I grew up moving around, as my dad was active duty Army. I’ve lived in Texas, Virginia, and Hawaii. Living in all these different places introduced me to all kinds of people and cultures. When I started college at Texas Tech University, I wanted to go to medical school to be an orthopedic surgeon. During my time in undergrad, I realized that my place wasn’t at the bedside, so I began to seek other ways I could still ‘fill my cup’ and help patients. I decided to follow my dad’s footsteps and go into healthcare administration. If I can’t directly help patients, I can help and support those who do.

My professional goal is to become a Hospital President. I worked as an ER Unit Secretary for four years and saw firsthand the disdain that frontline staff can have towards administration. Because I have that knowledge and understanding, I strive to be the administrator who communicates the ‘why’ of decisions to frontline staff, and who frontline staff sees and says ‘she gets it’, even if they don’t agree with the decision, I will have communicated the rationale. Many administrators are viewed as being out of touch with the reality that frontline staff face and I strive to not be that.