RISE West will kick off Wednesday, September 11 with several preconference workshops, including our Women4Women Brunch N’ Learn, sponsored by Porter, on closing the gap in health care leadership. In this article, we talk to the women leaders on the panel about their career journeys and keys to success.
Dr. Seun Ross, executive director of health equity at Independence Blue Cross, began her career as a nurse in the ICU. She later became a nurse practitioner and eventually transitioned into leadership roles, including as a hospital administrator over several service lines. Her career, she says, has centered around systems innovation, health policy, public health interventions, health care reform, and addressing equity.
“What I wish I had known as a young, ambitious woman is a skill not taught in school and needed as you climb the corporate ladder: diplomacy and how to build your influence,” she says, adding that it’s also important to have a circle of colleagues who can help you grow in your career.
Kim Geidel, vice president of risk adjustment at Priority Health, (not pictured) previously worked in quality improvement, provider networking, and contracting on the payer side and then integrated delivery where she worked closely with clinical teams. For Geidel, a mentor is key to climbing the corporate ladder in an environment that is based on psychological safety and building successful teams. While many people think you must seek a mentor who is older and has more work experience, Geidel stresses it’s also important to look for a coach who is younger. “It’s really bidirectional,” she says. “It is important to find an older mentor with more experience, but a younger mentor also keeps you relatable to all generations.”
Pam Galley, senior vice president and area manager, Kaiser Permanente, Northern California, Diablo Service Area, says she is proud to empower women as they build their confidence, a critical element to closing gaps in leadership. She says her career journey “exemplifies the transformative power of leadership that serves others and the positive impact it has had on my personal growth and professional advancement.”
For Liz Haynes, MSN, RN, CCM, the DVP of risk adjustment & stars government programs at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, who was the 2023 recipient of RISE’s prestigious Dr. Martin L. Block Award for Innovation & Excellence, taking advantage of opportunities has led to her success. Haynes began her career as an ICU nurse, and she later transitioned to clinical information services to assist with physician order entry and EMR migration.
“Opportunity often looks a lot like work,” she says, adding that she walked through doors as they opened and took on more work. “I embraced a change no one else wanted to embrace,” Haynes says and eventually transitioned into the risk adjustment and stars space.
Erin Montgomery, COO of Porter, who will moderate the panel, began her career as a nurse in the army but moved to utilization management when she entered the civilian world. She later became a certified coder, worked in clinical documentation improvement, and later the risk adjustment space on the health plan side. Her career flourished further in the vendor space, first at Pulse8 and now with Porter.
“My message to all new leaders, both men and women, is to take on risk but make sure you take risk in a supportive environment. We all have to have our antennae up to be sure we are in an environment that encourages us to grow,” Montgomery says.
Montgomery says she plans to ask the panel about their personal journeys to leadership, how they achieve a work-life balance, the importance of visibility and branding, and how they’ve embraced change and adapted within the rapidly evolving health care industry.
The Women4Women Brunch N’ Learn, sponsored by Porter, will take place 10:30 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, Sept. 11 during RISE West at The Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs. The preconference workshop will include brunch, networking, and time for audience questions. The session requires additional registration. Click here for more information.