Atlanta, Georgia, United States
The most exciting aspect of my job as a development program manager is working with a project team to help them envision and share a goal and then achieve that goal. Having the team succeed in bringing value to the company and the customer, and having that success recognized by the company, is very rewarding.
I work for NextGen Healthcare Information Systems (NextGen), a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems Inc., operating in the health IT industry and providing electronic health record, financial management and connectivity solutions for hospitals, health systems, physician practices and other healthcare organizations. NextGen has over 1900 employees.
Here’s just a bit of what we can cover in our PivotPlanet session(s):
• How to think and act like a project manager, including how to communicate with senior management and executives and how to effectively report status.
• How to lead a large software development project.
• How to run successful meetings.
• How to lead and influence without direct authority.
• How to plan and execute career growth and/or a career transition.
My areas of expertise include technical project management and the software development lifecycle: scoping, planning, estimating, tracking, reporting and delivering large, complex software projects. I am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Professional in Healthcare Information & Management Systems (CPHIMS), Certified Scrum Master (CSM) and a Professional Engineer (PE). I am experienced in managing client relationships and am proficient in communicating and presenting to senior management and executives.
I am passionate about leadership, mentoring and career growth. In addition to sharing the in’s and out’s of project management, I will also share strategies I have learned for career growth and transition.
Before I became a project manager, I worked for 12 years as a software developer, then seven years as a software development manager. Each time I changed roles and industries I gained valuable knowledge about new technologies and industries; different roles required to run a successful business; and knowledge and confidence in myself.
My most recent career change was in 2011; I transitioned from the mobile device industry to the healthcare IT industry. I had lost the passion for developing the next greatest cell phone. Healthcare IT, on the other hand, is a growing industry and an exciting work environment, as the entire healthcare industry is in the midst of significant change to lower cost and improve quality. Technology and regulatory change is sweeping the industry, affecting healthcare providers, payers and vendors. Working on projects to bring a better healthcare experience to the patient is both challenging and rewarding.
In my spare time, I speak on the topic of career transition at a local university, sharing my strategies and experiences. Seeing a student successfully achieve his goal of finding a job in the healthcare IT industry is extremely rewarding.