Culture and Crisis: An ICON Session Recap

By Amber Trares

At ICON 2025, I attended the session “Culture Is Your Crisis Plan: Communicating Unity in Divided Times,” led by Elizabeth Whittington, APR, senior director of executive communications at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

​The COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges and divisions within the health care sector.     
“Culture will help you communicate unity in divided times,” Whittington said. 

St. Jude leaned on its strong culture that prioritized transparency and patient safety. The CEO emailed daily updates, including those concerning safety, to their employees.

“Forty-two percent of CEOs cited workforce and culture as one of the most significant opportunities for success in the long term,” Whittington said.

Company leaders can create a weak company culture by treating it as a communication strategy rather than focusing on behavior. Challenges with organizational culture also include returning to the office after the COVID-19 pandemic, ideological polarization and the acceleration of AI.

Whittington explained that culture is not one thing. It is the sum of daily signals and practices, including hiring and onboarding, leadership communication, internal communications, external brands and stakeholder engagement. 

Whittington wrapped up the session by discussing federal funding and diversity, equity and inclusion. St. Jude receives federal funding, so measures have been taken to adhere to the government’s requirements while maintaining St. Jude’s value of DEI. 

ICON was a valuable experience that allowed me to hear from diverse professionals, explore Washington and network. I highly recommend the conference and plan to attend next year in Orlando, Florida.

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