Why I Serve Utah

In my 13 years at Molina, I am continually inspired by our shared purpose and commitment to the members who depend on Medicaid. I learned early in my career how difficult accessing healthcare was for many people. This sparked a lasting commitment to help support individuals navigate through a challenging system, so they have a better healthcare experience. As plan president for Utah and Idaho, I have the privilege of working alongside a talented team driven by our shared mission to deliver high-quality care that meets our members where they are.

What sets Molina apart is our personalized, persistent approach to care management and our willingness to advocate for members when gaps in care arise. Our dedicated care managers are integral to the work we do across Utah and Idaho. Whether it’s coordinating care, advocating for members, or showing up in the community through efforts like back-to-school events or holiday meals, our work extends beyond clinical settings to address the broader factors that impact health.

Every day, the Molina team goes above and beyond to ensure members feel supported, respected, and seen – making a meaningful, lasting impact across Utah.

Growing up in a small town in rural Utah, I watched my father serve as the local family doctor, caring for neighbors and friends through every stage of life. His commitment to our community inspired me to pursue a career in healthcare and continues to shape how I show up to work today. After completing my own medical training, I returned home and spent 15 years practicing alongside him in that same community, not just observing rural medicine but living it day to day. This background gives me an understanding of the hurdles and limited provider options that rural communities face, as well as the daily challenges that rural providers may encounter when providing care.

As Chief Medical Officer at Molina, I have the privilege of working with a dedicated team of physicians and nurses who are committed to ensuring Molina’s members receive the services and benefits they need. My work remains grounded in a patient-centered approach, whether I’m engaging directly with individuals or leading the broader delivery of care.

At Molina, we are deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of those we serve. What sets us apart is our proactive, personal approach – we step in, problem-solve, and work alongside patients to close gaps in care. What sets us apart further is our deep roots in the community, reflected in the way we listen and show up for Utahns every day. Working alongside the Molina team and our community-based partners to advance this mission and improve health outcomes across the state is why I serve.

I began my career in a small nursing home, where I saw how compassionate, consistent care can change the course of someone’s life. That experience led me to nursing school and, eventually, to Molina, where I have devoted nearly 15 years to supporting members and communities in Utah. Today, my work is driven by a simple goal: to help break down the complexities of healthcare so they can live the most self-sufficient, healthy life.

At Molina, I work with a team that remains close-knit and collaborative, even as we have grown. I partner with community-based organizations, providers, and our care management and community engagement teams to connect people with vital, free and low-cost health resources and education.

We spend time volunteering, connecting, and learning from our residents to better understand and address Utahns’ unique healthcare needs. I’m grateful to work alongside such a dedicated team while calling Utah’s spectacular mountains and colorful canyons home. Our community-centered approach is what sets us apart at Molina, and it’s why I serve.

I have spent most of my career at Molina Healthcare of Utah because I believe in the work we do for our members and the difference it makes in their lives. Very early on, when Molina Healthcare of Utah had just four members, I worked with one elderly member in rural Utah who was living with terminal cancer in a home without running water or reliable electricity. Our team helped arrange the care he needed and later honored his wish to return home at the end of his life with dignity. After he passed, the community came together to build a safe new home for his wife, and I joined others from Molina to help paint it.

That experience stayed with me – it showed me that our work is about far more than coverage. It’s about seeing people, responding to what they need, and standing beside them in moments that matter. That is still what drives me today.

Today, in my role overseeing government contracts, I work behind the scenes, providing support to providers so they can show up for our members. In Utah, Molina is the only Medicaid health plan not owned by a large health system, which allows us to stay focused on what is best for the member and really meet the needs of our communities. Keeping members at the center of every decision, and knowing that this work can shape how care reaches people across the state is why I serve.

From my teenage years, I felt called to be a caregiver. I attended nursing school and began my career as a floor nurse where I saw how thoughtful, coordinated support could change what was possible for patients and families. This experience eventually led me into managed care and to my current work at Molina.

At Molina, I have dedicated more than 12 years to serving vulnerable populations across Utah and Idaho. In my role, I oversee care management and utilization management for more than 100,000 members, helping design care models that address both clinical needs and social factors that shape health outcomes. This work allows our teams to support members where they are and guide them through complex challenges with the care they need.

What keeps me here is seeing those efforts translate into real change. I have seen members overcome long-term substance use, transition out of homelessness, and move towards more stable, independent lives. Those moments underscore the role we play in helping our communities build healthier, more secure futures. That is why I serve.

In my role as the Director of Healthcare Services, I work to ensure our teams are equipped to make a lasting difference in the lives of the people we serve across Utah.

My approach is grounded in years of experience as a nurse in women’s health and pediatrics, as a care manager, and as someone who grew up in a family that relied on Medicaid. I understand how overwhelming the healthcare system can feel and how much it matters to have someone who listens, explains options clearly, and follows through. That lived experience allows me not just to sympathize, but to genuinely empathize – and empathy is what builds trust, breaks down walls, and leads to meaningful change.

Working at Molina allows me to give back to a community I deeply identify with. We prioritize building real relationships, identifying initiatives and partnerships to address social drivers of health like food insecurity or housing instability, and creating care management plans tailored to each member’s goals and realities. Whether we are helping someone keep a trusted provider or navigating a complex benefit question, my focus remains the same: to advance a model of care that removes barriers, honors each person’s story, and helps our members build healthier, more stable futures – and that is why I serve.

After originally studying for a career in national security, I unexpectedly found myself working for the Utah Office of Inspector General, auditing for fraud, waste, and abuse in Utah’s Medicaid program. That experience showed me how critical Medicaid is for helping Utahns build independence by connecting them to the healthcare, food, transportation, and housing services they need to be healthy and self-sufficient. It also sparked my commitment to the benefits of managed care and the work I do today at Molina.

In my role overseeing network management and operations, my focus is on supporting the providers who deliver care to our members every day. There are times when the services members need are not available locally, so we work across teams to find viable solutions. For example, we recently coordinated an out-of-state surgery for a member, ensuring they could still access the care they needed to heal. This commitment to solving each member’s unique needs is what sets Molina apart, especially for those with complex conditions who require coordinated care.

What has kept me at Molina for nearly 11 years is the way our team consistently puts members at the center of our work. As a native Utahn, I see the resilience of our growing and diverse communities reflected in Molina’s mission and in the way we work to connect people with care. That alignment between our members’ needs, our network, and our mission is why I serve.

I have always been drawn to the idea of building health systems that make the healthy choice the easy choice, especially for people who face significant barriers to care. My career started in direct patient care roles as a phlebotomist and ophthalmology technician. Over time, I realized I was equally passionate about the bigger picture: how prevention, access, and quality come together across an entire community. That led me to pursue a master’s in public health and now at Molina, I get to live those values every day by building systems that connect our members to the care they need to thrive and support better health outcomes.

In my role overseeing the Quality Improvement team, I use clinical quality improvement to support members and their families, not just metrics or reports. I see the impact of the work when members get recommended screenings, understand their benefits, and feel respected in every interaction. One example that stays with me is our New Moms Outreach Program, where my team connects with new moms by phone, text, email, or mail to offer support, explain rewards for recommended doctor visits, and connect them to telehealth postpartum care when travel is difficult.

Through these conversations, we hear about sleepless nights, transportation challenges, and worries about postpartum recovery. We then turn that feedback into practical support, such as in-home visits or telehealth options. This enables new mothers to fully use their benefits, keeping themselves and their baby healthy. Helping our members move from uncertainty to confidence in their care reminds me why I serve and why this work matters.