York’s employer paying it forward

In her position as director of mobilization at OneWorld Health, Amie York oversees all volunteer operations including recruiting and training volunteers.

Several times a year, OneWorld Health sends teams of short-term medical and nonmedical volunteers to serve the rural communities surrounding OneWorld Health’s locally operated healthcare facilities in Uganda and Nicaragua.

York is currently studying organizational leadership in the master’s program at Charleston Southern. She holds a hospitality management degree from James Madison University and moved to Charleston in 2015 for her position at OneWorld Health. She said, “When I had the opportunity to check out programs in town, Charleston Southern University’s commitment to faith integrated learning caught my eye right away.”

The unique aspect of her master’s degree journey is that her nonprofit employer is paying it forward by taking care of the cost of her degree. Matt Alexander, co-founder of OneWorld Health and Charleston Southern 2004 graduate, said, “We have been very fortunate to have Amie on our team for the past several years. Amie’s leadership in our volunteer mobilization area has led to growth in impact, and she has developed processes and systems to sustain that growth in the future. As an organization we are always looking for opportunities to invest in our leaders, so her interest in the organizational leadership program at CSU was a perfect opportunity for us to support her continued development. Amie is the kind of leader we hope to be able to retain for many years to come.”

York cites OneWorld Health’s core values of service, humility, empowerment, integrity, love and dignity as fruit of the Kingdom of God. She said, “Some of the tangible ways this organization is committed to these core values is the way they care for their employees – both home and abroad. OneWorld Health sending me for further education is a tangible representation of these core values. I am certain because of the way Charleston Southern University and OneWorld Health are investing in me, my life will produce a depth of service, humility, empowerment, integrity, love and dignity that will then spur on others to know the same.”  

OneWorld Health was established in 2008 as Palmetto Medical Initiative. The nonprofit is committed to building healthcare facilities in developing countries and teaching them to become self-sufficient within two years.

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