Driving equality forward at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission

For Taylar Brown, equality has always been a topic she strongly advocates for, not only in her personal life, but in her professional life as well. As a native of Kansas City, Missouri, with a degree in political science, Brown pursued her passion of being an advocate for people by working in legislature for the State of Missouri and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Now, as a procurement and project delivery manager for the Mid-America Region at AdventHealth, Brown has the opportunity to interact with different team members from a variety of backgrounds and cultures and strives to ensure everyone feels involved and included in those interactions.

“I've always been consistent and I've always been outspoken regardless of who is in the room,” she said. “I've made it a mission not only in my life but also professionally to make sure that the teams I cultivate reflect the community we serve.”

One of the ways Brown demonstrates her commitment to diversity and inclusion is by participating in a new partnership opportunity between AdventHealth Shawnee Mission and Cristo Rey High School in Kansas City. Cristo Rey Kansas City has developed an innovative corporate work study program that serves ambitious students with economic need. These students have the opportunity to work directly with inspirational leaders in the workforce, like Brown, who encourage them to pursue their career goals and give them hope that, even with limited resources, success is possible.

Some of Brown’s main supporters at AdventHealth include her regional chief information officer, Andrea Trillo, who is Brown’s very first female boss. “That’s huge,” Brown said. “This is my first time ever reporting to a woman – not only a woman, but a young woman who also is seeking to foster a community that is diverse and equitable and puts people in rooms and at tables where they’ve never been before.”

Having a seat at the table, and being able to remain at the table during these challenging times and into the future, has been an important step toward a more inclusive environment for Brown.

“…Not only is she [Trillo] putting me in those spaces but she is also preparing me to be an even better leader in the future,” she said. “[In] a lot of those spaces where you don’t see people that look like me or us, she’s making sure that I’m visible and supporting me and having my back.”

Feeling supported and included is something Brown hopes every AdventHealth team member experiences, and she realizes it will take a collaborative effort throughout the organization to foster a stronger, more inclusive environment where everyone feels heard. ​​​​​​​

In her region, AdventHealth Shawnee Mission continues to be an example of what is possible when barriers that may prevent participation or marginalize certain groups are removed. For example, a new initiative to support inclusion efforts on the campus includes the offering of English as a second language (ESL) programs for environmental services team members, free of cost. As a former ESL teaching assistant herself, Brown is proud to be part of an organization that provides these valuable opportunities to team members.

Overall, Brown is an important example of a team member who lives out our service standards daily by choosing to be an advocate for equality across borders, skin colors and cultural barriers. ​​​​​​​