OHCA The Oregon Caregiver Spring Summer 2021

www.ohca.com SPRING/SUMMER 2021 The Oregon Caregiver 27 PROFILE What does the vaccine mean to you? The vaccine really symbolizes hope. I always like to say where there is hope, there can’t be fear. At the end of 2020, knowing that the vaccine was coming gave everybody a lot of hope and that amplified when the vaccine clinic started to roll out before the new year. It gave everybody a new perspective as we entered 2021 that there’s light at the end of this tunnel and we can kind of start to see the other side. That’s wonderful. What are you most excited for post-COVID? I would love to just see people back in the facilities, see those activities going on again, hear families talking, and see that physical contact. I miss just seeing people smile; that’s probably what I miss the most. What have you learned from your experience as an administrator, as an executive director, and now director of operations and having gone through a pandemic? You just have to remain nimble. You have to remain humble, and you have to keep an open mind. What are you career aspirations? It’s always evolving. I love what I’m doing right now, but time shows us that there’s always new doors or new opportunities. My short-term goal is to really be mindful in all my intentions and interactions with people.