Current job: Admit recovery unit and vascular access manager at Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge.
Family: Husband, Bobbie; son, Stephen, 17; daughter, Caitlyn, 9.
What makes a good leader? "A good leader has the genuine trust and respect of her employees. It is critical to any relationship that you are ready, willing and able to work alongside staff as a part of the team. In order to maintain fairness, a leader must set clear expectations and hold all team members accountable."
What are you most proud of in your career? "One of my most proud accomplishments was being an integral part of the startup of the angioplasty program at Piedmont Henry Hospital. Interventional cardiology was a completely new treatment path for us, as only diagnostic coronary procedures were performed prior to this venture. The overwhelming success and my team's complete ownership of this undertaking were incredibly rewarding. We even made the cover of the Cath Lab Digest as part of our one-year anniversary."
Who has inspired or mentored you? "A critical care nurse, Nancy Miller, mentored me as I began my career in nursing. She supported me as I increased my know-ledge and expanded my skills. More importantly, though, she taught me how to take care of patients' and families' emotional and mental needs in situations that are immediately impacting their lives."
What's your favorite thing to do away from work? "I love to read all different types of literature. Also, working in the yard and planting flowers are very gratifying to me."
Who's your favorite fictional nurse? "Cherry Ames is my favorite. She had great adventures that I loved reading about as a young girl. Cherry solved mysteries that authorities had failed at and demonstrated in every book that women could succeed in the working world."
What's your favorite guilty pleasure? "Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream. So much so, that I hide it in the back of the freezer from my husband and kids."
Tell us something that nobody at work knows about you: "My husband restores old cars as a hobby. No one at work would ever believe that I actually work on them and enjoy helping."
Contact us
Compiled by John Brieske, Pulse managing editor. Do you work with someone who’s an exceptional leader? If so, please send email to jbrieske@ajc.com.
