away from her role at that time and asked if I ’ d like to write a book together , so the opportunity to write College Admission fell into my lap .

As a member of the Uplift Education and BSW Dallas Foundation boards , what excites you about these organizations working together to build pathways for high school students to high-demand healthcare careers ? Creating healthcare-focused high school campuses is incredibly important . There are so many ways to have a good life and contribute to other people ’ s well-being other than going to college . For students who don ’ t want to go the four-year college route or can ’ t for various reasons , how do we get them excited about another path ? This is an avenue for students to establish a professional career that can provide them with financial stability .

What excites you about being on the BSW Dallas Foundation Board ?

As a board member , I ’ m given a close look into the organization , so I can go out in the community and spread the word about the meaningful work they ’ re doing . For example , I recently had the pleasure of co-hosting an event with my fellow Foundation board member , Michelle Lobel , where we invited people new to the Dallas area to introduce them to the incredible mission and work happening at Baylor Scott & White and Baylor University Medical Center .

The access to information about where things are headed in medicine is amazing . Even if what I learn doesn ’ t impact me directly , I usually know someone who can benefit from the information .

“ As a board member , I ’ m given a close look into the organization , so I can go out in the community and spread the word about the meaningful work they ’ re doing .”

— Christine VanDeVelde Luskin

THE COMPASS / BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE FOUNDATION NEWS / SPRING 2024 3