TEMPLE, Texas - Baylor Scott & White Health announced today that Bonifacio "Ben" Benitez III has been named president of Baylor Scott & White McLane Children's Medical Center, effective Sept. 28. Benitez will join the organization following a leadership transition that began after the passing of longtime Baylor Scott & White McLane Children's President Dell Ingram-Walker in March.

He joins Baylor Scott & White from CHRISTUS Children's in San Antonio, where he has served as vice president of operations since 2018.

"Ben is an accomplished and thoughtful leader who shares our commitment to putting children and families first," said Greg Haralson, president of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple and the Central Texas Region. Haralson has served as interim president of Baylor Scott & White McLane Children's since March. "Ben's operational experience, collaborative leadership style and dedication to expanding access to pediatric care will serve Baylor Scott & White McLane Children's well. We look forward to welcoming him to Central Texas as he builds on the strong foundation established by Dell Ingram-Walker."

Benitez will lead the hospital's operational and clinical initiatives and work to advance exceptional care for children and families across Central Texas. As the region's only children's hospital, Baylor Scott & White McLane Children's is home to a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, providing the highest level of care for premature and critically ill newborns, as well as a verified Level II pediatric trauma center that delivers expert emergency and trauma care for children throughout the region. Under Benitez's leadership, the hospital will continue building on its legacy of delivering compassionate, high-quality care close to home.

"Baylor Scott & White McLane Children's is a special place with an extraordinary team," said Benitez. "I am honored to join an organization with such a deep commitment to children and families. I look forward to listening, learning and working alongside the physicians, nurses, team members and the broader community who make this hospital so meaningful to Central Texas. I am also deeply mindful of Dell Ingram-Walker's enduring legacy and committed to honoring the foundation she established."

At CHRISTUS Children's, a 220-bed academic children's and women's hospital, Benitez oversaw perioperative services, radiology, rehabilitation, laboratory, pharmacy and respiratory therapy, as well as physician contracting and rural business development. During his tenure, the hospital achieved sustained surgical growth, expanded outpatient rehabilitation services into underserved neighborhoods and extended pediatric care to rural communities.

Earlier in his career, Benitez spent more than a decade with Memorial Hermann in Houston. That experience included more than five years as a director of hospital operations at the Texas Medical Center campus, where he was a leader within surgical services and ambulatory operations.

Benitez earned a Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and a Bachelor of Healthcare Administration from Texas State University. He completed the Texas Hospital Association Executive Leadership Fellows Program and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

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