Professional Development

I received my Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from ISU in 1992 with additional graduate studies. I worked in fitness centers, physical therapy clinics and even chiropractic offices before landing my first true “worksite wellness” job for a large school district in Iowa. In 2001, to prepare for the “wellness as a benefit” focus, I earned my Master’s in Health Promotion from Nebraska Methodist College. Over the course of the next 13 years, I supported and/or led two Welcoa award winning worksite wellness programs at Pioneer Hi-Bred Int’l and the City of Ames. In 2006, I obtained my Intrinsic Coach® certification to provide a more holistic approach to supporting people and developing culture. I have always believed in continuous learning and recently obtained my Welcoa Faculty certification. Each degree, each certification, and each development opportunity I have taken has re-ignited my passion for living fully and positioned me to be better prepared for the next step in my career!

Demonstrated Success

When I started at the City of Ames they had already received the Gold Well Workplace designation. My challenge was to build on this, set the next direction, and at the City Manager’s request (Benchmark 1 – Capturing CEO Support) demonstrate “that people were getting healthier”. It was 2002, the nation and industry were still coping with the Attacks of 911, and people were rethinking what they wanted in life. I created Healthy Employee 2010 an individualized health incentive program designed to motivate actionable healthy lifestyle behavior change that results in improved health risk status of the participants in the program. (Benchmark 5 –Choosing Appropriate Interventions) The program was self-directed by the participant, but involved the direction and support of the City Health Promotion program. Success was determined by measurable changes in health status that occurred over a one-year time frame. (Benchmark 7 – Carefully Evaluating Outcomes) Individuals either maintained or adopted healthier lifestyle behaviors in order to meet the criteria for acceptable (healthy) levels or a successful standard of change. The program had five primary focuses, preventive care, health care consumerism (HCC) education, biometrics, participation, and Intrinsic Coach® coaching. I wanted to keep the healthy employees, healthy and provide coaching that honored the wholeness of the individual. (Benchmark 6 – Creating A Supportive Environment)

Highlights at the end of the first year included the following:

• 90% (26) of the low risk participants stayed in the low risk category!
• 30% (3) of the high risk moved to a low risk category!
• Of the remaining 7 participants in the high-risk category, 5 reduced individual risk factors.
• The culture started to shift as even the “healthier” people felt valued by the City. In one participant’s words, “I feel good about myself. This aspect is more of a psychological thing. If this program was just for high risk individuals then a person like myself would have been left out and I may have continued the path to a higher risk category. It is better to stay in the low risk category. My future health would have been jeopardized even more if this program had not existed for me.” -JB
• 98% of current participants re-enrolled for the next year.

The second year outcomes were even better.

• Only 1 of the initial ten high risk participants remained high risk.
• The number of low risk participants increased from 60% to 80%.
• Participants quit smoking, drank less alcohol, increased physical activity, and reduced stress as measured by the health risk assessment.

I highlight this program, not just because of the first few years of success, but because it became a sustainable, highly valued program and began to shift a culture of “ignoring health” to valuing and supporting everyone’s well-being. When I left in 2014, the program had continued for 7 years with a 95% retention rate. Participation had grown from the initial 50 pilot participants to over 120. And more importantly, people were connecting with their doctors, caring for themselves, sharing their successes, and truly shifting the culture at the city. A testament to this culture is the fact that the program is still continuing today with over 170 participants enrolled!

Leadership

Leadership for me has been about inspiration, courage, service, persistence, and compassion. I’m not perfect, but I am real, and that’s what I want to model to others – life is good and we all deserve to fulfill our dreams. I wake up every day wanting to live every moment and try to bring that positivity to my family, the workplace, and in everything I do. My guideline for a healthy lifestyle is to love your body, feed your body, move your body, meditate and enjoy today for all it’s worth. A seasoned veteran, I continue to look for opportunities to add new tools to my toolbox and strengthen my skills through education, certification, and challenging experiences. I have had incredible mentors along the way, volunteered and led community efforts to make Ames the healthiest community in Iowa, and provided support to our Healthiest State initiative. More importantly, I continue to look for ways to connect and collaborate with other incredible leaders in our industry. My advice…don’t ever give up, dream big, believe in your gifts, and never stop wanting to make a difference in the lives of others, your community, and this world!

Innovation

In 2006, at the City of Ames, I led an effort to create a Health Care Consumerism training for our employees. This collaborative effort included our health plan providers, employees, and other health experts. We developed training modules focused on five areas, 1. Defining HCC and navigating health care system, 2. Establishing a relationship with your physician, 3. Establishing a relationship with your pharmacist, 4. Sharing available resources, and 5. Embracing lifestyle. The training was included in new employee orientation and required in a year-long incentive, resulting in 100% participation over time. In addition, people changed doctors, changed benefit plans, received prescription management services, increased generic utilization, and began to make better decisions based on quality service and best price.

Recently, at ISU, we developed and will be piloting a financial well-being workshop that provides information and education on finances, but assimilates that with stress management techniques and insights. The pilot was designed to address several elements of well-being and demonstrate how important it is to address the intertwined and connected nature of one’s well-being.

Compelling Vision

I think the biggest challenges facing the industry are our biggest opportunities! Organizational development has pushed into the wellness arena and disrupted business as usual. We need to embrace these culture initiatives and integrate our best practices with theirs for a more sustainable future. I also believe worksite wellness is struggling to find its value…is it ROI, is it biometrics and risk reduction, is it culture? I believe the opportunity lies in “valuing our people”, let's put the clinical back with the clinicians, create cultures that support sustainable work environments, and provide services that support the uniqueness of individual well-being. Finally, I think the increased challenges in mental and emotional health will only grow. We need to stop fueling the fire. We need to embrace purpose, provide autonomy, and develop people with their best interest in mind.

Over the next 5 years I want to position ISU as a leading university in worksite wellness. I am going to lean on my experiences, take a new direction, and build ISU WellBeing based on five guiding principles, 1. Create conditions in which well-being thrives, 2. Build an environment that makes healthy choices an easy choice, 3. Support people from a “whole is greater than the sum of its parts” philosophy. 4. Recognize the importance and value of all elements of well-being, and 5. Developing human capacity for growth and development. The future is ours to create, but we must focus on the person and align with purpose and passion to unleash the potential of well-being!