Professional Development

I received my Bachelor's degree in Dietetics and Institution Administration from Western Kentucky University in 1972 graduating magna cum laude. I completed my dietetics internship at Penn State University in 1973 and subsequently earned my R.D. Most recently, in 2010, I completed a Certificate of Training program in Adult Weight Management through the Academy of Dietetics and Institution Administration. What really keeps me excited is that I work in an environment that both demands and facilitates continuing education. I am thrilled to come into work every day because of  the opportunity to share best practices with my peers and perfect my health coaching skills in order to provide my clients with the best possible experience and ultimately lead to more positive outcomes.

Demonstrated Success

Having been in the field for many years, I was able to be on the cutting edge when "behavior-change" was the buzz word of the day. In fact in the mid to late 70s a colleague and I developed a successful outpatient weight loss program based upon behavior change principals. The result was a culture shift at Hardin Memorial Hospital in Elizabethtown, KY, with the employee population becoming more focused on adapting healthier eating and exercise habits.

In 2011 while at Onlife I helped develop a 10 week nutrition and exercise program, including meal plans and course curriculum. I also did pre and post individual nutrition consults and mentored participants via classes as well as ongoing email support. The program continues and participants average a 10-12 pound weight loss.

Currently, I continue to work with the Onsite team and have the opportunity to travel and meet face to face with clients of numerous backgrounds. Our team averages a 90% engagement rate. Undoubtedly, the best moments for me are when I see a member that has made significant lifestyle changes over the previous year  because we facilitated the change talk. In fact, our BCBST CEO has recognized our team stating that BCBST members wouldn't be engaged without our team.

Leadership

As a role model for health and wellness, I sometimes carry my desire to stay active to the extreme. For example, my co-workers have often been astonished to see me walk out of my hotel room looking just like I came out of the facilities gym because I had just finished walking/running laps in my room. When on trips with my much younger onsite team members, I often go on rigorous hikes in the mountains. At work, it's become a routine for me to walk on my 15 minute breaks often inspiring much younger peers to step it up. I have also been nominated for the Culture of Health Valor Award for several years. On a more personal note, my husband is now reading food labels and eating broiled fish when fried was the only way to go before. He has also stopped asking what the heck that is when I bring a new whole grain into the house. As an R.D it's my passion to keep honing my cooking skills so the healthy foods I serve to my family or bring to work taste just as good as those "junk" foods so many people love.

Innovation

In 2013, I participated in a pilot coaching program alongside our R.N. Clinical specialist. The program was blood pressure management working with a client who didn't yet offer coaching to its members. The pilot was to reach a minimum of 200 participants and enroll them in the program. Due to an overwhelming success, the company offers coaching up to its entire population, which is approximately 400,000 eligible lives including not only blood pressure but also cholesterol and tobacco cessation programs.

Compelling Vision

I believe we have a huge opportunity to work with our government to educate all our population, especially those with low income and less education to make it possible for them to make healthy lifestyle changes. I also believe a big part of this is to work with our government to ensure that all healthy guidelines they create are simplified for every member of our society. My vision is for a government that offers more incentives for local, organic farmers to provide healthy quality food at a reasonable price. In addition, there would be more farmers’ markets so these foods are more easily accessible to all members of our diverse population. This would make it easier for all to more easily follow current and future Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Finally, my vision is to for all communities to have safe, walkable areas to encourage a more active lifestyle for all.

My personal plan is to continue to do face to face coaching for at least the next 2 years while also constantly striving to become a better coach. Upon my retirement I plan to continue my active lifestyle, healthy eating and being a health advocate for my community which will likely include volunteering in a capacity that will allow me to continue to pursue my passion.