Stacy Calvaruso
/Stacy Calvaruso
Four States Living Tribute To Women
photo by KENDAL DOCKERY PHOTOGRAPHY
Stacy Calvaruso always knew that she wanted to be in medicine but did not want to actually practice medicine. She wanted to support medical providers so they can ensure everyone has access to health care. As the CEO of Medical Practice Success, a revenue cycle management organization for medical providers, health systems, etc., she is able to bring her mission to fruition.
For fun, Stacy and her husband, Michael, enjoy traveling and attending their grandchildren’s events.
Looking back over the span of her career, Stacy Calvaruso remembers her proudest professional accomplishment very vividly. “A CEO of our health system called me to his office one day and told me that he was reassigning me to take over a particular division of our organization. Everyone knew that it was the worst division of the organization and had been so for over seven years,” she recalls. “Two years later, that division won the award as ‘System Division of the Year,’ and in the speech that our CEO gave to our entire health system at the awards banquet, he talked about the fact that I understood that the only way to turn this group around was to go in as a servant leader and care about them. He knew that he had picked the right person for the job.”
Passionate about her career, Stacy acknowledges that she tries to always give second chances when/where warranted. “In society there are many people who have made mistakes in their life and have learned from them. Some folks have definitely overcome bad habits, addictions, etc. I believe that if they have truly overcome those situations, then they should be afforded the opportunity to move forward with their life and have a second chance,” she admits. “In our organization, I have worked with several folks who were former addicts that have a previous record. They would not typically be able to get a job in a setting such as ours; however, I work with them on a plan to monitor them and work with their support system, and I give them a chance with 8/10 all being success stories. No one in our office really knows who these folks are ... it is very confidential. At the end of the day, I know we have done something good for them, their children, their families, and for our community.”
Stacy is married to her husband, Michael, and has one son, Joey; one daughter, Kristi; a granddaughter, Circe (7) and a grandson, Fox (5). For fun, Stacy and Michael enjoy traveling, especially to Europe. “We have a large world map that we put pins in for our grandchildren to see where we have been in the hopes that one day they will go there. We are trying our best to get to each of the continents before we are no longer able to travel,” she explains. “We also enjoy spending time with our grandchildren. As a South Louisiana Cajun girl, I love LSU and the Saints. Football and baseball are in my blood as well as Mardi Gras, weekly festivals, crawfish boils, and family get-togethers. There is always something going on and something to do!”
Although she is a Louisiana girl at heart, Stacy enjoys living in the Four States area. She enjoys the small town feeling, and the lack of traffic is a positive for her. “When I go to South Louisiana on the weekends, I am often stuck in traffic for over an hour just to cross a bridge, so the lack of traffic here is nice,” she says. “This area has definitely grown in the four years I have been here, but it has not grown too much, and it appears to be controlled growth with thoughtful planning. There are still a lot of small family-owned businesses where you can talk to the owners, and this is very special. I love the entire vibe!”
If she had to give one piece of advice to young women today, she would tell them to ask themselves what they want, what they will and will not tolerate, and what they are willing to do to be the person they want to be. She feels that once they know those things, then the magic happens, and the decisions are easy to make. In addition, she encourages them to make sure they keep their circle of influence small and keep it organic and wholesome. She comments, “People will come and go from your circle of influence and that is okay – it should happen that way. Always take that as a blessing and not as a slight or get angry/bitter about it. It is a beautiful thing if you see it as such – it is all about growth. To grow, you must be exposed to different and unique situations, and that requires changes.”
Stacy admits that one of her biggest obstacles in life was always feeling that she was inadequate and that she would never be good enough. There was no magic trick to how she overcame it other than to say that she had a very patient husband who made sure that she knew that she was perfect for him. On a professional and personal level, she admits that it just took time for her to grow into herself and gain confidence. “I didn’t really get that until my forties, to be quite honest. I believe I gradually came to realize that I only needed to compare me to me and that the definition of ‘good enough’ was what I chose, not what others chose or the media said,” she explains. “Once I realized that, then the way I felt about myself on the inside matched how I portrayed myself on the outside – confident and comfortable!”
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”
- Henry Ford
The way Wendy Harman sees her
I am nominating Stacy Calvaruso for this year’s Tribute to Women because of the impact she has made on me as a mentor and Valkyrie sister. (Valkyrie is a female-based leadership/survival training that tests a person emotionally, physically, and mentally.) Stacy is a true testament of someone who survives the toughest struggles of life and doesn’t come out on the other side to play the victim. I work with Stacy daily, and she is never too proud to admit when she has something to learn, whether personally or professionally. It would be easy for someone in her professional role to let it go to their head and demand a certain level of respect whether it is earned or not. She literally strives every day to do right by her team and by the universe, in general.
Outside of work, Stacy is married to the love of her life, Michael Calvaruso. How they can make this life work between her home in Texarkana and his home in New Orleans is beyond me, but they do, and they do it flawlessly. Stacy is not afraid to act giddy when she feels like it which is something a lot of women keep guarded. One thing I have learned from Stacy is that you should never allow yourself to outgrow feeling young.
Stacy does a lot for people behind-the-scenes. She has taught me the true meaning of a good deed. It’s not for recognition or gratitude. It’s about putting good out into the universe, not expecting anything in return, and not caring if anyone else ever knows it came from you.