Irick’s education advances her career

Dr. Albany Cromer Irick’s career path is the perfect example of how a liberal arts major can transition to a high level job with a major impact. 

Irick, who earned an English degree at the University of South Carolina, is inspired by a love of technology and teaching. Her liberal arts degree gave her a solid foundation to continue pursuing advances in her career and her education. 

Her healthcare IT journey began in 2012 when the Medical University of South Carolina changed to an electronic health record system. She trained clinical staff in how to use the system. Irick said, “That position along with my hard work and dedication paved the way for me to gain more experience in other areas, which led to other promotions and opportunities within the organization. My career path was also inspired by servant leaders I had along the way, such as Nick Whichard, Angela Egner, Darrick Paul, and Anton Gunn.”  

It was her Master of Science in organizational management degree in 2015 from Charleston Southern that prepared her in areas of negotiation, strategy, servant leadership, and critical thinking. After graduating from CSU, she earned a Doctor of Health Administration degree.

Currently, Irick is the Human Capital Management Functional Team Lead at MUSC and is spending 100% of her time on the implementation of the Enterprise Resource Planning for MUSC. She has stepped away temporarily from her role as Human Capital Director of Technology and HR Operations.

She said, “I lead a team of six workstream leads in the areas of core HR, compensation, learning, talent, recruitment, performance, benefits, payroll, time tracking, and absence. I am responsible for reviewing and completing key deliverables on time, assessing, and reporting risk, presenting to executive leadership, engaging subject matter experts, and removing barriers for my team.” 

Her career isn’t the only place Irick makes a difference. She is in her second year as an Honorary Commander for Joint Base Charleston, partnering with Lt. Col. Saheba DeHenre of the 628^th Communications Squadron. Irick meets with DeHenre’s team and assists them with career coaching, resume reviews, and more. 

As a member of the Gamma Xi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., she works with her sorority sisters with donation drives, virtual symposiums on health and wellness, college exploration, and caregiver wellness. She is looking forward to serving on the advisory board for the Lt. Col. James B. Near Jr., USAF, ’77 Center for Climate Studies. NCCS promotes climate science through education, research, transition to operations, community engagement, and the development of public-private partnerships. 

Irick and her husband, Quinton, were married in November 2021. Quinton is the quality and safety manager for pharmacy services at MUSC and has more than 15 years of experience in healthcare. She said, “We have two amazing teenagers, Kylie and Gorden, who are arts students at Rollings Middle School of the Arts.” 

Fun Fact: One of Irick’s favorite professors was Professor David Britt in the College of Adult and Professional Studies.

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