In June of 2022, I completed onboarding training for netlogx – for the second time. I am part of a growing collective referred to as “the boomerangs,” the label given to netlogx employees who leave for a period and return with updated knowledge to apply to projects. For me personally, the years that I experienced away from netlogx were important in formulating a versatile skillset allowing me to fill the roles I need most.
My first onboarding experience was during the fall of 2016, election week. I was unfamiliar with netlogx outside of the interview process, and Indianapolis was a city I had never visited but wanted to. However, I was comfortable right away after entering The Stutz building and really liked the layout of the old auto factory building and the abundance of creative local businesses. Next, I was given a tour of the netlogx layout and was introduced to some of the consultants I team up with and am happy to call friends years later.
My initial years with netlogx offered exposure to a variety of different projects. I worked within a business process team for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Our team was helping to unify processes after the Department of Human Services (DHS), and the Department of Community Health (DCH) merged to form MDHHS and various other departments that had been created as a result. There were software integrations and implementations and sunsetting outdated systems no longer of use. This was a long-term, labor-intensive project that gave me great perspective into the stakeholder, communication, and change management.
Next, I traveled to beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico, to work with Human Services Department (HSD), helping to start an Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO). I wore several hats, as we often do as netlogx consultants, and gained some vital experience in my time with this work. I appreciated the different teams I worked with and enjoyed watching bits and pieces of the HHS 2020 program come to fruition. I also appreciated the wonderful people and culture of Santa Fe, which is so different then what I have grown used to in Michigan.
Shortly after I stopped traveling to New Mexico, my son was born. I accepted a position with a local company after three years with netlogx. During this period, my focus was leading technology-driven projects, particularly those that focused on promoting interoperability through health information exchange. My relationship with MDHHS continued as I was assigned as a project manager in multiple efforts in partnership with some of their project teams.
The time I spent with various development, integration, reporting, analytics, and quality assurance teams were vital to my professional growth. Developing the ability to unify business and technical resources is a constant challenge while successfully navigating through competing priorities, timelines, and resource constraints.
COVID hit hard through this period which challenged everyone. There were many difficulties, but this interval also allowed for some deep reflection and sometimes reprioritization of project work. When I was beginning to feel like change was inevitable career-wise, netlogx happened to reach out and inquire about what my potential plans looked like relating to employment. And here I am.
I sincerely hope to continue applying my experience in the most beneficial way possible while constantly learning and growing in my role. So far, I have had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with many new netlogx associates, and each one brings professionalism and their own unique strengths to the table. Additionally, I’ve loved seeing some familiar faces along with some “boomerangs” that I am seeing more and more of lately. Ultimately, I am happy to be a part of the netlogx family again and look forward to celebrating future accomplishments.
