Reflections on the Pandemic with MUSC’s Lisa Montgomery ’82

“There’s No Greater Mission than Helping Others”

Reflections on the Pandemic with MUSC’s Lisa Montgomery ’82

Growing up just north of Charleston, Lisa Montgomery ’82 was inspired by her father’s service to the community as a small-town dentist in Moncks Corner.

Perhaps it was that window into service, coupled with receiving her undergraduate degree from PC and master’s of health administration degree from MUSC, that inspired her career.

“It’s been a wonderful 30 years at MUSC,” Montgomery said. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.”

Montgomery serves as executive vice president for finance and operations at MUSC, overseeing all of the non-clinical and nonacademic functions of the university. Reporting to the president, Montgomery serves as the university’s financial and administrative officer.

Add the onset of a global pandemic to her responsibilities, and one can imagine it’s been quite a year for Montgomery and her team at MUSC.

Safety First

“When the pandemic hit,” Montgomery recalls, “immediately we had to look at safety, that became paramount. MUSC focused on the safety of the patients, students, faculty and staff.”

Montgomery continues, “We had to re-work everything, [from] how we deliver mail, to our technology. We had to make sure that we were ahead of the curve with PPE, so we partnered with Boeing to fly overseas to get Personal Protective Equipment and bring it back to us.”

“It goes without saying,” Montgomery adds, “that we have so many front-line team members who have really been in the trenches. Their resilience, collaboration and teamwork has been amazing.”

Additionally, MUSC had to immediately pivot their students to online learning. “In 24–48 hours, we had all of our operations that support the university become remote. It really was a team effort.”

Community Care

“Our Mission at MUSC is focused on optimizing human life in South Carolina and beyond,” Montgomery said.

As part of that mission, MUSC created one of the nation’s first drive-through specimen collection sites for COVID testing. “It took a lot of people to pull that off,” Montgomery reflects, “imagine trying to collect specimens in the middle of August while wearing a hazmat suit!”

Additionally, MUSC was asked by the state government to get into the rural parts of SC to get people tested. “We worked very hard to set up locations in all of our counties, first for testing, and now with vaccinations.”

Montgomery reflects, “There are few missions more important than that of improving the health and lives of those in our community.”

While We Live, We Serve

As Montgomery looks back on her time at PC, she shares, “Being at Presbyterian College has served me well in my career, and my life. PC’s mission of service, the community projects, the life-long relationships, I appreciate that more than ever.”

When asked what PC’s motto, “While We, Live We Serve” has meant to her over the past year, Montgomery responds, “I think it has come full circle. I don’t think that there is anything more challenging than a pandemic to really call out your values, your commitment, and certainly leadership in these difficult times. You see what service is all about.”