It is seldom that you have a chance to thank a hospital for saving a loved one’s life with more than just words and donations.
Quintin Robinson has been given the chance to do that with his recent appointment as vice president of employee experience at ALSAC, the fund-raising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Robinson is a former reporter for The Commercial Appeal, whose career change into business led him to the hospital that saved his son’s life.
Prior to joining ALSAC, Robinson was a sales leader with Cigna. He also has held human resources leadership roles with the City of Memphis, Shelby County Schools and Walmart in Bentonville, Ark.
Quintin B. Robinson was 12 when he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare sarcoma that develops in the muscles and can cause pain and swelling.
Today he is 33 and enjoying a successful career at the University of Tennessee. His mom is a nurse at St. Jude, sharing her talents and experience with patients and families.
“We are thrilled to have Quintin join the ALSAC team and support our employee experience strategy as we continue our focus on a people-first culture,” said Annette Green, ALSAC chief people officer.
“Quintin’s 20-plus years of human resources experience, as well as his sales and communications background, will strengthen our team’s efforts to lead innovative workplace initiatives through his proven leadership, strategic planning, and relationship skills.”
American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities – ALSAC – is the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
ALSAC is referred to as “organization” not “arm” because it is not an “arm” of the hospital and is a separate entity that exists solely to support the mission of St. Jude.
ALSAC has approximately 1,500 employees – the majority based in Memphis on the St. Jude campus, and others throughout the United States and in its territory offices.
Robinson said his overarching goal is to partner with chief officials to develop and lead high-impact, people-focused initiatives and strategies to create a culture that every employee dreams about.
Robinson is a graduate of Tennessee State University, with a degree in English and minor in Journalism.
What followed was 20 years in news, including 18 years as a reporter and editor at The Commercial Appeal. He earned an MBA from Union University while working full-time as deputy business editor at The Commercial Appeal, and transitioned into the newspaper’s human resources office as employee relations manager after completing the MBA.
“I would say the journalism training gave me a strong foundation to transition into other business roles later,” Robinson said.
He said working in journalism taught him how to build trust – the same trust necessary to build relationships with sources for smooth business relationships.
Robinson said he plans to bring that skill and others to ALSAC, also recognizing that every employee of ALSAC builds awareness and is a fund-raiser for the hospital, which provides hope to children around the world who are diagnosed with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses
Last year, ALSAC was named No. 1 on Best Workplaces for Innovators by Fast Company and made the list again this year.
This year, St. Jude embarked upon its largest investment ever – in the midst of a pandemic – a bold, six-year, $11.5 billion strategic plan to accelerate research and treatment for catastrophic childhood diseases across the globe. St. Jude will expand research and treatment programs to advance cures for childhood catastrophic diseases.
The $11.5 billion, six-year investment includes research to find answers to the most-deadly cancers; work in nonmalignant hematological diseases, such as sickle cell disease; a new laboratory-based research program in infectious diseases that affect children worldwide, and a new research and clinical program to better understand and treat pediatric neurological diseases.
It triples St. Jude’s global investment to impact more of the 400,000 kids with cancer around the world each year; kids who rely on the emerging collaboration and investments of St. Jude, the World Health Organization, and a coalition of international partners as their lifeline.
“As a St. Jude parent, I have experienced what families who come to our hospital for help and hope experience,” said Robinson.
“When the opportunity to work for ALSAC presented itself, I saw an opportunity to come here and work in a place that I really believe in. I’m truly blessed to work for an organization whose mission is to find cures and save children.”
