Newspaper lauds Cross, Major as ‘Women of Influence’
Nashville Business Journal named Janet Cross and Cheryl Major among its list of 2012 Women of Influence. Both work at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Janet Cross
Cheryl Major
Honorees of the annual list are nominated by peers and selected by a six-person panel of judges as recognition for their leadership and contributions to the community.
Cross was recognized for “non-profit leadership finalist,” and Major was honored for her role as a “community supporter finalist.”
Cross, an internationally known Child Life Services expert, serves as director of Patient and Family-Centered Care for Children’s Hospital. She leads teams from Child Life, Volunteer Services, the Family Resource Center, the School Program, Music and Art Therapy, Patient and Family Advisory Councils, Patient Education and Pastoral care. Cross has nearly three decades of service at Children's Hospital.
Since arriving at Vanderbilt in 1982, Cross has held various positions, including Certified Child Life Specialist, director of the Junior League Family Resource Center and director of Child Life Services.
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development from Mississippi State University, and has a Master’s degree in Psychology and Human Development from Peabody College.
Major, RNC, BSN, is neonatal outreach education coordinator in the Division of Neonatology and a senior associate of Pediatrics. She arrived at Vanderbilt in 1968 and has dedicated her career to the care of newborns, particularly infants who require specialized care.
She teaches staff at hospitals throughout the region about neonatal resuscitation and how to help premature babies survive.
Among her many other community service/supporter roles, she also works with the March of Dimes as Music City Division and Tennessee Chapter Board of Directors member.
She was the first Neonatal Outreach Coordinator for the Middle Tennessee region in the early 1970s.
She helped launch and manage the Neonatal Transport Program, Angel, to provide a safe system to transport sick babies to hospitals. Major earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Skidmore College, in Saratoga Springs, NY.