Toni T. Dodge
Biography
Toni T. Dodge has spent her entire professional life working to enhance the lives of others. A college graduate living in central Ohio, she spent more than 20 years managing programs, helping feed the senior population while providing them comfort and independence. Her experience and compassion earned her speaking positions with the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs and the National Association of Farm Market Nutrition Programs. In 2005, she served as an at-large delegate for the White House Conference on Aging.
Even with her full-time role as associate business intelligence developer at the nonprofit , Toni makes time to care for her 83-year-old mother and parent a 26-year-old son who鈥檚 finishing graduate school at Ohio State University. With her 60th birthday approaching, however, she decided it was time to do something for herself and fulfill a dream she鈥檇 held for many years.
鈥淢y goal was to pursue and complete my master鈥檚 degree before the age of 60,鈥 she says.
Though she鈥檇 taken classes on and off over the years, Toni hadn鈥檛 found a routine that would allow her to earn her master鈥檚 degree while keeping her job and taking care of her family. Then she learned that OhioHealth has a partnership with Ashford University* to offer employees the Full Tuition Grant.
鈥淭hat, coupled with OhioHealth鈥檚 tuition reimbursement, allowed me the realistic opportunity to pursue my master鈥檚 degree, and at no cost!鈥 she says.
For Toni, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain advanced skills in the healthcare arena. She chose to pursue her Master of Arts in Healthcare Administration. The program touches on the essential areas of healthcare management and the evolving U.S. healthcare system, including finance, economics, quality improvement, risk management, health policy, human resources, and more.
鈥淢uch of the coursework I have taken ties into 鈥 at least in some fashion 鈥 what I am doing in my current position,鈥 Toni says, singling out MHA 605 Business Intelligence, a course that offered her new ways to look at her job and develop tools to help her grow in the position.
鈥淚 know the courses I have taken will help me in my current career and enhance how I do my job.鈥
With the flexibility of Ashford鈥檚 online classroom, Toni found it much easier to balance her classes with her job and family responsibilities. Though it was 鈥渢he most time-intensive鈥 program she鈥檇 ever experienced, she has maintained an A average and is on track to complete her courses in November 2019, before she turns 60.
鈥淔or me, Ashford is the most practical and logical means for pursuing my education,鈥 she explains. 鈥淲ith my schedule and the need to keep my evenings open and flexible, an online experience is best, as I can work at my pace and on my own time.鈥
Toni is forever grateful that OhioHealth has supported her educational goals, and she feels that her Ashford experience has been engaging and rewarding.
Much of her success, she explains, can be credited to her mother, who has been her cheerleader through every step of her educational journey, from her associate degree to her bachelor鈥檚 degree, and now, at last, to the master鈥檚 degree she鈥檚 worked so long to achieve.
It was a long road, but worth it, she adds.
鈥淚 will say, for those considering enrollment, it is an intensive program but a feel-good one, knowing there is a reward at the end.鈥
* Ashford University is now the University of Arizona Global Campus