Welcome to the Team! A Q&A with Isake Smith
Can you tell us more about your background and what brought you to healthcare?
Much of my immediate family is in healthcare, I am actually the latest to join.
My background is in education and curriculum design. After many years of teaching, I was frustrated with the state of New York City public schools. I went back to school myself to learn about change management and organizational development. It turns out a lot of the work I had been doing to create culturally responsive learning spaces was change management all along!
I spent a few years helping different types of organizations build out their DEI strategies, and I am very excited to help Thirty Madison understand how diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice connect to how we work.
Why did you join Thirty Madison?
Thirty Madison’s vision matches my own values around accessibility, fairness, and equity, which makes being a change agent a whole lot easier.
What are your initial priorities here?
Access for all starts from inside the organization. Folks here are clear about their strengths and gaps. They see the spaces where Thirty Madison can do better, and I am here to help build out data-driven processes to close those gaps across the organization.
My initial priority is the employee experience. Creating a workplace where every team member has what they need to thrive will require input and shifts from every level of the organization, and so far everyone I have worked with has answered the call enthusiastically.
Access for all starts from inside the organization.
What career advice do you have for someone who’s interested in healthcare but is not sure where to start?
Connect to your why. Why is healthcare important to you? How does it connect to the world you want to see? Then find organizations that match those values.
What are you the most excited about over the next year?
Data! I am very excited to implement some shifts in policy and practices, then collect data on improvements. Metrics keep me grounded in a role that can become overwhelming. Having benchmarks means I know where we were, and how I can build toward next steps.
What’s a fun fact about you?
I like Star Trek and Star Wars equally, and there’s no way to change my mind.
