The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Pinnacle Awards were announced Oct. 13, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place virtually Dec. 8.
Next is Healthcare Industry Executive of the Year (Public Company) finalist Liz Porter, who’s president of Leidos’ Health Group. Here, she talks key achievements, primary focus areas going forward, career advice and more.
What are you most proud of having been a part of in your current organization?
One of the things that I’m most proud of in the Leidos Health Group is our commitment to ensuring we keep our employees safe and healthy during the pandemic, and continuing to support our customers’ missions flawlessly.
I became president of the Health Group in March 2020, at the very beginning of the pandemic. A lot was unknown at that time, but one thing was for sure: We needed to take every step necessary to keep our people safe and healthy.
Next, we needed to continue supporting our customers because their missions are vital to the health and safety of Americans. Customers like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense and many more all provide essential services like health care and disease research and tracking during the pandemic. They couldn’t shut down, so neither could we.
What’s your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
Your career is going to surprise you. You may have a plan to advance in one specific area, but sometimes — in fact, often — you have to be open to taking different opportunities, that take you in a new area or direction. Be open to the change and don’t be afraid to take risks and try new things.
What was your biggest career struggle and how did you overcome it?
As a military spouse, I had the same career challenges that many spouses of service members deal with: how to handle changes in duty stations while maintaining my career goals. In the end, my husband and I relied on our strong relationship and took the challenges one by one. We’ve had to spend some time apart, but I’m grateful that he’s been able to serve our country and I’ve been able to find a career where I can make a difference.
What key achievements did you have in 2020/2021?
First and foremost, as a leader, any achievements that I can claim are the achievements of the entire team. As I look back on the last year, several things stick out. First, we won two big takeaway contracts with a combined maximum value of $3.5 billion earlier this year in the Military and Family Life Counseling program and the Reserve Health Readiness program. These were team wins in the purest form, taking years of preparation to compete and win.
Second, our team at Leidos Partnership for Defense Health has been steadily and reliably deploying the military’s new electronic health record, MHS GENESIS, despite the pandemic’s unpredictable twists and turns. In April 2021, we successfully delivered MHS GENESIS to 10,000 additional clinicians and other providers across 12 states. In September, the system was deployed to another 4,800 clinicians across 130 locations in Hawaii at a time when COVID-19 was surging on the islands.
What was a turning point or inflection point in your career?
One major inflection point in my career came when Leidos merged with Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems & Global Solutions segment in 2016. I was selected to lead a newly formed operation combining capabilities from the two companies in the area of energy and environmental science.
This role was both challenging and greatly rewarding. I was tasked with rebuilding the operation post-merger, prompting me to become a quick study on market trends, our capabilities and our market presence. I restructured the team, identified key talent to develop and promote, as well as established customer and industry relationships.
These were all challenges that brought me out of my comfort zone and broadened my experience in new ways that ultimately laid the groundwork for my promotion to be Health Group president.
What are your primary focus areas going forward, and why are those so important to the future of the nation?
One of my top focuses for 2022 and beyond is steering the health care industry broadly and the Health Group specifically toward addressing total well-being for all people — their physical, mental and social health and wellness.
I strongly believe that an integrated view of health care — caring for the whole person — is the next step in health care. This approach brings into account every aspect of a person’s health, including mental health, stress management and economic stability, for example. It also includes social determinants of health, such as education, housing security and more.
The Health Group is already working in this space through two DOD programs, the Military and Family Life Counseling and Reserve Health Readiness. As the health care system reorients around total well-being, there are exciting opportunities for the Health Group to lead and innovate to help people live longer, healthier and happier lives.
How do you help shape the next generation of government leaders/industry leaders?
I am working to champion military spouses and their careers. Many military spouses struggle to work in career fields outside of areas like nursing or teaching where they can more easily find new jobs when their spouse is moved. These are wonderful jobs and we need more nurses and teachers, but not everyone wants to go that route.
Despite the struggles of multiple relocations and spouse deployments, I’ve been able to progress in my career, though it wasn’t easy, and I want to help give the same opportunities for every military spouse. I’m proud that Leidos is a leader in hiring military spouses and has consistently been named a military spouse friendly employer.