Board member profile: Christine VanDeVelde Luskin

Journalist, best-selling author

Throughout Christine VanDeVelde Luskin’s career as a journalist and best-selling author focusing on education, she’s interviewed some of the nation’s foremost leaders in the sector and has spoken extensively about college admissions. She’s written two books: College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step, and a new book focusing on early child education to be published soon.

When she and her husband, Don, moved to Highland Park from Chicago in 2019, Christine quickly immersed herself in two boards whose missions aligned with her passions for healthcare and education: Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation and Uplift Education. Christine shares why these two board roles are meaningful to her.

What led you to become involved in the BSW Dallas Foundation board?

A longtime physician of mine, Dr. Vani Konda, whom I originally met in 2012 when she was at the University of Chicago, took a position at Baylor Scott & White. She was instrumental in my overcoming a health crisis and I was interested in supporting her in her work. One of the highlights of moving to Dallas was being back under her care. I worked closely with the team at BSW Dallas Foundation to make an estate gift in Dr. Konda’s honor. As I learned more about the Foundation’s role in advancing healthcare innovation in our region, I was honored when I was asked to join.

How has your role as a mother influenced which topics you choose to cover as a writer?

Being a parent has been my highest achievement in life. When my daughter was an infant, getting into a preschool in our area was competitive. One of the great strokes of luck of my parenting journey was that Stanford University’s Bing Nursery School accepted her. Bing so enriched and informed my own parenting that I wanted to write a book with some of those lessons that all parents could benefit from.

When my daughter was applying for college, I found there weren’t any good books about the application process. I ran into Robin Mamlet, the former dean of admissions at Stanford, whom I’d interviewed several times. I told her my frustration. She was transitioning away from her role at that time and asked if I’d like to write a book together, so the opportunity to write College Admission fell into my lap.

As a member of the Uplift Education and BSW Dallas Foundation boards, what excites you about these organizations working together to build pathways for high school students to high-demand healthcare careers?

Creating healthcare-focused high school campuses is incredibly important. There are so many ways to have a good life and contribute to other people’s well-being other than going to college.

For students who don’t want to go the four-year college route or can’t for various reasons, how do we get them excited about another path? This is an avenue for students to establish a professional career that can providethem with financial stability.

What excites you about being on the BSW Dallas Foundation Board?

As a board member, I’m given a close look into the organization, so I can go out in the community and spread the word about the meaningful work they’re doing. For example, I recently had the pleasure of co-hosting an event with my fellow Foundation board member, Michelle Lobel, where we invited people new to the Dallas area to introduce them to the incredible mission and work happening at Baylor Scott & White and Baylor University Medical Center.

As a board member, I’m given a close look into the organization, so I can go out in the community and spread the word about the meaningful work they’re doing.”

—Christine VanDeVelde Luskin

The access to information about where things are headed in medicine is amazing. Even if what I learn doesn’t impact me directly, I usually know someone who can benefit from the information.