CALLED TO SERVE
ECU to help Army officer Maj. Jessica Georgi take next step in her career
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Maj. Jessica Georgi may do more before 9 a.m. than most people do all day.
Georgi serves in the Army, is the married mother of a 2-year-old son and graduates East Carolina University on May 8 with a Master of Science in health informatics and information management.
Georgi is at ECU as part of the Army Medical Department’s Long-Term Health Education and Training (LTHET) program.
“I’ve been in the Army nonstop for nine years before this, so it’s been great to step back and focus on refining my craft,” Georgi said. “All my classes are in person and it’s a hybrid distance program, so I have had a really small teacher-to-student ratio and that is really awesome.”
Georgi said her interest in an Army career came naturally.
“My dad was in the Army and I always thought it seemed really fun,” she said. “I like to run and I was a morning person from a very early age, so I knew getting up and doing PT (physical training) was going to be a breeze. I prayed about it and felt a calling.”
She earned a degree in psychology from the University of Alabama-Birmingham while on a ROTC scholarship. She graduated in 2008 and began a career in the Army Medical Service Corps. Her focus is on patient administration, a role that has taken her to Afghanistan and to Germany, where she commanded a company within Public Health Command Europe and later served as secretary of the general staff at the Regional Health Command Europe Headquarters.
Georgi and her little Pirate, LJ.
From there, she came to ECU.
“There are only a few accredited schools in the U.S. for a master’s degree in health information management,” Georgi said. “I wanted to return to the South and be close to the Outer Banks so we could have a sailboat and experience coastal living. My husband is a retired German naval officer, so the sailor in him likes being close to the water. Me becoming a Pirate was just extra.”
The Army has selected Georgi to be the next head of a hospital patient administration division at Evans Army Community Hospital in Fort Carson, Colorado, where she will lead a team of 85 people. She appreciates the Army for giving her an opportunity to enhance her skills through her education at ECU.
“I wish I had had just the first semester of this program before assuming previous roles,” Georgi said. “It has definitely increased the technical knowledge of what the patient administration teams do and will help me focus my leadership efforts concerning these areas.”
STATISTICS
Name: Jessica Mae Georgi
College: College of Allied Health Sciences
Major: Master of Science in health informatics and information management
Age: 34
Hometown: Madison, Alabama
Hobbies/Interests: Marathon running, barbershop choir
Clubs and organizations: Student Health Information Management Association (SHIMA), Student Conduct Board
Scholarships or awards: Long Term Health Education and Training Program (LTHET), Army Medical Department
FAVORITES
Favorite hangout: Blackbeard coffee
Favorite place on campus: Laupus Library
Favorite place to eat: Kasturi
Favorite class: Social and Organizational Issues in Healthcare Leadership
Professor who influenced you the most: Dr. Susie Harris
Favorite TV show: “JAG” or “NCIS”
Favorite band/musician: Grace Potter
Favorite movie: “Apocalypto”
MOTIVATIONS
Dream job: Top patient administrator, U.S. Army
Role model: Col. Marsha Dorough
Your words to live by: “Life is not what happens to you. It’s how you react.”
What advice do you have for other students? Make and plan and trust the process!
What is something cool about ECU that you wish you knew during your first year?: The North Recreational Complex is a great place to just be outside — fish, kayak, run, etc.