Her Story
About Shelby
Shelby Maxwell is a Principal Program Manager at Centene Corporation, where she supports executive leadership within the operational contact center space and takes on chief-of-staff–style responsibilities centered on operational transformation and strategy. With more than a decade of experience in healthcare informatics, she has built a career around strategic execution, program and project leadership, governance, and fraud, waste, and abuse initiatives. Her professional path began with internships during college, including a formative experience at Anthem, and progressed through roles at Amerigroup and Aphena Pharma Solutions before she joined Centene, where she has spent the past several years advancing operational efficiency on multi-million-dollar initiatives. Shelby holds a bachelor's degree in Health Information Management from Tennessee State University and a Master of Health Informatics from Lipscomb University. She describes herself as someone who thrives in the "messy middle," the space between a strong idea and its successful execution, and she has become known among leaders as the person who can organize chaos, connect competing priorities, and translate ambiguity into an actionable plan. Her work spans strategic planning, executive support, governance frameworks, risk and dependency management, and cross-functional leadership, all guided by her belief that good strategy should simplify rather than complicate, and that governance should enable teams to move forward rather than slow them down. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Shelby credits much of her growth to mentors who encouraged her to challenge convention and use her voice in corporate settings, and she carries that same philosophy into the advice she offers others: ask questions, simplify the complex, and treat change as a chance to innovate. She and her family have supported Shriners Hospital for more than twenty years, reflecting a personal commitment to giving back that mirrors her professional dedication to helping others find clarity and confidence. In recognition of her impact, Shelby was selected for a feature in Influential Woman representing Baxter, Tennessee for 2026.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Shelby
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute much of my success to an early midlife crisis in my twenties that reshaped the direction of my life and led me to Tennessee State University's Healthcare Administration Program. That decision opened the door to internships, including one at Anthem, which sparked my passion for project management. I've always been drawn to helping people who are too deep in the details to see the bigger picture, and I credit the mentors along the way who taught me to challenge convention and speak up in rooms where I might otherwise have stayed quiet.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've received is to always challenge the norm. I've been fortunate to have mentors who pushed me to find my voice and question the status quo, because if the way things have always been done actually worked, we wouldn't need to keep revisiting and rebuilding it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I'd encourage young women to build relationships beyond their immediate team, including with senior leadership and even the CEO. A mentor of mine made a point of introducing me throughout the organization, which gave me the confidence to step out of my shell. I'd also tell them not to be afraid to ask questions, simplify complex ideas, and treat change as an opportunity to rethink processes and try new approaches rather than something to fear.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges I see is communication within an increasingly virtual workforce. We've lost a lot of the informal, spontaneous conversations that used to happen organically, like water-cooler talk, and that makes staying connected more difficult. At the same time, I see this shift as an opportunity to rethink how we communicate and to be more intentional about connection.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Challenging the norm and pursuing clarity are central to how I operate, both professionally and personally. I also hold onto the belief that validation isn't something you should expect for every idea you bring to the table; what matters most is having the confidence to bring it forward in the first place. Clear, effective communication and investing in others, as well as myself, round out what I value most.
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