By Chloe Meyere, Duck Career Network Communications Associate and UO Student

Ginny Ehrlich '91/'97/'12
CEO, Clinton Health Matters Initiative

After an incredible undergraduate experience, Ginny Ehrlich ’91/’97/’12 returned to the UO to become a three-time Duck by completing her masters in special education and her doctorate in educational policy. The fantastic, well-rounded experience she received as an undergraduate is one of the main factors that drew her back time and again. However, she is particularly grateful to the UO for spurring her interest in the health and wellness industry, launching her towards a career she still loves today.

“I got really enthusiastic about health and wellness during my undergraduate time at the U of O,” Ehrlich describes. “What was exciting to me was that it combines so many different aspects of work into one job. You’re part marketer and part technical specialist. You’re also someone who looks at things and decides how they will sustain themselves over time. I really like the multifaceted-nature of the work, from a leadership and program development perspective. I also like translating my personal passion for health and wellness into a profession.”

 

A Career Path Forms

This passion immediately influenced Ehrlich’s career. In 1999, she began working as the school health director at the Oregon Department of Education, broadening her experience with local and state level program development. Ehrlich’s commitment and dedication was quickly recognized, and in 2004, she began working for much larger health organizations with national goals and influences. First, she became the project director and strategic consultant at RMC Health. Two years later, Ehrlich accepted a position as the CEO for Alliance for a Healthier Generation. In that same month, she also accepted the role of CEO for the Clinton Health Matters Initiative and held those 2 positions concurrently for 7 years. Today, she devotes all her attention to the program within the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

 

Becoming a Better Leader

“Working as an executive for the Clinton Foundation,” Ehrlich explains, “has opened a multitude of doors and opportunities.” However, she believes that without having proceeded through the hierarchy of the industry, it would not be possible for her to succeed. 

“I worked my way up the ladder, and I’m really pleased that I did,” she recalls. “I started teaching in the classroom, then conducted trainings for teachers, then worked in local and state level programs, and only then started working nationally, eventually working my way up to the CEO level. It is that experience that helps me oversee an entire organization; I understand a little bit about each contributing trade since I’ve done them all before. It helps me relate to my staff and be a better leader.”

 

The Executive’s Toolkit

Ehrlich’s role as an executive demands that she comprehensively understands every aspect of the organization. For example, she works to build relationships with companies and other programs, something she could not do successfully had she not worked at the program level herself. She emphasizes that in order to “climb the ladder” in her industry, people must aim to diversify their experiences as much as possible. Ehrlich suggests seeking out entry-level, hands-on positions right off the bat, instead of reaching for corporate positions. Ehrlich also mentions that entrepreneurial skills are crucial to an industry so reliant on the bridges it builds.

Ehrlich’s experience shows that with a passion, in this case for health and wellness, one needs only to dedicate themselves, and success will follow.