Deborah Stamps

Deborah Stamps is an experienced nurse executive bridging education, practice, and community, based in Rochester, New York. Deborah Stamps is an internationally-renowned expert on navigating the world’s toughest challenges. She has over 30 years of experience and can use her connections and knowledge to address such issues.

Deborah is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals succeed and reach their full potential by developing effective strategies and implementing procedures to help them overcome the various barriers that prevent them from achieving sustainable growth. She also aims to help institutions and individuals achieve economic and health equity.

Prior to becoming a healthcare consultant and launching her business, Deborah worked for Rochester Regional Health in New York. She most recently served as executive vice president, founding president of the College of Health Careers, and the inaugural Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the health system. Deborah has also held various positions within the organization, including the chief nursing officer of two hospitals and the system’s vice president for patient safety and quality.

Deborah grew up in Rochester and earned her doctorate in education from St John Fisher University. Ever passionate about education, she also earned a master’s degree in nursing and a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner from Nazareth College, awarded the Nursing Leaders of the Future Certificate from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, an executive business administration from Rochester Institute of Technology, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the State University at Brockport, an associate’s in applied science in nursing from Monroe Community College, and practical nursing certificate from the Rochester Educational Opportunity Center.

Deborah Stamps has been focused on developing partnerships and workforce pathways that help individuals gain the skills and education they need to succeed in their chosen profession. She also participated in various anti-poverty programs.

Under Deborah’s leadership, the Isabella Graham Hart College of Practical Nursing increased its student diversity by over 50% over the next five years. It also launched several training programs for nursing assistants and home health aides.

As a Genesee Baptist Church Health Ministry leader, Deborah provides comprehensive services to the community. She also manages the church’s health promotion and prevention programs. During the pandemic, she led community conversations about the importance of vaccination against COVID-19.

Deborah has appeared on various television programs and radio stations to talk about diversity, inclusion, nursing burnout, and COVID-19 vaccinations. She has also delivered numerous presentations on international, national, state, and local levels. She has also published in various peer-reviewed journals, such as the Journal for Nurses. She has also worked on book chapters published in the American Association for Critical Care Nurses’ Procedure Manual.

As the Founder of Deborah Stamps Consulting, LLC, Deborah provides inclusive leadership consulting. Her business specializes in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) programming as well as organizational Leadership Training to maximize critical skills. Through her business, she’s able to provide organizations with the coaching and mentoring needed to equip individuals, organizations, and communities with tools to thrive personally, and professionally, and assist in the achievement of health equity.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

By day begins about 7am with reflection adn prayer, reviewing emails, website for messages, getting a cafe’ Latte coffee. I meet in person and via zoom with actual and potential clients as well as committees or board I am a member of. Each day there is dedicated time to prepare proposals, presentations etc. Since working form home most of the time I have lunch and dinner with my husband. Some days we are able to catch a great movie or series on TV.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I leverage relationships with colleagues across the globe, this includes healthcare, community based and faith based organizations to parter and collaborate with. One example is tonight’s Financial Health webinar series for the community, I partnered with Northwestern Mutual to provide a financial health education session and virtual conference Building Guardrails for Success: Increasing the Diversity of Nursing that yielded 469 registrants from across the country.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I am excited about communities collaborating to achieve health equity for all, through addressing the social determinants of health. There is increased interest by organizations to provide an inclusive workplace leading to engagement and retention of employees. There is increased interest in diverse, underrepresented people having a way out of poverty and access to healthcare training programs can provide this opportunity.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

Hard Working, resilience and determination.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Focus on health, both physical and financial health. Never lose site of where you come from and always give back. Get a mentor, be a mentor, actively listen, seek help (collaborate).

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.

I believe all people are innately good. People don’t agree with this, others believe people have hidden agendas, are not kind and are self focused, not looking out for the greater good. This has been hard for me to accept as I am always willing to help, coach, guide and mentor someone.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

Stay focused, develop relationships, align with organizations or individuals that have your values and common mission.Explore how you can bring others along with you.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

Getting involved in committees, volunteering, mentor others, giving back. Always do your best, provide quality product, have integrity.

What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

I made decisions regarding products or services leading to investments that were not good decisions. Hard lessons learned.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Tell your story, publish and speak about lessons learned and how it has shaped you as a leader.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

It is not software however it is my website. This is so important to support my work. Many times when meeting with people or referrals by others leads to an internet search of my name, my brand. That search leads to my website, it is translatable to multiple languages and adaptable for those who need it. The colors are great. So many ties I can lead potential clients, friends and family to my website.

What is the best $100 you recently spent?

Investing in my knowledge and business credibility. Obtaining the business certifications from the Port Authority of NY & NJ has certified your business as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) on behalf of the New Jersey and New York State Unified Certification Program (NJ/NYS UCP) partners. Hiring a consultant to assist in the process to teach and advise me. This provides a level of high quality for my customers.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?

The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner is a leadership book based on two understandings. Leadership is a relationship Leadership is a skill. The five principles of Kouzes and Posner’s The Leadership Challenge are based on two primary understandings. They identify four characteristics of a great leader they are being honest, competent, inspiring, and forward-thinking. They discuss the five outstanding leadership principles of leading by example, being inspirational, challenging the status quo, empowering others to act, and leading with heart.
An entrepreneur is a leader, Kouses and Posner’s Leadership Challenge is a practical way to lead.

Key learnings:

• Keep a stong faith
• Incorporate self-care
• Embrace diversity, equity, inclusion adn justice
• Give back, help others
• Be consistent