We continue the series of the Coastal Bend Black Excellence this week as we highlight Keisia Sobers-Butler.
Keisia Sobers-Butler is the Senior Director Population Health Services for Driscoll. She is also the first African American woman to hold such a high position where she manages the clinical case management team of 180 plus employees of 5 locations.
The Driscoll health plan is a medicine managed care organization that is responsible for 216,000 lives. “It’s pretty cool to be one of those trailblazers you know in the community,” said Sobers-Butler.
Sobers-Butler said she has been in Texas for 24 years but is originally from New Orleans. She said she is a product of Texas and historical Black colleges. She is a 3rd generational college student with two bachelor’s degrees. Right now, she is working on her Doctorates degree in Nursing at university of Texas Tyler.
On top of her love for education, what does she say comes first? Being a mom. Her 18 year-old daughter Bailey Butler has Vacterl Syndrome.
“Bailey at this point has had 16 surgeries. And I guess in doing that, I became a nurse. And I immediately knew I wanted to do more nursing than just bedside because I was a mom, a new mom that had a kid that had a lot of complex issues,” said Sobers-Butler.
From being a Nurse, Sobers-Butler became a certified case manager at Pediatric Hospital in Houston where she was able to support families dealing with medical emergencies and issues. From there she has received multiple promotions.
“I think she has brought her talent her energy her style, she has put her own stamp on leadership where she has inspired others as a woman of color as a leader but also as a mom,” said Dr. Serrao.
With the support of her family. “From being a mom to being in school to going to work, she just, she does it all and we don’t know how. She and all the rest of my family have just given me such a good support system,” said Sobers-Butler’s daughter, Bailey Butler.
“Thank you just for believing in me and not giving up on me,” said Butler.
Sobers-Butler said she’s thankful for Driscoll for letting her pursue her passion of Public Health policy and focusing on new laws at the state level, including how the Coastal Bend can manage public emergency differently?
“I sit on a couple of state committees, I have a voice in legislation. But it was really grounded in being a mom, with a complex kid. And really understanding the business world and understanding the clinical aspects and saying no mom needs this, or mom needs that because it was personal for me,” said Sobers-Butler.
“I still want to make certain that we leave this place, a better place than when we started,” said Sobers-Butler.