7 minute read
Answering a Call to Lead, Serve and Transform
By Tom Brockman, Editor
Connie Gallaher’s career has taken her from the hospital room as a nurse to the boardroom as a health system executive; however, it wasn’t until retirement that she experienced – what she calls – the career calling of a lifetime.
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A registered nurse for 44 years, Gallaher has served in executive leadership roles with all three major adult health systems in the Central Ohio region. She spent the last 14 years with OhioHealth in Columbus, most recently serving as chief operating officer, then president of OhioHealth at Home, which provides comprehensive care and treatment to patients in their home setting.
Shortly after retiring in February 2021, Gallaher was contacted by ODU Trustee Janet Bay, M.D., a neurosurgeon, friend and colleague with whom Gallaher worked at OhioHealth. During that call, Bay mentioned the search for ODU’s next president, and asked if Gallaher might be interested.
“It caught me completely off guard,” Gallaher said. “But Janet said, ‘Connie, if we wanted what we had always had, then we would follow the same pathway.’”
Shortly following that conversation, while vacationing in the Smoky Mountains with family, Gallaher says she came to the realization that this decision, as unconventional as it seemed at the time, was not of her choosing. She says a prayer, “The Mission of My Life,” by Cardinal John Henry Newman, spoke to her. An excerpt of the prayer reads, “God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught.”
“It was at that time – the first time in my career – that I understood one thing very clearly: This was not my choice,” Gallaher said. “This time, my career was in other hands.”
She says her son, Lt. Michael Gallaher, who serves as an Air Battle Manager in the United States Air Force, gave her a vote of confidence that only a child can. She made a trip to Georgia to visit Michael in person because she knew a face-to-face conversation would be the only way she would truly understand his feelings on the matter.
“If you know one thing about me, it’s that I am family first – always,” Gallaher said. “If I had gotten the sense that Michael wouldn’t be supportive of this new endeavor, I wouldn’t have had a desire to give the opportunity any additional thought. Fortunately, he not only reassured me, he also gave me a big ‘thumbs up’ and a beaming smile. That was all I needed to see.”
Gallaher says the months that have followed since assuming the presidency in June have been more fulfilling than she ever could have imagined. She’s presented honorary degrees to Ohio’s Governor and First Lady, Mike and Fran DeWine, flipped the ceremonial coin toss at ODU’s season-opening football game, and has had an opportunity to fully immerse herself in the campus community.
Gallaher joins Board of Trustees Chair Fred Takavitz to welcome Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine to ODU on Aug. 16.
Gallaher flips the ceremonial coin toss prior to the football team’s home opener against Shepherd University on Sept. 2.
Gallaher welcomes students back to campus during Move-In Day on Aug. 14
“It hasn’t taken me long to see what I heard from so many during the hiring process, which is that ODU has a very special community. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of in my life.”
Gallaher poses with ODU’s cheerleading squad prior to the Homecoming game on Oct. 23.
Gallaher congratulates members of the Homecoming Court.
Despite the excitement of her first months in office, Gallaher says she hasn’t lost focus on the importance of her role with regard to leading Ohio Dominican through a pandemic and ensuring it thrives in the years to come. It’s a scenario that she says her career in healthcare helped to prepare her for.
“We are here to prepare and educate tomorrow’s leaders, but our ability to do so for years to come will depend on our ability to run ODU like a business,” Gallaher said. “When I was in healthcare, I heard from many nurses, physicians, pharmacists or social workers who never wanted to hear someone talk about healthcare as a business. They would say, ‘We’re here to take care of patients.’ “What I would tell them is, ‘We’re in the business of taking care of patients. If you don’t also have a business mind about it, one day you are going to lose your privilege of taking care of patients.’”
Gallaher says future success at Ohio Dominican comes down to innovation – innovative academic programs, innovative corporate and community relationships, and innovative approaches to fundraising.
With the number of high school graduates in Ohio facing a steep decline in the coming years, Gallaher has acted with urgency to engage outside partners to bolster enrollment efforts, enhance fundraising performance and expand academic offerings. In the fall, ODU launched a new online Certificate in Data Science and began development of a Master of Science in Anesthesiologist Assistant Studies program.
Gallaher says the health sciences provide ODU with a significant opportunity to not only attract more high-achieving students, but also fulfill the university’s mission of providing an outstanding education to all who seek it while serving the community.
“The steps that colleges and universities take today will determine their success in the future, and even whether they are able to remain open. We intend to not only be open, but thriving.”
She says pursuing new relationships and partnerships is another way that ODU can create new opportunities for students, while also positioning itself for future success. This past year, Central Ohio Primary Care opened a new Care Forward Center in Peace Hall, which provides care to members of the campus and surrounding communities and also creates shadowing opportunities for students. ODU also has established a number of partnerships, including with the City of Gahanna to provide its employees with the ability to pursue an MBA at discounted rate; Xavier University’s College of Nursing to provide ODU students with enhanced opportunities to pursue a career in nursing; and White Castle to provide students with internships prior to graduating.
Gallaher takes a tour of White Castle’s new headquarters in downtown Columbus on Oct. 6.
“We’re finding there is very close alignment with ODU’s mission and that of many Central Ohio organizations. People truly want to work with us. It’s really been a matter of starting conversations, and the relationships have taken off from there.” Gallaher says ODU’s mission has never been more important and relevant than it is today, which is to “educate individuals committed to intellectual, spiritual and professional growth, who develop into lifelong learners, serving others in a global society. They in turn become ethical and effective leaders grounded in the pursuit of truth, justice and peace.”
