Juanita Reed, MBA
Juanita Reed, MBA, PMP, Lean Six Sigma is an accomplished Program Portfolio Manager with over 23 years of experience in information technology, exclusively within the healthcare industry. She began her career in the technical side of IT, focusing on system configurations, design, and vendor collaborations. Transitioning to the customer side, she moved into project and program management for hospitals and healthcare organizations, leveraging her technical expertise to lead complex, high-impact initiatives. Today, Juanita serves as a portfolio program leader at Tenet Healthcare, managing one of the company’s largest towers. In this role, she oversees 100 to 300 daily project demands across 350 acute care and ambulatory facilities and 500 acute centers, assigning projects to a team of 23 project and program managers while collaborating with senior leadership to ensure alignment, efficiency, and timely escalation of critical issues.
Juanita combines strategic vision with hands-on execution. She regularly mentors her team through workshops, coaching project managers toward professional growth and certifications such as PMP, while personally managing the organization’s top-priority programs. Her leadership spans initiatives in application rationalization, system upgrades, cloud migration, cybersecurity, and IT governance, all aimed at driving operational efficiency and innovation in healthcare services. Her extensive experience and certifications, including an MBA, PMP, and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, allow her to bridge the gap between technology and business, ensuring every project she oversees delivers measurable results.
Outside of her corporate career, Juanita is a passionate entrepreneur and community advocate. She owns The Food Joy, a small food truck business, and was honored with the Texas Business Hall of Fame Award in 2024 for her innovation and entrepreneurial drive, joining a prestigious alumni group alongside leaders like the presidents of HEB and Mark Cuban. She volunteers extensively, mentoring incarcerated individuals through a shark tank-style entrepreneurship program and guiding young entrepreneurs from underserved communities via the Southern Baptist Chamber of Commerce. On Sundays, she drives her food truck to homeless shelters, providing free meals to those in need. Juanita’s journey reflects resilience and determination—overcoming personal hardships, including homelessness and raising three children as a single mother—to achieve professional excellence and make a meaningful impact in her community.
• PMP (Project Management Professional)
• Certified Scrum Master
• Six Sigma Lean Greenbelt
• Dallas Baptist University - MBA
• University of Phoenix - BS, Project and Business Management
• University of Phoenix - BS, Computer Science
• Texas Business Hall of Fame Scholarship Award
• Texas Business Hall of Fame
• Black MBA of Dallas
• National Black MBA Association
• U.S. Womens Chamber of Commerce
• Prison Entrepreneurship Program (monthly mentoring and shark tank-style business training for prisoners close to release)
• Southern Baptist Chamber of Commerce (helping upcoming entrepreneurs with SBA loans and business plans)
• Homeless shelter food service (serving free meals from food truck on Sundays)
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the journey it took to get to where I am today. I struggled a lot as a divorced woman with three children. I was actually homeless for a couple of years, but I didn't let anything that came my way stop me. Through sheer determination and knowing what I was going to become, I decided I was still going to go to school and educate myself to make it. I weathered the storm and worked really hard to get where I am. I didn't just step into corporate America and become a program leader - I actually worked really hard to get there despite all my life circumstances. Walking away from my marriage, becoming homeless, and having three kids didn't dictate or stop my direction and where I was going moving forward. I really had to understand that given the opportunity, and you will get it if you really want it, you can get out there and do the same thing. It's a struggle, but it's not hard to identify your path and then move forward. That's why I'm so passionate about helping other people make it to their dream and seeing their story play out successfully in their lives.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is that it’s never too late to start, grow, or change course, and that a successful career can begin at any moment. I’ve learned that success isn’t defined by age or timing, but by consistency, adaptability, and the courage to pursue opportunities even when they seem out of reach. Whether it’s pivoting into a new field, earning a certification, or focusing on a long-term passion, taking action now is always better than waiting for the “perfect moment.” Embracing change, continuously developing my skills, and staying open to new challenges has allowed me to grow professionally and achieve meaningful results throughout my career.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I want women to understand that even us as leaders in corporate America or entrepreneurship, we were there once too. Being in a difficult situation doesn't dictate or stop your direction and where you're going moving forward. It doesn't, and it won't. You really have to understand that given the opportunity, and you will get it if you really want it, you can get out there and do the same thing. It's a struggle, but it's not hard to identify your path and then move forward. I know there are women out there that have a similar story to mine, but they don't understand that leaders like me were there once too. If I am selected as an influential woman, I would like to reflect that, because this doesn't stop your direction. You can get out there and thrive just like I did.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges and opportunities in my field right now is balancing the demands of leading complex IT and program portfolios while staying innovative and responsive to organizational needs. As a full-time employee, an entrepreneur, and an active volunteer, I navigate multiple responsibilities every day, which requires strong time management, prioritization, and strategic thinking. At the same time, this busy, multi-faceted role presents opportunities to drive meaningful change, mentor others, and apply lessons from entrepreneurship and community engagement to enhance operational efficiency and foster innovation within healthcare.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My faith is very important to me I stay in church and go to church activities. My three wonderful grown children are central to my life. I'm now happily married and run the food truck business with my husband. I also have two dogs that I love to spend time with when I can. But what really drives me is making sure that whoever comes behind me, whether in corporate America or in entrepreneurship, has the ability to thrive just like I did. I feel so passionate about helping other people make it to their dream and seeing their story play out successfully in their lives. That's really what my life is about today - strengthening entrepreneurs and helping people become self-sufficient, whether they're young people coming out of high school, prisoners preparing for release, or anyone in the community who needs guidance.