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I worked for the Director of the Health
Department in D.C., Dr. Saul Levin. No
matter how busy he was, he took time to
share important lessons with me about
management, leadership and the nitty,
gritty of medicine. He taught me about
leading with humility.
Both of my parents
devoted their life to
public service. My
mom was the Chief
Deputy Attorney
General of West
Virginia, who secured
a huge tobacco
settlement in West
Virginia and then went
on to sue
pharmaceutical industries for fueling the
opioid epidemic in West Virginia. She
then directed the settlement money
towards setting up day treatment
programs to help those affected. My
father is a legal aid attorney who has
spent more than 45 years fighting for
equal access to education, individuals
with disabilities and juveniles in the
criminal justice system. He was always
humble—in fact, I had to read in the local
W.V. newspaper paper that he had saved
more than 1,300 homes of low-income
individuals from foreclosure.
When I am not working, you can often find
me at a music festival or concert. I attend
about eight every years. It’s definitely my
biggest expense! I’m also a huge foodie. It’s
what I miss most about D.C.—the food scene
there just exploded before I left for
Wisconsin.
HOW DID I
GET HERE?
s u c c e s s • c h a l l e n g e s • l i f e l e s s o n s • e d u c a t i o n • c a r e e r • f a m i l y • i n s p i r a t i o n s
Fostering change is the most important skill you
can master. Those who serve have to change along
with the population they are serving. It drives our
new programming at HealthNet. Offering
comprehensive, onsite dental care and mental
health programming within the clinic helps us
meet our patients’ needs in the modern healthcare
landscape. It all starts and ends with the patients.
1
2
3
Although it would be hard to pinpoint
one thing that steered me toward a
career in public health, when I was 21,
I spent six months in Chile doing
HIV/AIDS research and fell in love with
grassroots work in community health.
I had not really considered coming back to
Wisconsin, but when a friend told me about
the position at HealthNet, it definitely
caught my interest. When I interviewed, I
honestly did not think I got the job! I am so
proud of what the Board of Directors and
HealthNet staff have accomplished. I am in
love with my job!
I appreciate Forward Janesville for many
reasons. It is a great platform to share our
mission and be a thought leader when it
comes to health care issues and helping
the underserved. Also, I am not the
greatest at approaching new people, so
Forward Janesville’s networking events are
the perfect way for me to start a
conversation about our work and meet
more people in the community.
•
I grew up in West Virginia and I love getting
outdoors—hiking, canoeing, kayaking. I miss
the mountains; it’s one of the reasons you’ll
find me at Devil’s Lake so often.
{
LIFE LESSONS
}
WINTER 2016
•
15
The photo of
Alan Alda is from
my first Annual
Meeting as a
staff member at
the American
Psychiatric
Association. He
spoke at the
annual meeting
because he has
a family member with mental illness and
candidly shared his experience watching
someone navigate an illness that is so
misunderstood.
IAN HEDGES
Self-care is important. There was a time in D.C.
when I was working 11 or 12 hours a day, including
weekends, and traveling for long periods of time.
The opportunity was great and I was so thankful for
that time, but when I stepped away, I learned I could
still be a success while taking a break. It’s important
to remember that and to take care of yourself.
Every single accomplishment of my career is the
result of teamwork. Nothing is ever done alone. It’s
always thanks to a team that is willing to work hard
and take that extra step to make something great.
That’s been true throughout my career and most
definitely is the case with HealthNet. We have a
remarkable team who wants to set goals and then
exceed them.
•
•
{
EDUCATION
}
International Relations and Public Health
Beloit College
{
WORK EXPERIENCE
}
2015 - PRESENT
Executive Director
HealthNet of Rock County, Inc.
2014-2015
Associate Director for HIV Psychiatry
Division of Education, American
Psychiatric Association
2013-2014
Special Assistant to the
CEO & Medical Director
American Psychiatric Association
2012-2013
Healthy People Coordinator
D.C. Department of Health
2011-2012
Founder
Beloit Public Health Initiative
2009-2012
Department Assistant
Beloit College English Department