What motivates you when things get tough? Feel free to be detailed and explain why.
When things get tough, I focus on the people depending on the work. In healthcare and emergency response, the work is never abstract. There are patients, families, communities, field teams, agency partners and vulnerable people who need what we provide to function.
I have spent a lot of my career in environments where things move quickly and the stakes are real. During COVID, hurricanes and other emergency response situations, there is not always time to wait for perfect information. Decisions still have to be made, teams still need direction and people still need care.
What motivates me in those moments is responsibility. I do not think leadership is about having every answer from the beginning. It is about staying steady, listening carefully, making the best decision with the information available and making sure the people around me have what they need to keep moving.
I am also motivated by the challenge of building systems that hold up under pressure. A plan on paper is one thing. A plan that works in the field, when conditions are changing, is something else entirely. When things get difficult, I remind myself that the work matters most when it is hardest.
The moments that stay with me are often not the big public ones. They are the late-night conversations with a team trying to solve a problem, the quick decisions that need to be made before the next morning and the responsibility of knowing people are counting on us to keep going.
Tell us 3 surprisingly easy and 3 surprisingly difficult things about your business.
Three things that have been surprisingly easy are recognizing real need, finding committed people and understanding the importance of preparation.
In emergency healthcare operations, the need is usually very clear. When a hurricane hits, when a public health emergency happens or when a community loses access to normal systems, there is no confusion about whether help is needed. The challenge is how quickly and responsibly we can respond.
It has also been easier than people might expect to find people who want to do meaningful work. Emergency response attracts people who are willing to work long hours, solve difficult problems and put the mission ahead of convenience. That kind of commitment matters.
The third surprisingly easy thing is understanding why preparation matters. Once you have been through enough high pressure situations, you stop seeing preparedness as a checklist. You see it as the difference between scrambling and executing.
The difficult parts are much harder. First, emergency response requires coordination across many moving parts: agencies, vendors, staffing, logistics, supplies, transportation, communications and clinical needs. If one part breaks down, it affects everything else.
Second, conditions change constantly. During a storm or public health emergency, the plan you made yesterday may need to be adjusted today. You have to stay flexible without losing discipline.
Third, the emotional weight is real. These are not normal business problems. They involve people who may be scared, displaced, sick, vulnerable or exhausted. That makes the work meaningful, but it also requires a team that can stay calm and compassionate under pressure.
What are the 3 things you like best about your work and why?
The first thing I like best is building systems that solve real problems. I have always been drawn to work where the need is clear and the impact matters. Whether it is emergency healthcare, public health programs, hurricane response or women’s health, I like building around problems that people are actually experiencing.
The second thing I like is working with teams under pressure. That may sound strange, but pressure shows you who people are. It reveals strengths, gaps, communication issues and leadership. When a team comes together in a difficult environment and executes well, that is very rewarding.
The third thing I like is seeing access improve. In healthcare, access is not just a policy idea. It is whether someone can get care when they need it, where they need it and in a way they can actually use. That has been true in large scale public health work, in disaster response and now with Valere, where we are focused on women who often feel dismissed during perimenopause and menopause.
I like that my work has allowed me to operate at both large scale and a very personal level. CDR Health has involved complex healthcare operations and emergency response. Valere is more individualized, but the question is still similar: what do people need, and how do we build care around that need?
What are the three things you need in work to achieve purpose? Why are they important to you?
The first thing I need is a mission that matters. I have to believe the work is solving a real problem. That has always been important to me, especially in healthcare. If the work affects people’s access to care, safety or quality of life, I can stay deeply committed to it.
The second thing I need is the right team. Purpose does not mean much if it cannot be executed. I need people around me who are accountable, practical, calm under pressure and willing to do the work that is not always visible.
The third thing I need is clarity. In complex environments, people can get overwhelmed quickly. I try to keep the mission clear, the priorities clear and the roles clear. When people understand what matters most, they make better decisions.
For me, purpose is not just about intention. It is about execution. I can care deeply about a problem, but if we do not build the systems, the team and the process to address it, then the purpose never reaches the people it is supposed to help.
Tell us about a time where you saw a surprising outcome that you did not expect.
One surprising outcome for me was how quickly large scale healthcare operations could be built during COVID when the need was urgent, and the right people were aligned.
The pandemic created circumstances no one had fully experienced before. We were dealing with compressed timelines, public fear, changing guidance, staffing challenges and enormous demand for testing, vaccination, treatment and emergency healthcare support.
There were many moments when the size of the challenge could have felt impossible.
What surprised me was how much could be accomplished when teams had a clear mission, strong coordination and the willingness to solve problems in real time. It was not perfect. Nothing in that kind of environment is perfect. But we learned how to move quickly while still maintaining structure.
I handled it by focusing on what needed to happen next. In crisis environments, looking too far ahead can be overwhelming, but only reacting to the immediate problem can create chaos. I tried to balance both: solve what was in front of us while continuing to build systems that could scale.
What I learned is that capacity is not just about resources. It is about leadership, trust, communication and execution. When those pieces are strong, teams can do more than they thought possible.
What is the biggest challenge you face each day and how do you handle it?
The biggest challenge I face each day is managing complexity without becoming reactive. My work touches healthcare operations, emergency response, public sector coordination, business strategy, civic leadership and now women’s health through Valere. Each area has its own urgency.
I handle that by staying focused on priorities. Not everything can be the most important thing at the same time. I try to ask: What decision needs to be made now? Who is affected? What does the team need from me? What will matter most tomorrow if we do not address it today?
Communication is also critical. In complex work, small communication gaps become big operational problems. I believe in being clear about roles, expectations and next steps. That sounds simple, but it matters.
I have also learned not to confuse motion with progress. In high-pressure environments, everyone can be busy. The question is whether we are moving in the right direction. I try to keep my attention on that.
What is a habit you try to stick to and how has it helped you?
One habit I try to stick to is pausing before I react. In emergency response and healthcare operations, there is often pressure to make quick decisions. Sometimes that is necessary, but reacting too quickly without understanding the real issue can create more problems. I try to ask a few questions first. What do we know? What do we not know? Who is affected? What is the immediate risk? What can wait, and what cannot?
That habit has helped me stay steady in situations where other people may feel overwhelmed. It also helps the team because calm is contagious. If a leader is frantic, the team feels it. If a leader is focused, the team feels that too.
This does not mean moving slowly. It means moving with clarity. In my experience, a short pause at the right moment can save a lot of time later.
What achievement are you the proudest of and why?
I am proudest of the work I have been able to do during moments when communities needed healthcare support quickly. During the COVID-19 response, I played a leadership role in Florida’s emergency healthcare operations, including serving as the contracted Chief Executive Officer of the State of Florida COVID-19 Infectious Disease Field Hospital System.
That period required coordination, logistics, staffing, clinical support, communication and decision making under pressure. CDR Health Care also supported large scale public health programs involving testing, vaccination, treatment and population health work.
I am proud of that work because it mattered in real time. People needed access to care, and teams had to move quickly to make that happen.
I am also proud of the hurricane and emergency response work we have supported because disaster recovery does not end when the storm passes. People still need medical support, shelter support, transportation, medication access and clear information.
More recently, I am proud of building Valere because it responds to a different kind of need. It is more personal, but it comes from the same instinct: listening to what people are experiencing and building care around a gap that should not be ignored.
What is your favorite book and why?
My favorite book is The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho. There have been many points in my life when I needed to stop, reflect, reconnect with myself and refocus. Most of the time, that has involved being in nature, whether through a hike, a run or simply giving myself enough quiet time to think clearly.
I connected deeply with this book because it speaks to the search for purpose, spiritual connection and the need to reassess priorities along the way. Those themes have shown up in my own life at different stages, especially during moments when I needed to step back and remember what mattered most.
If you do charity or volunteer work, what is it and why do you do it?
Civic and nonprofit work has always been important to me. I have been involved with organizations focused on healthcare access, education, homelessness, the arts and community impact.
I currently serve as Chair of the Florida Grand Opera and Vice Chair of the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust, and I am a member of the Board of Trustees of Florida Atlantic University. I have also been involved with Florida International University and other civic organizations over the years.
I do this work because strong communities depend on strong institutions. Philanthropy and board service are not just about giving. They are about staying involved, asking hard questions, helping organizations grow stronger and supporting work that can make a lasting difference.
The arts, education, housing and healthcare may seem like separate areas, but they all affect quality of life and community connection. I care about supporting institutions that help people live with dignity, opportunity and connection.
Most importantly, I believe that with success comes responsibility. I feel a deep obligation to give back to the communities that have given so much to me and my family.
Who has been your biggest mentor in life (personal or professional) and how have they helped you?
I have had many mentors throughout my life who have influenced me in different ways. My first boss at Pacer Health Corporation gave me the opportunity to be exposed to so many departments and facets of business that there was very little I had not seen or learned from early in my career. The former Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management also taught me what leadership and firm decision making look like during times of crisis.
But my biggest mentor was definitely my grandfather, Charles Forbes. He taught me what it means to be a consistent, stable force in someone’s life. He showed me what it means to show up and why that matters.
He also taught me the power of being the kind of leader who is in the trenches with the team. He taught me that listening is more important than talking, and most importantly, how critical it is to have people around you who are willing to tell you the truth, even if they think it may upset you.
That lesson has helped me build effective teams that are not afraid to point out mistakes, learn from them and use them as opportunities to improve. I believe that kind of honesty is what helps teams become stronger.
Just for fun, what is your favorite food?
That may be the hardest question yet because I am such a foodie. I probably love Mediterranean food the most, but I would never turn down great Mexican or Italian food either.