“If you have knowledge and reason, seize the opportunity to lead.”
Dr. Susan Bakewell-Sachs, the Interim Provost at TCNJ, heeded her own advice as she climbed her way up from staff nurse, to Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Faculty member, to Dean of the School of Nursing and Health and Exercise Science, and now to Interim Provost. From a family of strong and well-educated females, she was initially drawn to the nursing profession because her mother was a public health nurse. Now, as a leader of the TCNJ community, she is going beyond the realm of nursing by leading the college with a dynamic perspective.
One of her biggest inspiration is the heroic mother of nursing- Florence Nightingale. She considers Nightingale a role model because in a time when women were less likely to be leaders, Nightingale saw a problem, used and communicated her knowledge and evidence, and transformed health care. At the time, Nightingale never dreamed she would change the world, she just knew it was time for change and leadership. Dr. Bakewell-Sachs has used Nightingale’s legacy to shape her own life. Nightingale’s legacy sounds similar to the one Dr. Bakewell-Sachs is creating for herself.
Completing the Robert Wood Foundation as Executive Nurse Fellow program 2007-2010 has given Dr. Bakewell-Sachs the strength to take on her new role as Interim Provost. She learned self-awareness, communication, and how to take calculated risks. Through this project and by speaking to varied audiences, she learned to know her voice and to always take a stand.
Did you ever think you would become a Dean? It’s not really the first job many of us think of when telling our teacher’s what we want to be when we grow up. Her answer was no. She got to this place in her life by keeping sight of her goals and opportunities. When wondering how she can do it all, she simply says you can do it all — just not all at the same time.
Keeping sight of her goals and new opportunities has led her here. She would tell career orientated TCNJ students to make the most of our lived experiences while we are here. Notably, keep your long term career perspectives in mind as you enjoy all that the college experience has to offer.
So what’s next for the female who never stops finding leadership positions in every facet of life? Bakewell-Sachs says she wants to go after what she is passionate about. To do that she asks herself, “where can a difference be made?”