In celebration of 2021’s International Women’s Day, we asked some of Cross Country Healthcare’s women in leadership roles questions that allowed them to reflect on this year’s theme of #ChoosetoChallenge. 

<p>In celebration of 2021&rsquo;s International Women&rsquo;s Day, we asked some of Cross Country Healthcare&rsquo;s women in leadership roles questions that allowed them to reflect on this year&rsquo;s theme of #ChoosetoChallenge. We wondered what advice they would give their younger selves, who they look up to and events that challenged them in their own careers, among other things. Here are some of their enlightening and inspiring responses.</p>

<h3>Angie Baggs, Regional Vice President, Program Management</h3>

<p>Q: What advice would you give to your fellow up and coming women in the business (or your younger self)?<br />
A: Trust your instincts &ndash; as women we have powerful instincts and trusting them could mean the difference between a success or a missed opportunity.</p>

<h3>Susan Ball, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer</h3>

<p>Q: Tell us about a time you empowered another woman in business.<br />
A: Mentoring a colleague who went from being an entry level employee to a corporate officer has been the greatest joy of my professional career. Identifying and cultivating talent and offering an opportunity to a woman to grow professionally and financially has been extremely rewarding as she has now paid it forward to her direct reports.</p>

<h3>Katie Granville, Vice President, Enterprise Client Solutions</h3>

<p>Q: Tell us about a certain event or situation that challenged you for the better?<br />
A: Losing my job back in 2017. I had put everything I had into building and growing that organization. Involuntarily leaving was an eye opening and life altering experience, challenging me in all aspects of my life, and in ways I had never imagined. Looking back on that challenging event, I have gained confidence, determination and a much broader sense of purpose that I am not sure I ever would have realized or appreciated, had I not been thrown out of my comfort zone.</p>

<h3>Mihal Spiegel, President, Cross Country Education</h3>

<p>Q: What is the biggest challenge for you being a female leader?<br />
A: Managing family, personal and professional goals is a difficult challenge for any leader. You can work long hours and feel like the day is constantly escaping you or you can strive for efficiency and maintain the balance needed to keep you engaged in the various aspects of your life. Leaders who are also mothers may feel guilty for prioritizing work over family while leaders who are fathers often don&rsquo;t seem impacted by that same guilt. As our society progresses, the walls of gendered roles within our family structures are slowly being broken down. These changes will lead to more women represented in leadership roles and in the workplace overall.</p>

<h3>Beth Betz, Vice President, Program Management</h3>

<p>Q: What motivates you?<br />
A: Everyday what guides me to do my best is to take care of my family, my clients, my co-workers and my company. I approach each day with a commitment to give over 100% of my energies to insure I&rsquo;ve done my very best to fulfill duties and expectations, and never expect more from someone than I&rsquo;m willing to give. I&rsquo;ve found that developing genuine relationships combined with sharing passion for success, aligning goals, and measuring our steps towards achieving those goals has the biggest impact on success. At the end of the day if I&rsquo;m confident that I&rsquo;ve done all I can to drive and support not only my efforts but the efforts of those around me, then this defines success and provides the motivation I need to wake up and be my best.</p>

<h3>Aimee Mundo, Regional Vice President, Program Management</h3>

<p>Q: Who do you look up to?<br />
A: My Nana, Theresa Gile Mundo who has since passed away. She was a woman before her time, born in 1929. In her early 20s she moved alone from Boston to Chicago. At a time when women did not drive she taught herself to drive and then taught her friends and subsequently me to drive as well; in my eyes she was fearless. My Nana told me that I should hold myself responsible to deliver what I wanted and not others. At a time when women did not work outside of the home, she owned and led two successful restaurant/banquet halls with her husband, my papa, all while raising their two children, my dad and my aunt. She always told me, even if you&rsquo;re getting into trouble, I&rsquo;d rather you lead the charge vs. following others.</p>

<h3>Amiee Hawkins, Senior Vice President, Nurse &amp; Allied Operations</h3>

<p>Q: What advice would you give to your fellow up and coming women in the business (or your younger self)?<br />
A: To my younger self: Take risks earlier in your career and don&rsquo;t be afraid to shake the foundation.</p>

<h3>Nichole Vaux, Vice President, Marketing</h3>

<p>Q: Do you have a quote you live by?<br />
A: A strong woman looks a challenge dead in the eye and gives it a wink.</p>

<h3>April Hawthorne, Vice President, Recruitment</h3>

<p>Q: Do you have a quote you live by?<br />
A: &ldquo;It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.&rdquo; --Theodore Roosevelt</p>

<p>In those moments when I feel challenged to my limit and I begin to grow weary, I remember that I am in the arena. If I am in the arena why am I surprised at the great challenges? We will always have critics, but it isn&rsquo;t the critic who counts, but the one willing to strive, willing to spend herself in a worthy cause. The one who fights a fight just because it needs fighting, not because she will win every time. I appreciate the strong women in my life who have lived with great enthusiasm and great devotion. It is my mission to carry the torch forward.</p>


Cross Country Healthcare Women in Leadership Share Perspectives in Recognition of International Women’s Day