Beyond the Boardroom: Carle Foundation Hospital President Elizabeth Angelo

Jeff D'Alessio, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
·4 min read

Feb. 12—Carle's not only where ELIZABETH ANGELO was born. It's where her career in health care was launched, as well.

Twenty years after landing her first job there — as a health-care tech while still in nursing school — Angelo was promoted to Carle Foundation Hospital president last year, succeeding Lynne Barnes.

While she "never anticipated serving in a leadership position" back in 2002, Angelo has now held two of the top titles at the Urbana hospital — the one she has now and the senior VP/chief nursing officer position she was bumped up to in 2020.

A proud alumna of Dr. Howard Elementary, Edison Middle School and Central High, Angelo now calls Savoy home, with husband Brock, their three children and two dogs.

The nurse's daughter took time out to answer questions from in the 167th installment of our weekly speed read spotlighting leaders of organizations big and small.

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The hardest thing about being a leader is ... the humbling realization that there are times your actions miss the mark and others are affected by it.

My one unbreakable rule of the workplace is ... every decision should be made with the people we serve in mind.

I'm frugal in that ... I love garage sales and thrift stores.

I think it's the combination of great deals plus the fun of finding something unexpected.

My philosophy on meetings is ... make them meaningful — and know when to move a conversation to a different setting or focus the agenda to be more specific.

When it comes to my single favorite moment in this job ... I've had the privilege of working with patients who've made a lasting impression on me. Those interactions and experiences have shaped my understanding of the work we do and how important it is to our community.

I've also been grateful for the opportunities when I've had to learn new things or take on additional responsibilities.

We always tell people that Carle is a great place to grow your career, and that has certainly been true for me.

I started at Carle when I was in nursing school, working as a health-care tech, and never anticipated serving in a leadership position. Along the way, many colleagues have been willing to give me honest feedback, to help me grow and to teach me new things.

That has added up to a lot of memorable moments.

I can't live without my ... family. They are both grounding and incredibly supportive.

If I could trade places for a week with any other business person in town, I wouldn't mind switching with ... some of my colleagues from other departments at Carle.

I've worked in health care for 20 years and am still learning something new every day. We have so many specialized experts here, and the work they do is simply incredible.

Outside of health care, I'd love to be a librarian for a day. The Champaign Public Library was my favorite place to go as a kid.

The three adjectives I hope my staff would use to describe me are ... appreciative, committed and kind.

On my office walls, you'll find ... gifts of artwork I've received over the years and a couple of family photos.

I wind down after work by ... trying to reflect on the day a bit — what went well, what I need to prioritize for tomorrow, what I want to improve upon.

And then I try to switch gears so I'm present at home. Whatever we're doing, it's just nice to be together.

I'm up and at 'em every day by ... 5:15 or so. Morning is my favorite time of day.

My exercise routine consists of ... strength training a couple of mornings each week and I try to fit in cardio on a couple of other days.

I've definitely found the benefit in working with a trainer and having to show up at the gym at a certain time.

As far as the last luxury in which I indulged goes ... travel is my favorite indulgence. Our most recent family trip was to Les Cheneaux Islands in Upper Peninsula, Michigan.

My husband bought a world map for us to track trips, and it's fun to remember where we've been and plan our next getaway.

Our kids are teenagers, so travel together is a luxury that also feels like a good investment in memories we share.

On a 1-to-10 scale, the impact of the pandemic has been a ... 10-plus.

One thing I tell our team often is that no one has done the job you are doing today, ever.

The pandemic has fundamentally shifted much of health-care delivery. Beyond that, it's amplified isolation, societal divides and health disparities.

Health-care workers are challenged every day to meet patient needs in this new environment. In addition to our technical expertise, the compassion and humanity we bring to our work has never been more important.