When Tiffany began her career, she made a conscious decision to enter into a purpose-driven field.
As a senior in high school, Tiffany worked in the healthcare field to earn money for college, where she first intended to study Communications. Later, she switched paths, and found a passion for healthcare. She worked in various clinical positions, including the Emergency Department, radiology, and clinical care. She was also a surgical assistant for six years.
Tiffany loved clinical work, but seeing disparities caused her to start thinking about ways healthcare could be improved. When she moved to Minnesota 14 years ago and her clinical education didn’t transfer, she decided to switch to operations work in the field. She also began her own consulting business, where she helped small businesses and clinical start-ups improve their operations.
After working in quality improvement and operations at large healthcare companies, such as Children’s and Allina Health, Tiffany began to feel like she had steered away from her purpose.
“My exposure to the disparities in healthcare had stuck with me,” says Tiffany. So she decided to leave her 20-year long career in healthcare to become the Director of Operations at a Minnesota nonprofit. Later, she met Julie Bluhm through networking. Inspired by Guild’s mission, Tiffany became our Chief Operating Officer.
Finding a Way to Make a Difference
When Tiffany changed from corporate healthcare to community health, she learned that community health organizations have to fight to “get a seat at the right tables” and get the resources they need. This is something she would like to see change.
Working in the nonprofit field, Tiffany began to feel like she was better able to use what she learned throughout her career to make needed changes. She used that experience to improve processes and expand needed areas. She enjoys being closer to where people are served, something she had less and less exposure to in her corporate healthcare role. At Guild, Tiffany realized “I found my happy place and what gives meaning to me professionally.”
“My role is to serve those who serve others,” comments Tiffany. She feels like she’s doing her part when she comes up with solutions that make life easier for clinical staff. She enjoys complex problems, negotiating contracts, finding ways to save money, and developing new leaders.
How Guild is Making a Difference
When asked how Guild has successfully innovated during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tiffany cites that our quick change to remote work and telehealth was an important feat. She appreciates that we’ve been able to be more flexible with our work, but still do it “strategically”.
“Guild has a strong history of meeting needs as they change and flex,” says Tiffany. “Guild continues to adapt to what the current need is. We changed our service model to what it looks like today, and we continue to plan for what it needs to look like in the future. I see us continuing this great work on our diversity efforts, continuing to have better ways to identify what those community needs are.”
Beyond Guild
Outside of Guild, Tiffany is a life-long learner who recently got her Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership, and she intends to continue her education even further in the future. She is a strong advocate for human rights and creating equitable spaces. She also enjoys creative endeavors, was a dancer for 20 years, is writing a book, and enjoys photography and photo editing. She also once took a solo backpacking trip around Europe!