WRNMMC, Bethesda, MD  –   Retired Navy Cmdr. Theresa “Terri” Lavoie serves as the Assistant Chief of Staff at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. She is part of the hospital’s “C-Suite” or senior leadership team. But her pathway to securing a seat at the head table started decades ago with numerous twists and turns. Painful experiences and difficult decisions have all been part of her long journey.
Family and Educational Background
Born in Hartford, Connecticut, to a middle-class Scottish and Irish family, Lavoie is the oldest of five siblings. Her early dream was to become a nurse, but her father, thought that was not her calling since she was always afraid of going to the doctor when sick. “My dad sent me to the University of Connecticut to study business where I spent only three years.  Ultimately I decided not to complete my degree in business. I took a semester off and told him I wanted to become a nurse and was not interested in doing business. It took time and effort to convince him but I finally won him over,” she said.
Her Military Career
Lavoie then enrolled at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York, (an all-female college at the time), to study nursing. She spent the next three years there and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) in 1985. At the time, the nursing field was mostly dominated by women. Since Lavoie always loved challenges, she opted to pursue a nursing career within the military, an institution she felt provided equally challenging opportunities to all members regardless of gender.
“After graduating with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), I was drawn to Navy nursing which offered female leadership, education and advancement opportunities.” she said.
Lavoie, as a young naval officer, soon found the challenges she had been seeking in the form of raising two kids with an active duty husband while serving in extremely demanding medical roles. In 2003, she was deployed to the Persian Gulf on USNS Comfort during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and was part of a medical team that treated wounded U.S. service personnel, Iraqi women and children and enemy prisoners of war.
“It was tough raising two kids and working as a Navy Nurse delivering care to active duty members and civilians at home and abroad. It was both difficult and rewarding taking care of our wounded service members and Iraqis who were in dire need,” she said.
In addition to her medical duties, Lavoie also helped facilitate communication by connecting wounded marines with their families in the U.S. and helping others share their experiences with media outlets. As challenging as the Gulf experiences were, the feeling of helping young wounded colleagues make their first phone calls home was enough to sustain her through the deployment.
Her career at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Lavoie first came to what was then the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) Bethesda in 1996 as an active duty officer after completing a nearly four-year assignment in Japan. She was put in charge of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit from 1996 to 1999, after which she obtained her master’s degree during a two-year Navy-sponsored educational hiatus at the University of Maryland.
After graduating in 2001, she returned to NNMC and took on a leadership role in the Ambulatory Procedure Unit.  In 2005, she retired from the Navy after serving 20 years. She later transitioned into a civilian role as the Service Chief for Executive Medicine in what would become the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). In 2017, she assumed the role of Director, Assistant Chief of Staff, the position she holds currently.
Lavoie said her job is fulfilling because of her ability to relate to people with all types of professional backgrounds.  “As a civilian, retired from the military, I know some of the challenges active duty members’ experience. The ability to relate to those I work with is very fulfilling, “she said.
Message to women interested in professional advancement
As the world celebrates Women’s History Month, Retired Commander Lavoie said the sky is the limit for everyone - women included – if they put in the work and maximize the opportunities that are available to them.
“Women who want to advance professionally should look to themselves first. Set their goals by mapping out where they want to be in the next five to 10 years. Look to those that are currently in a role they are interested in, and seek out mentorship from those individuals,” she said.
Work life balance
Lavoie said when stressed with work, she talks to her trusted colleagues and goes to the gym to be physically ready to face her daily challenges, which often include making tough but necessary decisions involving personnel and resources.
She said she’s fully aware of the responsibility that comes with being one of only two civilians on the top of the decision making body at the Flagship of Military Medicine, and that she strives to be a positive voice for all WRNMMC staff.
Be remembered for in life
She wants to be known always as a woman who, throughout her life, stood for the right values. “I want to be remembered as a determined, caring, inclusive, fair and tenacious human being who seeks out and listens to viewpoints from people of various backgrounds and experiences,” she said.