Profiles in Telehealth: Tracy Letzerich, VP of People
Get to know our VP of People, Tracy Letzerich! Tracy is a local resident of Austin and is deeply committed to transforming the People function into a strategic engine that fuels the performance of the business. With over 25 years of experience, she has worked across various industries to empower employees to reach their full potential at work. Outside of work, Tracy enjoys yoga, hiking, pug rescuing, fashion, and being a choir mom to her teen daughter!
What is your role at Wheel?
As the leader of Wheel’s People function, everything I do ties directly to how we attract, retain, and grow our talent. I'm personally passionate about building a high-performing team that is poised to carry out our mission. For us, the employee experience is just as important as the clinician experience, the patient journey, and customer success. After all, it’s our talented employees who are the ones designing, building, and delivering these experiences through virtual care solutions.
I spend a significant amount of time getting to know our people – their unique strengths, passions, and the challenges they face in their daily work – so that I can partner with the business to design healthy environments for our teams to thrive. The best days for me are when I get to connect 1:1 with employees at all levels and across functions to help them unlock their potential. This year we are laser-focused on building a connected culture, developing our leaders, and designing a scalable performance model. We are confident these priorities will set us up for continued success in 2024 and beyond.
What's your personal and professional story?
I grew up in Central Florida where I developed a love of the beach, golf, and hurricane parties. Despite being unfazed by sharks and alligators, I somehow developed an unhealthy fear of the Texas-sized roaches in Austin where I currently live. My teen daughter and I have an agreement – she kills ‘em, I clean ‘em!
As a serious student-athlete who had never seen snow, I somehow made my way to Pittsburgh, PA where I attended Carnegie Mellon University and played shooting guard for the Lady Tartans basketball team. I didn’t yet know what I wanted to “be when I grew up” so I decided to double major in Statistics & Business to give me a well-rounded skillset. I came out of school with opportunities to work for Goldman Sachs on Wall Street, General Motors as a plant manager, Intel’s product design team, or Procter & Gamble's purchasing machine. Ultimately, I chose to join Accenture as a technology consultant. I was drawn to consulting because I thought it would expose me to various industries and companies, and THEN I would discover what I want to do. All I knew at that time was I loved learning and helping people.
Fast forward 25 years, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as an executive HR leader, IT consultant, coach, strategic advisor, educator, and board member for organizations of all sizes across technology, retail, health care, insurance, consumer products, energy, and oil & gas. I also serve on the HR Committee and the Board of Directors for Any Baby Can, a non-profit strengthening family health in Central Texas.
My true passion is developing our leaders into their fullest potential, enabling them to unleash the unique gifts and talents of their teams. This ultimately creates more capacity and multiplies the collective capabilities of the broader team. That’s why leading the People function is the perfect career for me!
Outside of work, my passions include yoga, hiking, pug rescue, and fashion. I also love being a choir mom! You’ll find me backstage for this year’s high school musical doing hair and makeup!
Why did you join Wheel?
I love the thrill of a high-velocity startup environment! A builder by nature, I thrive when given the challenge to build the scalable, solid infrastructure required to take a company from one stage of growth to the next. I joined Wheel three months ago, and my first 90 days have been an incredibly fun ride. I’m most excited about the transformation we are going through as an organization. We are leveling up, and ready to continue to be the engine that fuels innovation for key players in the industry. How exciting is that?
What’s your favorite Wheel moment?
So many Wheelie memorable moments! I’d have to say one of my recent favorites was reviewing the nominations for our "Wheelie Awesome Wheelie" Core Values Award. So many employees across teams took the time to write compelling and notable examples of how our Wheelies are living out our core value, “Be Trusted.” I literally cried when I read through the nominations. From the front lines, to our managers, to our senior leaders, we are doing it. We are in the trenches and living our core values. This is hard work, but it’s also where the magic happens.
What do you think the future of healthcare holds?
The future of healthcare holds endless possibilities. I'm energized by the creative, determined, possibility-thinkers I am surrounded by each day. It's these people who will blaze new trails and transform an antiquated industry with courage and empathy. My favorite quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson so eloquently summarizes this sentiment. "Do Not Go Where The Path May Lead, Go Instead Where There Is No Path And Leave A Trail."
Fun fact?
My nickname growing up was Basketball Barbie because I always wore makeup and a well-styled ponytail during games. I can also shoot a free-throw with my eyes closed.
Interested in joining our team? Check out the latest career opportunities with Wheel!
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