Home: Crown Point, IN. Age: Not quite old. Birthplace: Brockton, MA. Organization: GuideStar Eldercare. Title: Senior VP, Nurse Practitioner Services. Alma mater: Boston University; Rivier University.
Current project: Developing a bedside neurology service line to residents in the long-term care buildings. Recent recognition: Spearheaded our company’s recent Joint Accreditation recognition from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. Recent professional development: Strategic Healthcare Leadership certificate from Cornell. What drives you in your work: To alleviate suffering in the dementia population at long term care facilities. Hobbies: Music, travel, gardening, photography. Last book read: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas Kuhn.
Personality profile: Quick, funny, deep, loyal. What one word would your closest friend use to describe you? Caring. Moral compass: Compassion. What is your greatest joy? Making others happy. What is your greatest fear? Being misunderstood. What word or phrase do you use far too often? Excellent. What is at the top of your bucket list? Iceland, or Greece, or just about anywhere. What is your go-to workout? Power walking.
What book have you repeatedly read? The Thornbirds, by Colleen McCullough. What movie have you repeatedly watched? You’ve Got Mail. What’s the best advice you received in your career? Learn how to take “yes” for an answer. What is your go-to source of creative inspiration? Music. What personal circumstance has had the greatest influence on your life? Failures. They drive me to be better.
What change would you like to see in the world?
More compassion and kindness. It would start a revolution.
What message do you want to send out into the world? That each person is enough. That they are worthy of love and respect. What widely held belief do you reject? That you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I learn new things everyday.
What title would you choose for the movie about your life? The Roads I Would Never Have Chosen (Yet Here We Are). What actor would you choose to play you in the movie about your life? Helen Hunt. What advice would you give your younger self? Start being as positive to yourself as you are with others. What day in your life would you choose to re-live? Any one of them, knowing that I could have been a better version of myself.
Personal motto: I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday, and I love today. Favorite quote: “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier” (Mother Teresa).
