GENEVA, IL, September 16, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Connie Polke has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Polke is esteemed as a nationally-renowned leader in community healthcare celebrating more than 40 years of clinical practice, nonprofit administration experience, and nonprofit management expertise. Driven by a desire to help others and a lifelong interest in healthcare, she initially earned an Associate of Arts in respiratory care therapy from Triton Community College in 1982. Ms. Polke subsequently became certified as a respiratory therapist by the National Board of Respiratory Care.
In 1986, Ms. Polke accepted the position of a charge supervisor at Lutheran General Hospital, assuming not only personnel management responsibilities, but a full complement of healthcare experience. The Collaborative Healthcare Urgency Group was founded by Ms. Polke in 2001 as a way to respond to the growing need for a wide range of localized emergency-preparedness plans, training, and services. Ms. Polke was recruited to the role of the executive director in 2001, building the aforementioned group from a five member organization into a financially self-sustaining nonprofit with over 450 constituents. Ms. Polke as Executive Director was not only responsible for the growth of the nonprofit organization; her responsibilities included fundraising, learning about the regulatory compliance for the membership, business development duties, and developing a keen awareness of the needs and demands of leading a nonprofit healthcare organization.
In addition to her work with the Collaborative Healthcare Urgency Group, Ms. Polke has found success as a longtime account executive for Advocate Health Care and a subject matter expert in functional needs populations. Likewise, she has consulted independently for private and public-sector groups since 2010 as the chief executive officer and president of the Sherpa Consulting Group. She is a former member of the board of the Salvation Army Golden Diners, the Elgin Senior Provider Group and the Regional Medical Reserve Corps. As a part of her commitment to remaining on the cutting edge of best practices in her industry, Ms. Polke holds HSEEP, IS100, 200, 700, and 800 credentials, remains certified in nonprofit management and is currently completing coursework for a bachelor's degree in healthcare management.
Ms. Polke has developed and implemented infectious disease program, disaster evacuation, transportation, and relocation, sheltering, restoration and recovery services and pandemic response programs for state and municipal governments throughout the Midwest, and has been invited to present at numerous industry conferences and corporate events. She credits her success to her drive and desire to see her work completed and plans to begin recruiting a successor to her executive director role within the coming years. In recognition for her industry-leading work in public health and emergency preparedness, Ms. Polke was honored as the American Red Cross' 2009 Hero of the Year, received a Presidential Volunteer award and was presented with multiple VIP honors from the National Association of Professional Women.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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