After a non-traditional college career and a Master Degree in Education at University of Maine, Sally set her sights on the corporate wellness track. She was the Administrator of Health and Wellness at Champion International Corp. in Bucksport, Maine and working under a strong HR/Organizational Development leader. She saw the writing on the wall; that with budget cuts, the company was not likely to keep it’s support of various Wellness initiatives. Sally asked the HR Director if she could job shadow him and be mentored by him in the HR field. He said yes, and that led to a key role as the company’s first female representative in labor relations negotiating five union contracts.
After adding ongoing labor/HR experience at Champion to her resume, Sally identified healthcare as the place to most likely to have secure jobs in Maine’s future. She moved on to Acadia Hospital in Bangor, where her skills in HR and in the healthcare field developed. Over 15 years Sally moved up the career ladder at Acadia Hospital, as a member of the senior leadership team for her last 10 years. Working under four CEO’s over that time, her work environment brought many opportunities for growth and development in operations and administration, and as a leader, facilitator and educator.
Sally not only worked in Human Resources for Acadia Hospital, but also had the opportunity to work in a clinical capacity with substance abuse clients to help them return to the workforce as sober individuals. This interest led her to jointly share the award for SHRM’s Maine State Project of the Year in 2010: a “Toolkit for Employers” for helping them address impaired RN staff members in healthcare.
Sally presently is riding out the pandemic in Washington State, and she spends her time hiking, biking, and working on her writing.
