We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Elizabeth Simonton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Elizabeth below.

Elizabeth , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

There were two Mothers who had a baby in the NICU at the time my son, Benedict, was there who really inspired the creation of ICU baby. The NICU is the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and it is the division of the hospital that cares for the tiniest members of our community – babies born premature or critically ill. Benedict’s NICU bed sat side-by-side with nearly 24 other beds holding newborn babies requiring specialized medical care.

Immediately across from Benedict’s bed was a baby born 3 months before her due date. This baby had been in the hospital for over two months and her mother would come in every night around 8:30pm to visit her baby until around 11:00pm. She was a single mother and, by day, working. When she arrived at night, the nurse would come to her and update her about her baby’s progress and set backs. The mother would just sit there still, looking absolutely exhausted, overwhelmed and fragile.

At the end of the row of NICU beds was a baby who had been in the NICU for over a month and he was finally ready to go home. Except, in order to have medical clearance to leave the NICU, babies must pass a car seat test. They sit in a car seat for a period of time and the nurses monitor their vitals signs to make sure it’s safe for them to travel home. It was this baby’s turn to take this test for a second time. He had failed the first time, requiring additional days in the hospital. And then, he failed a second time. When he did, his mother let out a wail – a cry that was so primitive and desperate in nature it echoed through the NICU. She was stricken with disappointment and a wave of emotions, knowing he would have to stay in the hospital even longer.

“Who supports these families?”, I asked the nurse. “We do our best,” she said. But, of course the healthcare team is concerned with the physical health of the baby and is not really responsible for the wellness of the family. These mothers were alone, sad and desperate.

I saw that the babies were receiving the best medical care. I wanted to help the families. Those mothers who sat so eagerly by their newborn baby’s bedside as he fought so hard for survival and good health.

I left with a healthy son after a short stay in the NICU. Benedict was fine. ICU baby was officially born 6 months later.

Since we were founded, the ICU baby Team has helped thousands of NICU families whose journeys have been similar to those two mothers whose experience impacted me so deeply.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

We like to say that ICU baby was born of personal experience. My son, Benedict, was in the NICU for a short time which came after a very challenging pregnancy. I had girls – ages 2 and 3 – and I was on bedrest and in-and-out of doctors appointments regularly. When Benedict was born and admitted to the NICU our world was rocked.

The blessing was that he was only in the NICU for a short time and came home healthy. The godsend was that, in my short time in the NICU with Benedict, I was exposed to an area of great need in our community – the need for support of families with a baby in the NICU.

I am attorney, but had put that career on pause to raise my children. When I started to talk with friends and colleagues about the absence of formal support for NICU families, I came into contact with critical people that helped found the organization. Melissa White of the Key Biscayne Community Foundation, approved my proposal to start a fiscal sponsorship fund at the Foundation to support families. Friends and colleagues made donations. Leah Jayanetti and Ani Buraglia joined forces with me to bring their individual expertise in the NICU and in non-profit work, respectively, in order to expand the idea and start the organization. And, Nichole Aldrich, whose son died in the NICU, committed to the work and incredible hours of becoming the co-founder.

Leah now is the most well known NICU support mentor in the area, leading programs and education in our major Miami NICUs Ani has guided and funded us for 8 years as a critical member of our Board of Directors. And, Nichole wears many hats, currently running our finances and continuously guiding the organization to success.

I rely heavily on my experience as an attorney as I run operations, write grants and speak publicly about the work ICU baby does in the South Florida community. Being at the helm of one of the fastest growing non-profit organizations in Miami brings with it hours upon hours of work. And, truly, every minute is worth it knowing what a meaningful difference our staff, volunteers and funders make for NICU families by way of their incredible commitment to the cause.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Understanding that the ability to develop and lead a non-profit is a privilege has been critical to my sustainability and success with the organization. There have been so many blessings put in front of me that have paved the way for ICU baby to exist and flourish. This starts with Benedict being admitted to the NICU. It was one of the most fearful times of my life, but during that journey I found a purpose and a calling.

I was also incredibly fortunate to have many of the skillsets required to begin and then navigate the growth of a non-profit, starting with the law degree and continuing with my love of rallying people around an important cause. I will forever be grateful to the friends and initial supporters that believed in the “concept” of ICU baby and backed the idea with their time, talents and financial support. The team that we have created is one of the best in Miami and the thousands of volunteers who have pushed the mission forward have been critical. ICU baby could may have been built by a team of 4, but it’s the efforts of over 4,000+ at this point that have led to its success..

There are very long days when I worry about our funding or feel like we are not doing enough. I honestly want to throw in the towel at least twice a month. And then, a parent will text me or email me with a picture of their baby out of the hospital. They will tell me how ICU baby made a difference – made then smile, helped them through the darkest times, got them to the hospital when they otherwise couldn’t afford to, gave them a meal when they were hungry.

And then, when these notes come in, I am reminded that this is not a career. It’s a calling. It is truly one of my greatest privileges to be able to do this work.

Any advice for managing a team?

I sincerely believe that we have one of the most effective and efficient teams in Miami! We are women led and almost everyone on our staff is a mother. The balance of family commitments with work commitments is never easy, but our team not only does it successfully, they thrive. We accomplish so much. With a small team and small budget … we do big things.

We lead with passion and back it up with tenancious work ethic and drive. Our team matches this. It’s said to “lead from the top” and we do. But, we really lead by example. We put in the long hours, take ownership of our mistakes, listen to our team’s ideas and concerns, validate the work that they are doing, offer time for them to be with their family when it is important and celebrate how far we have come together.

By design, we hire leaders. They take ownership of their tasks exclusively. While we encourage teamwork, we want our staff to be experts in their own area of ICU baby. We try to “stay our their lane.” This allows us to shine and grow in our speciality and, perhaps even more importantly, it allows our teammates to feel empowered in their specialty area as well.

By creating a culture of high expectations and applauding leadership, our team of working women grow personally and professionally while being responsible for the incredible growth of the organization.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.icubaby.org
• Instagram: ICU baby (@icubaby_org)
• Facebook: ICUbaby.org
• Linkedin: ICU baby
• Twitter: @icubaby_org
• Youtube: @icubaby2406

Image Credits
Roger Arguello Photography Alejandra Escalante Photography