About

After more than thirty-years advocating for and supporting Iowa hospitals, I found myself at a crossroads when I looked at the time remaining in my work life. I’d been sought out as a sounding board for complex problems and became known as a trusted advisor for my ability to guide rural hospital boards and executives through difficult situations. These experiences allowed me to build an extensive network of hospital board members and leaders I admire for their ability to serve their communities and patients in the face of many significant challenges.

 

I enjoyed being “a go-to person” and providing solutions because I feel it’s the way I’ve played a small part in ensuring the continued availability of health care services in rural communities.

 

Yet the daily whirlwind of being a health care leader during a pandemic took a toll on me. I no longer felt energized facing an endless list of ongoing and evolving industry challenges. I needed a change to regain my perspective on what is right in health care and with humankind. I wanted a return to the better me that was fully present for my family, friends and colleagues.

 

I networked with trusted colleagues. I reflected on the highs and lows of my career. I researched options. I hired a business coach. I realized I wanted to continue to serve rural hospitals not only because of their presence in a community as a provider of quality health care but also a driver of economic development that creates and maintains jobs, housing, daycare, schools, and retail.

 

With a focus exclusively on developing and administering board processes as a performance improvement strategy, I could still work with the institutions and people I admire yet in a changed capacity as a catalyst to a high functioning governance board.

 

I launched Board Business LLC for the purpose of guiding not-for-profit organizations and rural hospital Board leadership to create efficient and effective governance processes. My contribution to the sustainability of community organizations that are operating in an increasingly complex and highly regulated environment is to be a resource to ensure their governing bodies are operating optimally.

 

I’m pursuing an initiative I’m passionate about and that aligns with my strengths. The outcome is refined governance processes that will allow more time for focused strategy discussions at the board level and optimal decision-making to impact organizational sustainability. And that’s also a great outcome for rural communities and the constituents of not-for-profit organizations.