Irene is a registered nurse and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Rush University in Chicago. She has more than 20 years of health care experience in management, education, and advocacy. Irene has worked on a federally funded nurse retention grant at the University of Illinois, and most recently has been focusing on nurse recruitment strategies for the federal government. She is a former Vice President of Clinical Services for a national assisted living company where she co-developed the corporation’s signature health and wellness program.
While a lifelong Chicagoan (Sox over Cubs), her career has offered her a tremendous opportunity to travel the country and present at numerous conferences on issues central to nurse recruitment and retention. Her most meaningful improvisational lesson learned while a student at The Second City was the concept of “Yes, and…”, which is to accept whatever’s given and give back something of equal or greater value. This concept is evidenced by her work in nursing recognition. Her work with health care organizations uses aspects of storytelling to build strong teams and develop effective leaders.