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How did this opportunity with Hospice of Central Iowa come about?

I’ve been a supporter of hospice for a long, long time, just the philosophy of it. My background is in critical-care nursing, and I saw a lot of people whose deaths I would not choose. It’s just a totally different area. Eight or nine years ago, I took the training here for Hospice of Central Iowa and was a volunteer for a while; I delivered meds. And I had a personal experience with hospice in the past year. So all of these things just kind of led up to where I am now. I saw the job posted and I started to think that where I was personally and professionally, (this job) was a pretty good fit.

Did you know early on that you wanted to be a nurse?

I don’t remember specifically being 5 years old and saying, ‘Oh, I want to be a nurse.’ But I was interested in the science of it, and I wanted to do something that from my perspective had some social value where I could give back in some way. So health care definitely did that.

How did you decide to move into health-care administration?

I was a nurse for about 10 years, and about halfway through that I became interested in the business side of health care. I went two years full time with the (health administration) program at (University of) Iowa, and then did a fellowship. Basically you go to a hospital and hang out with senior management and the board, do all kinds of projects and work for them. What you get out of it is seeing how an organization works from the top down, and being privy to all kinds of discussions that most people don’t get the opportunity to hear.

What were your next steps?

(Starting) in about 1993, I worked for three years with the Community Health Management Information Systems Committee, which was a subcommittee of Gov. Terry Branstad’s health-care reform efforts. The whole goal of the project was to standardize electronic communications and then create data so that people could make better health-care decisions. Does that ring a bell? Then I worked for Principal (Financial Group Inc.) for a few years, which was great because I got the opportunity to see how a payer works. Then the opportunity with Iowa Health came up, and I was really glad to go back to the provider side, because I’m a provider at heart.

What do you feel is your most significant accomplishment at this point in your career?

What I value is what I’ve learned relative to being a better manager. When I started at Iowa Health – Des Moines, I hadn’t managed anything, and I was so blessed to have really good mentors. I’ve just gotten better at it, and I really am thankful for the experience and the values.

What are the responsibilities of your new position and your immediate goals?

I have operational responsibilities for Bright Kavanagh here and Kavanagh – 56th Street. So broad responsibilities for making sure we’re meeting the mission of the organization in a consistent manner. My first goal is to get to know everybody and learn the ins and outs of the business. And then just to build on what they have here. Another one of the things that attracted me to this job is this organization is very old and well-accepted in this community.

How well-utilized are the Kavanagh Houses?

Kavanagh House on 56th Street is a very well-established house in the community and very well-known; it’s almost always full. Bright Kavanagh, since opening in July 2008, has really picked up its census. There are now two wings open, with 24 rooms. These facilities are for patients with acute needs who need continual care. We get a lot of patients from hospitals, from nursing homes, really from anywhere.

What about family and activities?

I’m single and I don’t have any children. I do have 12 nieces and nephews spread from Chicago to Denver. In the summer I like to garden, and in the winter I watch hockey. My nephews play, and never in my wildest dreams did I think I would like hockey. You know how that goes; you get dragged to something … but now I love hockey. I like high school hockey, I like the Bucs and I liked the Chops.