Mary S. Carter serves as a Regional Director of Nursing for the Arkansas Department of Corrections. She provides leadership and direction to many teammates. Mary is responsible for overseeing the policies and procedures for nursing care and ensuring that the level of care meets or exceeds clinical standards. Mary has been instrumental in developing Onboarding and Orientation programs for nurses in the state and developed contract-specific clinical competencies to validate skillsets. This ensures that every patient receives the best possible care. An example of a program that Mary directed involves the Grimes Unit, she was instrumental in opening a new chemotherapy clinic which allowed the patients to receive care without having to leave the facility. The team is able to mix chemotherapy and infuse treatments, which has resulted in overall better patient care for Arkansas inmates with cancer.

Mary embodies our core values and serves the teammates and patients with compassion, collaboration, and innovation in the most respectful manner. She is encouraging, and her positivity is contagious. It's hard to have a bad day when you're working with Mary.

One of my favorite things about Mary, which I greatly admire, is that she isn't afraid of challenges. For each problem that might arise, Mary looks for a solution to support her team. She thinks outside the box and challenges the status quo. She encourages her team to do the same. Mary has invested in her education and has both an MSN and an MBA; her education prepares her well to seek evidence-based approaches to care. I'm proud of the leader that Mary has grown to become, and I aspire to be more like her. She's a role model to many nurses and serves others without expecting anything in return. It would be an honor to celebrate Mary's hard work and dedication with this recognition.