Name: Gary D. Scott
Pronouns: he/him/his
Current Town: South Burlington
Years in VT: 0.6
Industry: Healthcare
Business name: University of Vermont Medical Center
Business Role: Vice President, Hospital Services
Business email: gary.scott@uvmhealth.org
Tell us a bit about your background before arriving in VT and what brought you to the state.
Currently living in Dallas, TX; married almost 25 years, 7 children (3 natural sons/4 adopted girls in Uganda), Mechanical Engineering Degree from Tuskegee University, MBA from Mercer University, spent 22 years in the Utility industry before transitioning into healthcare in 2013, doing healthcare facility consulting before arriving in VT while navigating the pandemic.
What do you enjoy about being a professional in VT?
Everything – networking, community service opportunities, and the ability to make a difference.
What are some challenges that you’ve faced as a professional since living in VT?
Networking, Lack of housing and lack of diversity. Networking is a challenge and you really have to put yourself out there or it will feel like you’re very alone as a professional.
How have you worked to overcome the challenges?
From a networking perspective, I’ve gone the extra mile to meet other professionals, especially those from the BIPOC community. I have not overcome them but I’m working to overcome them by being vulnerable and opening up my space and network to those who may need mentoring or an opportunity to connect with someone or a business. From a diversity standpoint, I’m working with different people/groups to connect me to diverse communities. From there, I’m recruiting from those communities and telling them about the opportunities in healthcare that don’t involve being a clinical practitioner. Such as, maintenance, security, environmental services, engineering and food & nutrition services. I also want to look into work sponsorships to solve some of my hiring challenges especially when it comes to BIPOC communities.
What opportunities do you see for your sector in the future?
Healthcare is only growing but there is a trend toward seeing a certain percentage of the patient population via tele health or remotely. I see this as an opportunity. I also see an opportunity to increase our diversity awareness in healthcare so that we deliver high quality and high value care to all our patients regardless of race or socioeconomic status.
In what ways could your community or the state of VT support BIPOC professionals?
Small things like having prearranged housing possibilities, lists of BIPOC professional groups, lists of potential networking professionals, lists of BIPOC doctors/dentists, maybe a professional mentoring/buddy program for the first 90 days, list of winter activities to keep active (and associated gear), barber, auto mechanic, etc.
What advice would you have wanted to receive about being a BIPOC professional before arriving in VT?
To get connected with other BIPOC professionals, you have to work at it but it’s very possible. You have to be open to being friendly in order to get good reception.
What do you wish others knew about living in VT that you’ve discovered?
It’s very expensive to live here, especially housing, but there are many government programs to assist.
Are there other things (events/opportunities/etc) you’d like to share with the VT BIPOC community?
As I shared in a previous question, if you want an opportunity to work in healthcare, you don’t have to be a doctor, nurse or surgeon. There are many opportunities at the UVM Medical Center to join the healthcare field: Environmental Services (janitorial), Maintenance (plumbers, electricians, HVAC, etc.), Security, Food & Nutrition Services, and Engineering through our Planning, Design and Construction group. We are looking for great people who do not mind serving our patients and our community.