Her Story
About Kimberly
I've always been a nurse for the past 19 years, working in different fields and areas of nursing. I originally wanted to be a doctor and nursing was my pre-med course, but life had other plans. My aunt was a nurse and I was really close with her, which inspired me to enter the field. I've been in my current leadership position for about 6 years, where I oversee multiple departments that deal with either prevention or chronic disease management of patients. My main area of expertise is population health. There's a lot of navigation and case management involved, helping patients get optimized in terms of their care for their specific chronic diseases. I'm currently in school to get my doctorate, which is a dual doctor of nursing practice and a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner degree, so I've recently been focusing a lot on mental health. One of my most notable professional achievements was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when our department led the way in Hawaii as the first ones to go out and do community vaccine events, bringing the COVID-19 vaccine to the underserved community.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kimberly
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my family - I have a husband and two kids, and they've been very supportive. I work a lot, and I'm also in school, so it's gotten quite hectic for me, but I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing without them being supportive.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is that 'no is an answer too.' I typically just tend to overdo things and take on too much work, and I had to learn to say no in order to create that work-life balance.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say give yourself grace. Allow yourself the time to figure out what it is you're most passionate about and go for it. It's never too late, it's never gonna be perfect, but you should just still go for it, despite the odds.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are definitely integrity and accountability. I also live by two main values: doing the right thing and helping people. This field enables me to do both and live by both of those values.
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