Reba Rice
CEO
NorthLakes Community Clinic
Hayward, WI USA
“[People’s] inability to see my potential should not limit my potential.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationReba Rice
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
I majored in English in college—my interest in storytelling paired with my passion for social justice have been the main drivers in my career.
After graduating, I went to graduate school and earned my master’s degree in American literature.
I started my career running a shelter for homeless women with children—I loved the job but was working for free, which wasn’t sustainable long-term.
I eventually moved on and built my career through a wide variety of roles, including working for a computer software training company, a crisis pregnancy center, and a law office.
I joined NorthLakes Community Clinic as the sixth employee when we only had one clinic.
I’ve now been with the organization for about 15 years and have helped it grow to 16 clinics and 400 employees.
Education
Career
CEO
I lead a community health center that provides healthcare for underserved populations in Northern Wisconsin.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Non-Profit Organizations
Medicine
Helping People
Day to Day
My days are primarily filled with meetings. The meetings can be quite varied but they're mostly centered around moving different projects forward and making sure everyone is on the same page. My job is to effectively lead planning and then communicate those plans out to the people who will actually be implementing those changes.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
If you're interested in healthcare, I suggest getting in touch with your local AHEC (Area Health Education Center) to see what apprenticeships or educational opportunities they can help connect you with. You can also call a community health center and tell them that you're a student who's interested in healthcare and would like to come in for a job shadow or informational interview.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"I can't do this. I don't know enough. I don't have the skills."
