Professional Development

I received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Community Health from Truman State University, and a Master of Science Degree in Community & Behavioral Public Health from the University of Iowa.  I am a Certified Health Education Specialist, which is the certification that been most valuable to me so far.  I have also been recognized as a WELCOA Faculty Member. I chose to go into the field of health promotion, based on my passion for preventing chronic disease.  When I was five years old, my grandfather suffered a massive stroke. He lived for twenty-five more years following the stroke, and remained a huge part of our family.  From a very early age, I was focused on increasing quality of life and preventing chronic illness - I knew the field of health promotion was a perfect fit for me! 

Demonstrated Success

I have a plethora of experience providing trainings, resources and expertise for individuals at more than 200 companies across Nebraska, who are responsible for implementing wellness programs at the workplace.  I have had success with efforts related to improving employee health and reducing disease risk in a variety of ways; examples include increasing physical activity, reducing stress, enhancing financial wellness, and improving employee morale.  One successful program addressed the topic of stress, also impacting the overall culture of wellness and enhanced employee morale.  An intervention that worked well to address this issue was a Wii Bowling Tournament.  It may sound silly, to think about video games impacting employee morale and the overall culture of wellness; however, it did exactly that!  I organized a Wii Bowling Tournament and encouraged employees at the organization I worked for, to pair up with someone they don’t normally work with.  The intervention took place right around the time of the March Madness Basketball Tournament and was designed in a similar bracket-type fashion.  A high percentage of employees participated and people were very engaged.  The outcomes were incredible. Employees had fun building deeper professional relationships with people that they may have been working alongside for years. The bowling games took place during the workday, which served to show employees that the organization was truly making wellness a priority, in this case, the social dimension of wellness. 

The games provided an active break for employees, presumably reducing stress and increasing focus upon returning to their office to resume work.  As the tournament progressed, the teams that had lost and been eliminated stayed engaged and cheered on the remaining teams.  Final games were announced to all employees, so there was a large gathering around the Wii for the championship match.  A ‘field trip’ actually took place at the conclusion of this intervention, where employees were invited to go bowling at a real bowling alley, further advancing the new bonds that had formed between co-workers, and enhancing the culture of positivity and wellness. 

I have been engaged with WELCOA for several years, and have woven the 7 Benchmarks into several of the health promotion initiatives I have led.  Including a senior level professional on the wellness committee served as a way to capture their support and allow continual informed communication from the top level to the rest of the employees.  I have also conducted surveys and focus groups with employees and clients to gather information about their interests and needs, in terms of wellness programming and initiatives, in an effort to set programming efforts up for success.  I also have experience with creating policies and procedures that aim to create a supportive environment and true culture of wellness at the workplace.  Evaluation has been a key piece of many of the wellness initiatives I have been involved with, and a crucial component of continually making a positive impact on the organization as a whole.  In addition, I have written multiple wellness program operating plans, and have assisted others in doing the same.  I firmly believe in creating strategic plans with solid goals, objectives, timelines and communication strategies, with the foundation of a clear vision for the wellness program. 

Leadership

I have always lived an active lifestyle. I have been a swimmer all my life, and enjoy it as a way to remain active all year ‘round.  However, I take a holistic approach to wellness, knowing it is much more than being physically fit.  I walk the talk by making time to exercise during the work day, practicing mindfulness, creating health promoting opportunities for my family, and participating in worksite wellness initiatives like Community Supported Agriculture, yoga at lunch, and periodic mindfulness/meditation groups.  The most helpful experience that I believe has assisted me in achieving leadership status in the field is exposure to other leaders.  I have learned a great deal from working with professionals who exhibit high levels of professionalism and leadership.  My advice for other wellness practitioners who are aiming to become leaders in the field would be to seek professional mentors, and make the effort to build professional relationships with those who exhibit desirable leadership qualities.

Innovation

I have contributed to the field of workplace wellness in a variety of ways.  My graduate thesis focused on the topic of quality of life as it relates to worksite wellness participants.  I gathered and analyzed data to measure the quality of life experienced by employees who participated in their worksite wellness program, compared to those who did not.  The results were published in a peer reviewed journal.  In addition to contributing to the knowledge base of the field, I have also helped implement solutions for the overall health and wellness of an organization’s employees.  One innovative strategy I have been involved with is helping to advance the approach of policy implementation as an effort to establish an environment that supports employees as they make healthy choices.  Example policies include extending employee break times if they choose to be physically active during the workday, and outlining specific requirements for healthy food choices offered at work-related functions. These innovative strategies have assisted with creating workplace cultures that have sustainable structures allowing wellness to be a consistent part of the way an organization operates from day to day.

Compelling Vision

My vision for the wellness field revolves around cultures of wellness.  I envision a community, and ultimately a society, where wellness is a way of life.  The largest threat that I see for the health promotion industry is the fact that our environment and culture is not currently conducive to maintaining healthy habits.  The fast pace of today’s world leads to high stress, sedentary lifestyles, inactive transportation and fast food meals as the norm for many individuals and families.  I envision a culture where the opposite is true – people are able to take time to live in the moment, be active, and prepare meals with less processed and fast foods.  In the next five years, I plan to continue pursuing continuing education in the form of conferences, webinars and trainings, connecting with others to discuss best practices, and ideally advancing my CHES certification to the MCHES level.  I plan to remain on the cutting edge of new information, research and best practices in the field of health promotion.  Overall, I plan to dedicate my time, intellect and energy to these efforts throughout the remainder of my career…..and I’m excited to do so!!