Carlsbad Medical Center Employees Honored at Annual Celebration
2/6/2026
Carlsbad Medical Center recently presented several awards at its annual Employee Celebration, held January 23rd. In addition to service awards, Employees and Directors of the Year were recognized. These awards are the highest honors bestowed on hospital employees each year.
“We have an incredible staff at Carlsbad Medical Center,” says Carlsbad Medical Center CEO Matthew Banks. “It’s a pleasure to recognize our employees for their dedication to our patients and the community, and to providing outstanding care.”
Employees are chosen for the awards by the CMC leadership team, with feedback from their peers, based on their commitment to patient care, their professionalism, and their contributions on the job.
Ciera Navarrette was named 2025 CMC Employee of the Year. Navarrette joined the CMC team in 2022 in the Human Resources department. In 2024 she was promoted to the position of Medical Staff Coordinator, overseeing the credentialing process for all hospital medical staff including physicians and allied health professionals. She is also responsible for the coordination and administrative oversight for CMC’s Medical Staff Committees. Ciera is known to be organized, detail-oriented, professional, and always willing to lend a helping hand or go the extra mile to ensure the job is done. She organizes CMC’s annual Doctors’ Day luncheon, where each year the hospital shows appreciation for all providers and makes a donation to a local non-profit organization in honor of the medical staff. She is always one of the first to offer to help with employee appreciation activities and hospital-sponsored events such as health fairs, provider networking receptions, Girls’ Night Out (which is a fundraiser for Brittany’s Hope) and the EMS & Law Enforcement Appreciation Night. Ciera believes in the importance of community service and has enjoyed volunteering for United Way Food Distributions, the United Way Day of Caring, the National Night Out for First Responders, and the Jars of Love Peanut Butter Drive, and many other projects and events to serve the community.
Kris Armendariz was named 2025 Non-Clinical Director of the Year. Armendariz has been part of the Carlsbad Medical Center family since 1998. He began as a young Emergency Department Registrar and proceeded to move up to Trauma Registrar, ED/Trauma Manager, Manager of Critical Care and Specialty Services, and now currently serves as the Director of Emergency Medical Services. He was previously named Director of the Year in 2013 and again in 2023. His co-workers, as well as community residents know Kris as a “go-to” person at CMC and know that he is able to find answers to any questions they may have. The relationships he has built with the law enforcement community have greatly strengthened our area’s healthcare network, and each year Armendariz organizes CMC’s annual Law Enforcement & EMS Appreciation event to honor and thank first responders. He also assists with many other hospital events, such as employee appreciation activities, health fairs, and fundraising for the United Way and Brittany’s Hope. Known to continuously go above and beyond the call of duty, Kris’ leadership has been instrumental in CMC’s growth in ER volumes and inbound patient transfers.
Andrea Devers was named CMC Clinical Director of the Year. Devers is the Director of Ancillary Services. Over her 23 years with CMC, she has had many roles: phlebotomist, staff technologist, histology tech, Microbiology Coordinator and QA/LIS Coordinator and Laboratory Director. She is always willing to take on new challenges and further develop her leadership skills, and in her current role she now oversees the Laboratory, Cardiopulmonary and Diagnostic Imaging departments. Andrea has a positive attitude and is an inspiration to all who know her, and she was previously named Clinical Director of the Year in 2021. She is actively engaged in patient safety and patient satisfaction improvement efforts, and gladly volunteers for community service projects including United Way Food Distributions, the United Way Day of Caring and the Jars of Love Peanut Butter Drive.
Christina Villareal, RN, was presented with the “Lloyd Walker Memorial Award,” in loving memory of longtime CMC employee Lloyd Walker, who passed away in November 2023. Christina’s co-workers in the Emergency Department and throughout the hospital say she is not only an exceptional nurse, but an exceptional human being. She is known to have a heart of gold, always showing empathy for her patients. She is always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone, work an extra shift, or do whatever needs to be done with a smile and enthusiasm, all while delivering excellent care with the utmost compassion.
The hospital’s affiliated medical group, Pecos Valley Physician Group, also presented awards, naming Kristina Blair their Employee of the Year, and Elizabeth (Lisa) Carrasco the Manager of the Year.
Additionally, service awards were recently presented to both CMC and Pecos Valley Physician Group employees at CMC’s annual awards ceremony. Several employees were recognized for their outstanding, long-time dedication, including Mary Brown with 45 years at CMC, Dora Carrasco (30 years), Janet Hodgson and Deborah Janes (25 years) and Jamie Duncan and Jennifer Martinez (20 years).
Recognized for 15 years of service were Jennifer Castro, Leena Chavan, Stephanie Fuentes, Megan Navarrette, Michelle Rosales, Freddy Shipley and Dr. Abdul Qureshi.
Receiving 10 year pins were Ma Ruth Arellano-Hijada, Avni Bhakta, Alvin Doporto, Lana Greer, Susan Hensley, Cynthia Madrid, Marciano Pabustan, Leslie Rookstool, Consuelo Sanchez and Stacy Yarbrough.
Recognized for five years of service were Jennifer Davis, Kaitlyn Dendy, Regan Dorado, Jaymi Estrada, Blanca Guerrero, Melanie Harper, Andrea Lujan, Lisa Martinez, Grace Rodriguez and Heather Williams.
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