A native of Cortland County, N.Y., Kansas Underwood M’21 recently returned to her home community to serve as Vice President of Operations and Chief Nursing Officer at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center. She has also founded KU Coaching and Consulting to mentor and motivate fellow executives on their path to becoming transformational leaders.
Kansas’s own path took a defining turn at Keuka College, where she entered the online Master of Science in Leadership program in 2019. At that time, she had worked in healthcare for more than 15 years – first as an ER nurse, then as co-owner of a traveling nurse agency, and most recently in a series of leadership positions at Cayuga Health.
She said her experience in the MSL program gave her the skills and confidence she needed to take her career even further.
“One of my first courses was Leadership. The main theme was how to guide teams through change, and that really set the tone for the whole program. I knew I was there for the right reasons.”
The MSL program’s flexible online format allowed Kansas to complete her studies without pausing her career trajectory. She had just been promoted to senior director of emergency services at Cayuga Health, and she was able to apply insights gained from courses like Business Ethics and Human Capital Management to real challenges in real time.
Then, as her workplace was navigating the COVID-19 crisis, Kansas completed her capstone research project on the rapid shift to telehealth and its impact on rural communities.
“Kansas was an exceptional student, I knew she would use her degree to craft a highly distinguished vector in her medical career.”
Kansas is now second in command of the Guthrie Cortland Medical Center, a 242-bed facility with more than 300 providers and a new state-of-the-art cancer institute. As the center’s top nursing professional, she’s also responsible for recruiting first-rate nurses and ensuring they have the resources they need to provide stellar patient care.
“Kansas is a dedicated servant leader who exemplifies integrity, compassion, and a commitment to excellence,” said Jennifer L. Yartym, President of Guthrie Cortland Medical Center. “Her unwavering dedication ensures that the needs of both patients and the broader Cortland community remain at the forefront of every decision she makes.”
Meanwhile, in her consulting practice, Kansas helps emerging leaders in the healthcare sector and beyond to develop effective strategies for delegation, time management, and work-life balance.
“I got into executive coaching because I love leadership,” she said. “There are a lot of intricacies in operations, but ultimately it’s all about people and their stories, and making sure those stories are heard.”
Brian Johnson, an ER clinical manager in Fairfield, California, credits Kansas’s coaching as vital to his success in his new role.
“My colleagues said it was the hardest management position in the hospital, but I decided it was my calling," he said. "Kansas met me where I was at. She heard me. She helped me tackle the challenges that lay ahead.”
As for the challenges that tomorrow’s healthcare changemakers will face? Kansas acknowledged that it has never been easy to balance financial pressures with the need to provide compassionate care – and it’s only going to get more complex.
“We’re going to need leaders who understand the numbers side but who are also great at building relationships.”
Start here. Go further.
With a streamlines curriculum and two career-focused tracks, Keuka College’s MSL program can prepare you to lead with purpose in Management or Healthcare. Find out more and apply now.
