Cené Aje,
Environmental Services, INOVA and JOHNS HOPKINS Regional Director of Health Systems
I joined Crothall in 2012 as part of the Environmental Services Training Program Manager. Since then, I have been an operations manager, assistant director, director in many different environments and now serve as regional director.
Throughout my journey, many women have played a key role in promoting my career. For example, Kim Fortino was one of the first electric vehicle directors I reported to me, not only teaching me about operations, but also instilling in me the importance of expressing appreciation for the team we manage. She prioritized recognition and engagement, so early in my career, I adopted that value.
When I moved to Northern Virginia to work in the Inova health system, I had the opportunity to be surrounded by many women in the company’s leadership, including me to RDO (Amie Falvo I reported to her) (formerly Amie Hatt) and other directors. I was lucky enough to see firsthand how Amie satisfies customers and meets the needs of the company, thus making everything balanced. As I grew, I was encouraged to integrate into these leadership abilities. Although the industry is dominated by male leaders, the women I met inspired me.
Guiding others
All the guidance I received is prepared for my current responsibilities. I supervised about 700 people in 9 hospitals and several outpatient locations. Of the 10 directors in my area, four are women, which makes me proud.
Before joining Crothall, I worked as a manager at Walgreen’s for a year. I will always remember the challenge of starting from ground zero, so I try to recruit and mentor other women who can succeed here. I’ve been looking for women who are suitable for our company. A few years ago, I hired Faith Ralston, who worked on Panera Bread on the Inova Fairfax Hospital campus. She was very happy and I felt very good about her. I told her about the company and hired her as operations manager. She is a quick learner and very talented. She has promoted her position to become one of the high-performing EVS directors who I currently work at Howard County Medical Center.
Try to succeed
I have been managing the team since the beginning of my career. At first it was smaller, now it is larger. I think it is important to build a strong team to prioritize developing others and build a culture of teamwork, mutual support and open communication.
My team has won many company awards in the area and we are very proud of it, including the Platinum-Plus Account Award, Security Award, HCAHPS Award and recognition for meetings and beyond financial goals. The team worked very hard to achieve outstanding results and remained Crothall’s flagship account.
Life outside the office
My family is the most important part of my life. I took the time to try out new restaurants and compete in sports events with my husband. We have a two-year-old daughter, Noelle, who brought us a lot of joy! Raising her has always been fun and meaningful.
I love listening to music, podcasts and many audio books, from inspirational books to personal memoirs.
I also love traveling, especially to beach destinations. The Dominican Republic has my favorite beaches, but anywhere is on my list.
I’m trying to count every day by making someone smile or learn new knowledge.
