10 minute read
Celebrating Spartan Women
Castleton alumnae near and far are making an impact in their local communities, as well as on both a national and global level. Their contributions include advancements in the healthcare industry, expanding educational opportunities for students, drawing attention to civic-minded causes that help those in need, building intricate networks to ease communications channels and improve workflow at large-scale organizations, and more. Our four outstanding featured women have risen to become talented professionals in their field, and we are so proud to call them Spartans.
An Alumna with Impact: Carol Ryan Surface, Ph.D. ’87
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Psychology alumna Carol Ryan Surface, Ph.D. ’87 currently serves as the chief human resources officer for Medtronic, an award-winning global leader in healthcare technology.
“Our company improves the lives of two people every second,” Surface explained. “If you know someone with a pacemaker or diabetes, or who has had surgery, it is very possible that a Medtronic product or therapy has touched their lives.”
In her current role, she holds the responsibility of leading the human resources strategy for the company’s 90,000+ employees worldwide. Additionally, she provides leadership for philanthropy and Medtronic Labs and serves as the board chair of the Medtronic Foundation.
Surface’s introduction to the intersection between her interest in psychology and business first took roots when former Castleton professor Dr. Curt Bartol suggested she take his course in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.
Before joining Medtronic in 2013, Surface held the position of executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Best Buy Co., Inc. She also served in a series of human resources leadership roles at PepsiCo International.
“If I had known that a career in Human Resources would take me to more than 60 countries, including living and working outside of the U.S. for seven years, then maybe I would have aspired to work in this field all along,” she said of her career, which has provided her the opportunity to live and work in Hong Kong, Dubai, and various locations around the United States. also serves as vice chair of the HR Policy Association. She was recently recognized for her achievements and awarded the highest honor in the human resource profession, as she was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources (NAHR) in 2020.
“What has always motivated me – personally and professionally – is the ability to have an impact on people’s lives. I especially feel a responsibility to give back to my profession since my career has been guided by wise counsel from many people, starting at Castleton,” she said.
Learning with Loren: Loren Sapphire Kelly '96
Loren Sapphire Kelly ’96 has been teaching in a Nursing program at the University of New Mexico College of Nursing for more than nine years, focusing on public health and community engagement.
“I love teaching and working with students while fostering their aspirations to become future nurses,” she said. “I see myself as more of a facilitator of learning in partnership with the students so that we are learning together.”
Kelly’s position gives her the independence to be creative in how she designs and teaches her courses.
“I have the opportunity to be part of many collaborations and partnerships. I’ve been able to lead clinical experiences in global health in Kenya, Mexico, and Costa Rica,” she said. “One of my favorite experiences is taking students twice a year for a two-week rural health clinical practicum at Navajo Nation in Chinle, Arizona.”
Kelly’s appreciation for traveling and providing health care in rural settings began when she was a student at Castleton during a community health rotation. There, she spent several days working alongside a nurse – driving on dirt roads and making home visits – doing wound care and providing education to patients.
“I loved the freedom and autonomy of that role,” Kelly said. “That experience opened my eyes to rural health and made me see the role of the community health nurse in going out into the community and enabling people to remain in their homes and maintain their lifestyle.”
After earning her degree from Castleton and working locally for a few years, Kelly and her husband, James – a fellow Nursing program alumnus who graduated in 1998 – traded in Vermont’s mountain views for the red rock vistas of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Kelly worked as a traveling nurse during her first few years out west. This experience, she said, deepened her regard for rural medicine.
“Working in the ICU with patients from rural and marginalized communities, who were coming in with chronic and often preventable conditions, made me aware of the social determinants of health and the health disparities faced by so many individuals and communities,” Kelly said.
In addition to her passion for teaching and health care, Kelly has had a lifelong love of singing and performing. When Carnegie Hall celebrated its 100th anniversary, she had the opportunity to perform with the Masterwork Chorus. Currently, she sings soprano with Quintessence, a choir in Albuquerque that performs concerts throughout the year, including a summer choral festival.
Always looking for new ways to engage with the public in her career, Kelly is about to embark on another phase and is starting a program to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
“Nursing has been a far more personally and professionally gratifying career than I ever imagined. When I graduated from Castleton, I didn’t know exactly what area of nursing I would end up in,” she said. “Everything unfolded and my skills and experiences all built upon one another so that my career evolved with a great variety of experiences and settings from a teaching hospital to the pueblo.”
Making a Global Impact: Ariel Delaney '07
Ariel Delaney
Ariel Delaney has the unique experience of interacting and collaborating with the largest private foundation in the world on a daily basis. As senior program coordinator for the financial services for the poor team at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Delaney’s devotion to advancing the work of global nonprofits is a driving force for her career. Having worked for smaller nonprofit organizations dependent on fundraising for their survival in the past, she now finds joy in helping fund them.
“I love working with small, first-time Gates Foundation grantees that have not received major funding before but are passionate about the work they are doing,” she said. When Delaney graduated from Castleton in 2007 with a degree in Communications, concentrated in Journalism, her goal was to become a foreign correspondent, traveling the world reporting the truth and exposing injustice. While serving in an internship at WCAX in Burlington, Vermont, Delaney found herself missing the philanthropy work she had previously engaged in and made a professional career shift by joining the Peace Corps. She knew then she could have a deeper impact.
“I hadn't thought about working in the nonprofit world as a career until I served as a Peace Corps community health volunteer in Morocco,” she explained. “It was an eye-opening experience. I ended up applying for a grant in collaboration with local leadership to refurbish a well to bring clean drinking water to part of the village.”
Delany’s first successful grant was a rewarding experience, which led her to enroll in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University to learn the theoretical background for working in development. She received her graduate degree in sustainable international development and went on to accept philanthropic roles at international organizations including Grounds for Health in Ethiopia and Nicaragua and Planned Parenthood. “It’s been an exciting ride and I have learned so much in all the contexts I’ve worked in,” she shared.
“There is no linear career path. You have to take the bumps, ride the waves, and be willing to take roles that help you learn but may not ultimately pay the bills.”
Delaney now lives with her husband and daughter in Lake Stevens, Washington. She has found a meaningful way to make a deep impact on many lives, including the world's poorest, as she manages an investment portfolio worth $60 million with the mission of expanding the availability of affordable and reliable financial services, serves as deputy director of Malaria Partners International, and has a role on the board of the Philanthropic Education Organization.
“Castleton and Vermont are small portions of the world. It takes courage to go beyond what you know,” she said. “The world has so many possibilities. Try not to let the fear of the unknown prevent you from a new experience.”
Conquering Communication: Ali Flewelling ‘11
Ali Flewelling
It was the fast-paced environment, ever-changing atmosphere, and ability to make a difference that drew Castleton alumna Ali Flewelling ‘11 into a career in business communications. As a communications business partnerships manager at BAE Systems, a global aerospace and defense company based in Nashua, New Hampshire, the Vermont native embraces the challenges of each new day in the office and has built a thriving career that spans multiple industries.
“My company does meaningful work protecting our nation’s service men and women. We have a purposeful mission that drives many of us to put our best foot forward each day,” explained Flewelling, who has been with the company for just over four years. “It’s a place where, if you raise your hand and have a good idea, people will listen, support you, and give you a chance to prove yourself.”
In her role, Flewelling leads a team of executive communications professionals who serve as trusted advisors to the company’s senior executives. Her duties include helping to drive message alignment and providing strategic internal and external communication support for the Electronic Systems sector’s seven business areas, spanning commercial and defense markets, which employ more than 15,000 people across 26 sites in the United States, United Kingdom, and Mexico.
The company atmosphere is amongst one of the most cherished aspects of her job, which she states brings together a strong sense of collaboration, mentorship, continued learning, community engagement, and creative freedom.
“I am lucky to be surrounded by such talented and dedicated people every day. People with diverse perspective and backgrounds who come together to solve some of our customers’ toughest problems. It gives me energy and purpose to feel part of something bigger,” she said.
Throughout both her personal and professional journey, Flewelling has remained a lifelong learner, adding new skills to her toolbox and constantly drawing inspiration from those who are most important and influential to her, including her parents, fiancé, family, friends, and co-workers.
“A lot of that comes from my family and my upbringing. Both of my parents were educators, and they always supported me and encouraged me to explore the things that interested me,” she explained. “They let me figure things out on my own, let me fail, and taught me lessons along the way, something I now try to do with my school-aged stepson.”
At the end of the day, it is the culmination of Flewelling’s various Castleton experiences as a Media and Communication major that have helped prepare her for life post-graduation. From her dedicated professors who found unique ways to instill pride, drive, and excitement in her as a student and the diverse curriculum that provided her with an abundance of life skills, to the hands-on experiences of local freelancing writing and internship opportunities, she credits her time as a Spartan for laying a solid foundation for her continued growth.
“Castleton prepared me for success as a communications professional by exposing me to all facets of communication during my degree program, including those that were outside my comfort zone,” she said. “Castleton truly lived up to its ‘small college with a big heart’ motto and just felt right. It felt like home, and it still does today.”
