Number of employees you oversee: 

15 paid staff 

Number of active volunteers at Grace Clinic: 

300+ annually 

Brief background of Grace Clinic: 

Founded in 2002, Grace Clinic is the only free clinic in the Tri-Cities, providing medical, dental and mental health services for uninsured adults who meet income guidelines. We also distribute nutritious food to patients to encourage healthy eating habits and address food insecurity. Although most patients come from working households, nearly 60% of our patients live at or below the federal poverty line. Estimates from the Washington State Insurance Commissioner tell us that there are 27,000 uninsured individuals in our community. We are focused on expanding access for the under-resourced and bridging gaps in our health care system by removing financial barriers.

How did you land your current role? How long have you been in it? 

About 10 years ago, I received a call from Grace Clinic CEO Mark Brault. He invited me to coffee and shared that there was a position open at the clinic. After interviewing with staff and volunteers, I was hired as clinic director in May 2015. In 2023, I was named executive director.  

How many patients did Grace Clinic serve in 2024? Is this number increasing each year? We provided 8,700 patient visits in 2024. This figure is in line with our annual projections. The number of people we serve is primarily driven by the number of volunteers that we have in any given year, as well as the mix of the volunteers’ skills and expertise. Since launching in 2002, we have provided about 120,000 patient visits cumulatively. The Tri-Cities should view this as a collective achievement. Grace Clinic is strong because our community is generous with their time, talents and financial support. 

Tell us about the residency program partnership with Trios and Kadlec and why it’s important. 

Residents from both Trios and Kadlec Family Medicine Residency programs complete four-week community health rotations with Grace Clinic during the third and final year of the programs. This partnership was the key element in our expansion to a five-day per week clinic schedule. We find that the residents build their sensitivity to the needs of the underserved, giving careful consideration to cost while developing treatment plans. Insurance can mask these costs for providers, so it can be very eye-opening to look at the actual expense. Since this collaboration launched in 2017, we have hosted about 95 residents. There are a number of physicians who have returned to volunteer after completing residency. We also had one wonderful romance – a former Trios resident married one of our former staff members. They now live in Spokane with their adorable daughter. For this reason and many more, it has been a very fruitful partnership and we are grateful.  

What do you wish people in our community knew about Grace Clinic?

Grace Clinic plays an important role in health care education. In addition to residents, we also host many other students and trainees from other disciplines including dental assisting, dental hygiene, medical interpreting, medical assisting, nursing, nurse practitioners and mental health counselors. It’s rewarding to watch these young people achieve their professional goals. We are honored to play a part in their journeys. 

What do you see as the community’s greatest health care needs? What is your plan to meet these needs?

We always see the health care system through the lens of the medically underserved. Both Benton and Franklin counties have been designated as Healthcare Provider Shortage Areas, meaning we do not have enough health care providers to support our population. Franklin County is also a Medically Underserved Area. This designation is based on too few primary care providers, high poverty rates and other factors. Grace Clinic addresses these issues on two fronts – by supporting health care education and by removing barriers to health care access for those without insurance and limited income. We believe it is important to continue to function as a free clinic to remove the financial barriers that prevent the medically underserved from accessing care. For more than 20 years, that has been our aim. We ask that people continue to support us to address the health concerns of those in need. This ultimately results in a healthier community overall. 

What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?

It’s hard to name just one thing because leadership is so all-encompassing. Vision, wisdom, courage, tenacity and more are all very important. One characteristic that isn’t often named is humility. C.S. Lewis stated that humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. When we lead with humility, we place the needs of the organization, our team and our clients above our personal agendas. That is a key ingredient for successful leadership. Humility is a very undervalued trait. 

What is the biggest challenge facing business managers today?

I don’t know if it’s the biggest one, but the multigenerational workforce is definitely a challenge. At Grace Clinic, our volunteers range in age from 18 to 92. There can be clashes between different generations. Yet when we can extend grace to one another (pun fully intended), the various styles and approaches blend well making the clinic culture much more nurturing. However, as managers and leaders, we must be intentional in fostering cross-generational relationships. It’s a challenge but worth the effort. 

If you had a magic wand, what would you change about your industry?

With my magic wand, I would wipe away the common belief that nonprofits don’t need operational funds to thrive. There is a great article called, “The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle,” that explains it well. Without proper operational funding, community-based organizations are at risk of imploding, leaving substantial gaps in our community’s safety net. This issue is an unrelenting concern for me and many others in the nonprofit world.

Thinking now of the health care industry, I would use my magic wand to make health care more affordable. The more affordable health care is, the more accessible it becomes for all in our community. Grace Clinic patients receive free care from us but must pay or seek financial assistance for any services outside of the clinic (except lab fees, which we cover). They often won’t follow through with treatment plans due to cost. This is a huge issue that we do not have an answer for … yet.

What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?

Learn everything you can about your organization, your team and your role in the first three to six months. When we are new, we often see areas of improvement and can be tempted to start making changes right away. Keep the changes to a minimum in the beginning. 

Who are your role models or mentors and why? 

I greatly admire my mother who lives in my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. She has always been greatly involved in the community and has remained active even as she juggles the great demands of being a caregiver for my father who is legally blind and has many health issues. She also is the definition of a lifelong learner. Most recently, she has been learning to use AI in her community work. I hope and pray that my mind will be as sharp as hers when I am in my mid-80s. 

How do you keep your employees (or team members) motivated? 

Whether paid staff, students or volunteers, we aim to give them a great experience. “Atomic Habits” author James Clear asks, “What would it look like if this was fun?” In 2024, Grace Clinic volunteers contributed nearly 26,000 hours. We owe it to them to make their time as enjoyable as possible. Along with this, a heartfelt thank you goes a long way. 

How did you decide to pursue the career that you are working in today?

After finishing my MBA at Florida A&M University, I started my career in Corporate America working for Hewlett-Packard. When our kids were babies, I left the workplace to be a stay-at-home mom which is still my favorite season of life. I transitioned into the nonprofit space when we moved to the Tri-Cities in 2009. It really felt like a calling to work in the business of charity. 

How do you measure success in your workplace?

On a day-to-day basis, success looks like a patient who receives the care they need and leaves with a smile. Grace Clinic is the only place I have seen a patient hug the dentist after a tooth extraction. 

Long term, I devote myself to building a sustainable organization that thrives far into the future. The need isn’t going away and we want to make an impact. To achieve this long-term goal, we have to begin with the end in mind. It starts now and builds every day. 

What do you consider your leadership style to be? 

I embrace servant leadership because this approach aligns best with my core values. There’s a great graphic that compares a boss to a leader. The boss sits behind the desk and points while the team is straining in front. In contrast, the leader is not behind a desk but instead leading the charge. The leader and the team are pulling together. An African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”  

How do you balance work and family life? 

As recent empty nesters, Kedrich and I are still discovering what “balance” looks like in this season. We work a lot but sweeten our days with family time. We have brunch with my recently widowed mother-in-law almost every Sunday right after church. That is a lovely part of our week and very tasty also.  

What do you like to do when you are not at work? 

Our days are very full, so downtime at home is a nice break. We enjoy watching good movies and lots of football. We also enjoy traveling and are currently planning a cruise for our 30th wedding anniversary.  

What’s your best time management strategy? 

Tough one. There always seems to be too much to do and not enough time to get it all done. I embrace deadlines as a way to prioritize. On a personal note, I like to cook on the weekends and enjoy leftovers throughout the week. The crockpot is one of my best time-saving tools. We get a lot of great recipes from Instagram. 

Best tip to relieve stress? 

I started taking yoga classes a few years ago. That has been great for the body and the mind. Along with that, I enjoy puzzles like Wordle and try to take a brain break every day.  

What’s your favorite podcast? Most used app? Favorite website? Favorite book? (Feel free to choose one or all) 

YouTube is my most used app by far. There is so much variety from music to podcasts and so much more. I once used YouTube to fix the urinal when it was overflowing. Another app that I use a lot is Libby, the library app for ebooks and audiobooks. Audiobooks are my favorite. I love anything written by John Grisham and Maya Angelou. There is nothing better than Dr. Angelou’s voice on an audiobook. 

Do you have a personal mantra, phrase or quote you like to use? 

The tagline on my LinkedIn profile is “Faith. Family. Service.” Those are my priorities. To sum it all up, Martin Luther King Jr. stated that anyone can be great because greatness comes through service. There is no greater expression of love and compassion than joyfully and wholeheartedly serving others.