Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer, Oswego Health
With the organization since: 2008.
In current position since: 2024.
Education: Oswego High School; bachelor’s degree in nursing, 2001, Roberts Wesleyan College; master’s degree in management, 2009, Keuka College; registered professional nurse; 2001.
Career Highlights: “I am proud to care for the members of our community as a healthcare leader; Oswego County Business Magazine Forty Under 40 Award, 2013; Outstanding Healthcare Executive Award from CNY Business Journal Excellence in Healthcare, 2022, NYONL Region Leadership Award, 2024.”
Current affiliations: President-elect for NYONL; member at AONL, ACHE, and Desens House board of directors; OCIDN board, past-president.
Skills that make you an effective leader? “I strive to lead with authenticity and transparency. I believe in shared governance and growing strong teams. I consistently try to interrogate reality by asking questions and getting input from others.”
How do you describe your managerial philosophy or approach? “Adaptability as a leader has become critically important over the last several years. We are working in an environment that has continual disruption, and there has been a dramatic decline in trust between teams and toward healthcare in general, which means we have to be intentional about rebuilding from a place of shared understanding. Leadership is more than a technical skill; it is a specialty that must be learned and practiced daily.”
How do you personally demonstrate leadership and inspire your staff? “I listen to understand. I try to provide timely feedback. I remind them of the mission and that we are all on the same team, trying to work through problems together. I also recognize them and provide positive feedback as often as I can.”
How do you see the healthcare industry changing in the next few years, and how will you prepare the organization for those changes? “We have become great at adapting to disruption. Healthcare has a business model that is challenging, and many people don’t see it as a business. Insurance reform is necessary for healthcare organizations to remain sustainable. We are preparing by being transparent with our staff and making strategic clinical and financial decisions that will allow us to meet the obligation we have to our community and seize the opportunity we have for growth.”
What are your top three priorities for your organization within the next year? “We are going to continue investing in our organization with our first-floor renovation project which expands the emergency department and centralizes and expands our medical imaging suite. We are going to continue to grow our primary and specialty care practices to improve access for our community in Oswego County and beyond. We are going to continue to offer high quality care for everyone who comes to us for care.”
How can the healthcare industry in the region be improved? “We have a great healthcare community in this region.We need to continue to build strong pipelines to ensure that we have enough people who provide care to our community. That range is vast from community health workers to physicians, and everything in between.”
Tell us one thing about you that people generally don’t know? “I love to support community musical theater productions.”