Beterra Client Leadership Series: Cheryl Roberts

Building Safety Cultures That Endure: Cheryl Roberts on Leadership, Systems, and the Long Game

Some leaders come to patient safety through a single defining moment. Cheryl Roberts arrived through two decades of relentless commitment - learning, adapting, and building systems that don't just respond to harm but prevent it before it happens.

As Executive Director of Quality and Risk Management at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, Cheryl leads one of Florida's most complex and highly regarded health systems. Her approach is grounded in humility, data, and an unshakable belief that safety is never finished.

A Foundation in Clinical Practice

Cheryl's career began at the bedside. A background in nursing gave her an early appreciation for what happens when systems fail - and what it costs patients and families when they do. That clinical lens has never left her.

"When you've been at the bedside, you never forget who we're doing this for," she says. "It keeps everything grounded."

Over time, her focus shifted from direct care to the systems that shape it. She pursued certifications in healthcare quality, patient safety, and risk management - building an expertise that spans clinical, operational, and regulatory domains.

What It Takes to Build a True Safety Culture

Ask Cheryl about safety culture and she'll tell you it starts with trust. "You have to create an environment where people feel safe to speak up - where reporting a near miss is celebrated, not penalized," she says. "That's the foundation. Without it, nothing else works."

At Sarasota Memorial, Cheryl has helped embed that trust through consistent leadership behavior, transparent communication, and a commitment to learning from every event - not just the serious ones.

"Psychological safety isn't a program," she adds. "It's a daily practice. It has to be modeled at every level, especially by leaders."

Innovation with Intention

One of the most exciting current projects underway at Sarasota Memorial is the health system's transition to a new, state-of-the-art electronic health record. "This is more than a technology upgrade," she says. "It's a complete transformation in how we coordinate care." Once implemented, the new Epic EHR system will provide unified access to patient information across all points of care, from primary or specialist visits to hospital admissions and recovery.

She and her team are also designing a new high-reliability rounding process that integrates real-time feedback, staff recognition, and issue escalation. "It's about making safety visible and actionable," she says.

What Makes a Great Safety Leader

Ask Cheryl what defines excellence in this field, and she starts with character: compassion, integrity, and the ability to listen. "Great leaders create psychological safety. They model transparency. And they engage teams not by directing, but by asking," she says.

She also believes that being proactive is essential. "Don't wait for harm. Anticipate it. Build systems that prevent it." Cheryl also underscores the importance of regulatory literacy. "Understanding the why behind Joint Commission, CMS, and AHCA requirements allows us to lead improvement - not just respond to audits."

Cheryl credits her growth to mentors who embodied what she now strives to model: resilience, integrity, and compassion. She now returns that investment by mentoring others, striving to support and advance the next generation of safety professionals.

Her Advice to Those Starting Out

Be fully present. Let data guide you. Don't rush to judgment, and always, always stay curious.

Cheryl Roberts' leadership reminds us that systems don't become safer by chance. They do so by design - through people who ask better questions, invest in others, and stay grounded in purpose. That's the kind of change that lasts.