Some leaders are known for their roles while others are known for their talents and skills. Dr. Kim Nugent is an exceptional leader known for her multi-talented personality and comprehensive expertise. She is the Director of Talent and Organizational Development at Harris Health System and the Founder and Innovation Leadership Coach of Kim Nugent Enterprises.
Dr. Kim’s ultimate passion lies in helping others live their best professional life. As a certified leadership coach and organizational development practitioner, she has a proven track record of handling multiple roles and massive projects without delays. She is highly collaborative performing all by herself or in teams and delivering impeccable results. She thrives in fast-paced business environments and cherishes a chance to self-manage things through her innate problem-solving skills. Adding to her acumen, Dr. Kim states, “I possess verifiable leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills that allow me to put across my side of things with a crisp point to not only peers and colleagues but also the management. As a best-selling author on leadership development and mentorship, I thrive on helping individuals and groups become the best version of themselves.”
The Timeline of Dr. Kim’s Professional Journey
Since a young age, Dr. Kim has dreamed of pursuing a career in the hospitality industry. Dr. Raymond Goodman taught one of her first classes while in the undergraduate hotel and restaurant management program at the University of Houston. He was one of those professors, who made teaching look so easy that it inspired Dr. Kim to teach at a college one day. However, over time, she realized teaching was not everyone’s cup of tea and was not as easy as he made it seem. She transitioned from hospitality to higher education after earning her doctoral degree. In her two decades of professional career, she is extremely proud of the faculty, staff, and students she worked with in various roles, ending her career as a University President.
In 2015, Dr. Kim opened her company based on executive coaching, leadership, faculty, and staff development, she still operates it as Kim Nugent Enterprises, LLC. Her company focuses on quality service, education and prison reform in January 2018, she joined Harris Health in located in Houston, Texas. It is an extraordinary organization serving the residents of Harris County who are uninsured or underinsured by providing quality healthcare for those most in need.
In Dr. Kim’s long-standing professional journey, the cornerstones of her success lie in her core aims and ideals. Her core principles emphasize efficiency, a strong work ethic, and a commitment to service. Her passion is integrating support programs focusing on professional development and practical application. What sets Dr. Kim apart is her approach to focusing on holistic and practical strategies. Whether in her work for Harris Health or her business.
About Harris Health and Kim Nugent Enterprises
For Harris Health, its ‘Leading with Love‘ curriculum supports the ONE Harris Health competency framework that is taught virtually and accessible to all employees. Its ‘LEAD’ leadership education accelerated development three-session series for new leaders, Mission Retention, is a six-session series of classes to support all leaders with employee engagement and retention. Finally, its ‘Leading with Love Cultural Transformation Journey‘, sponsored by their CEO, Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, is a three-year commitment for all leaders to participate in face-to-face quarterly half-day workshops to reinforce expectations of leading with love and accountability while it becomes a high-reliability organization.
Kim Nugent Enterprises specializes in the corrections industry. It offers a peer mentorship program called ‘From Prison to Possibilities: Paving Your Path‘ for incarcerated men and women to develop soft skills and a realistic plan for re-entry upon release. It also offers a peer mentorship program for food service kitchen inmates to address food service-specific topics while incorporating soft skills. For leadership and staff in the corrections industry, it offers a program called ‘Promotion Protocol: Advancing Careers in Corrections‘.
For higher education, Kim Nugent Enterprises offers faculty development programs to meet the needs of new, intermediate, and experienced faculty to increase student engagement and retention. For other industries, it offers leadership executive development coaching.
Kim’s Roles and Responsibilities
At Harris Health System, Dr. Kim is responsible for leading the talent and organizational development body of work, including career and leadership development activities and initiatives that promote improved individual, group, and organization performance in support of Harris Health’s strategic objectives.
At Kim Nugent Enterprises, Dr. Kim is a certified Marshall Goldsmith executive coach, she partners with emerging leaders and executives using a stakeholder-centered approach. This style of coaching not only helps change behaviours but also perceptions.
Dr. Kim actively partners with executives and individuals to maximize productivity and promotability through coaching. Develop customized research-based leadership academies and faculty development programs to improve employee and student engagement. She deftly develops instructional materials and practical tools to be applied in work settings through face-to-face, blended, or online learning solutions. She works with SME’s, management, colleagues, and faculty to ensure buy-in. She uses an instructional design approach for learning to provide a systematic and comprehensive program. She assists in operational and human resources policy development.
To date, Dr. Kim has published six best-selling books on leadership and employee development. She actively writes blog articles every week on career topics to assist others in achieving career success. Also, she regularly partners with organizations to drive revenue, customer retention, and reduce employee turnover.
Confronting Challenges Efficiently
Dr. Kim has faced several career obstacles, including the challenges of transitioning from a successful career in the food service industry to higher education to healthcare and becoming a recognized leader in innovation and leadership coaching. She overcame these obstacles by leveraging her extensive experience, pursuing higher education with each transition, and continuously seeking mentorship and professional development. Her resilience and dedication to helping others live their best professional lives have been the key factors that contributed to her success.
Serving with Passion and Purpose
“Success for me is having the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. It is what drives me.”
Dr. Kim’s passion is developing solutions to the existing challenges for Harris Health or her business. The current focus at Harris Health is its Leading with Love Cultural Transformation leadership development program. It is sponsored by their CEO, Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, and has many unique features to support growth and development while transforming the way they work.
Kim Nugent Enterprises’ primary focus is facilitating a fully integrated program for prison reform. A three-part program supporting staff growth and development, resident mentorship focusing on soft skills and a re-entry plan, and a food service mentorship program for residents with a career focus.
Dr. Kim’s Source of Inspiration
Earlier, Dr. Kim has had two mentors who taught and inspired her. Today, Mr. Michael Bell inspires her for many reasons. First, his faith in God, his ability to think outside the box, and his willingness to serve anyone he comes into contact with to make a positive difference. He is always forward-thinking and incorporating technology to make access easier for specific populations. His purpose-driven approach and customer-centric service always inspire and motivate Dr. Kim to excel in her work and pave the path for her business.
Cherishing Moments of Victory
Harris Health and Dr. Kim have won multiple awards and recognitions for their incredible work and outstanding performance. As they continue to grow with leaps and bounds, these honours will serve as a source of motivation to keep doing their best and win many more.
For Harris Health, Training Magazine honoured them in 2023 for all its training efforts in 2024, Brandon Hall awarded Harris Health the HCM silver award for its LEAD program. In November 2024, the Houston Business Journal HR Award honoured its CEO, Dr. Porsa, for sponsoring its Leading with Love Cultural Transformation program.
For Kim Nugent Enterprises, IAOTP awarded Dr. Kim the 2019 Innovative Coach of the Year, 2020 Empowered Woman of the Year, 2021 Innovative Coach of the Decade, 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2023, 2023 Houston’s Top 50 Most Influential Women, received from Amazon the International Bestselling Author Award for the Top 50 Fearless Leaders and the 2024 Top 25 Global Impact Leaders Award.
Dr. Kim’s Short and Sweet Piece of Advice to Aspiring Leaders and Entrepreneurs
“The best advice, I can offer is to have a mentor. Be willing to ask for help and learn. Your mentors will change and you will gain more experience and learn a lot.”
Looking forward to a Prosperous Future
For Harris Health, the long-term objective is to be recognized for leading with love while offering quality patient care. This will become its differentiator as it fulfils its goal of becoming a highly reliable organization.
For Kim Nugent Enterprises, the long-term objective is to reduce risk violations while incarcerated and reduce recidivism in its prisons.
Notable Testimonials
- Patty Poole, MS, Vice President for Programs, Association for Talent Development (ATD), Houston Chapter
“Seeks to continuously broaden professional horizons is the phrase that comes to mind when I think about Dr. Kim Nugent. I have had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Kim since 2015, during which she dedicated her time and outstanding work as the Director of Programs. Above all, I was impressed with how Dr. Kim inspires others to do their best and her commitment to achieving goals for our organization. Her support and preparation contributed to the huge success of our general meeting programs for the Association for Talent Development (ATD) Houston Chapter. Dr. Kim is a true asset for any arena requiring leadership and learning development, and comes with my sincere recommendation.”
- H. Paul Bao, Ph.D. Vice President of Academic Affairs Helms College Augusta, Georgia
“I have known Dr. Kim Nugent for 20 years and witnessed her professional growth and advancement in two different organizations. Her passion for education, learning, and leadership development is contagious! Anyone who comes close to her sphere of influence can’t help but become positively impacted by her enthusiasm, insights, and eloquence. Her wealth of knowledge in leadership, management and training, coupled with her compelling style of communication, make her an ideal speaker for professional conference sessions and onsite training and development workshops. I’d love to have her train, develop, and inspire my team members any day!”