If you want to see the genuine goodness in a person, catch a glimpse when they think no one is watching.
In the early days of the pandemic, before our region was experiencing the worst of COVID-19, we received a phone call from a colleague leading a health system up north. Things were bad there, he said; could we spare some supplies to help their patients? He promised he’d return the favor before we needed assistance.
Our then-CEO, Nancy Howell Agee, didn’t hesitate. Southwest Virginia trailed by a few weeks the waves of illness in major cities on the East and West Coasts, so we packed a box truck the next day and sent it north in hopes of saving lives elsewhere.
Last month, Nancy stepped away from her role as Carilion Clinic’s CEO, having led the organization through some of the most consequential moments in our 125-year history.
Nancy’s list of accomplishments is extensive and influential.
- She built a strong partnership with Virginia Tech that thrives through the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
- She formed the vision that led to the integration of Carilion’s Jefferson College of Health Sciences into Radford University, creating Radford University Carilion.
- As chair of the American Hospital Association, she put our region and Virginia on the map as a health care destination.
- She is frequently sought after as the voice of reason on issues involving health care, the economy, and our region and effectively works across party lines to advocate for our region.
- Most recently, Nancy has led fundraising for the Carilion Taubman Cancer Center, a new, leading-edge clinical care facility and a project she’ll continue to champion.
Surely, those achievements form the foundation of Nancy’s legacy. We at Carilion will remember her for so much more, and future generations of health care workers, their patients and our community will absorb her impact for generations longer.
Nancy, at her heart, is and will always be a nurse. Her vocation drives her, no matter her role, and she’s played many roles — oncology nurse, hospital administrator, CEO. It’s why her first and last question is always: “How will this impact our patients?”
If you’ve ever spent time with Nancy, you may know she’s fond of turtles. They are her favorite animal because they literally must “stick their neck out” to get anywhere. It’s an appropriate metaphor for Nancy’s approach to her life’s work. Just like her decision to support a colleague during COVID, sticking her neck out to do the right thing carried her and Carilion forward. And those moments of “risk-taking without being reckless” multiplied as she rose through the ranks.
She was a Roanoke Memorial Hospital administrator the night the Flood of 1985 inundated its lower floors, cutting power to the facility for a week. Two decades later, she led Carilion’s efforts to support colleagues in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. And throughout the years, it’s become commonplace to hear her talking on the phone to business and civic leaders following difficult or tragic situations. The conversations were always unique, but they usually ended with a promise: “Whatever you need, just ask. We’ll be here for you.”
Doing the right thing is Nancy’s legacy. It plays out in the here and now, every time a clinical team quietly gathers to fulfill the dying wish of their patient or hundreds of our colleagues put on PPE to vaccinate tens of thousands of their families, friends and neighbors.
Our colleagues will tell you they were “just doing their job.” And you probably won’t hear or read those stories in the news. But if you or your loved one needs care, know that they are the ones carrying Nancy’s legacy forward, and they are the ones you want caring for you.
So, Nancy, on behalf of the tens of thousands of employees, patients and community members you have touched over your 50+ year career, thank you for your service to us.
We promise to keep “doing the right thing” even when…no, especially when…it is difficult.
Disclosure: Carilion is one of our donors but donors have no say in news decisions; see our policy.
Steve Arner is president and CEO of Carilion Clinic.
