What makes you uniquely qualified as an educator or practitioner to serve on the Council for Excellence in Education? (Please include what capacity/degree level of programming in academia.) 

I am well respected in academia and corporate America and viewed as an expert. I have served as an educator and practitioner in the profession since the late 1980s. In addition to being a RHIA, I have a doctorate degree in higher educational leadership. As an African American woman, I come with an extensive background in the field of HIM and a unique view that can be leveraged to help in the development of content to serve a wide audience. My experience has allowed me to interact with a diverse group of influential individuals who have contributed to my development. This has provided me with a wealth of valuable information and knowledge that can help in the development of potentially future HIM professionals. I have been a program director and associate professor of a baccalaureate HIM program. This position necessitated collaboration with program directors and senior leadership from other programs such as nursing and radiology. Collaboration with other disciplines provided an opportunity to introduce the importance of HIM to students in other programs which enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the HIM profession. A student in a radiology program once thanked me for sharing my expertise and provided me with an example of how she was able to apply that knowledge and become instrumental in the identification and reporting of a duplicate medical record number during her professional practice experience. In this capacity she was instrumental in aiding the profession in addressing issues with patient safety and patient matching. In corporate America as a system HIM manager over three facilities, I am frequently involved in discussions with members of the C-suite in the areas of the revenue cycle, HIM operations, quality and release of information. In additions to ensuring compliance with local, state and federal regulations including but not limited to HIPAA and privacy laws, I am charged with oversight of compliance with the Century 21 Cures Act.