(Black PR Wire) In recognition of Women’s History Month, Black PR Wire and Women Grow Strong have teamed up to honor and recognize women who have made a profound impact in the lives of hundreds of people on a local, statewide, national and even global level. This special feature edition of Power Profiler takes a closer look into the lives of these incredible women and champions for change.  Our feature profiler we are recognizing is Christie Grays, Director of Community Relations at Baptist Health South Florida, located in Miami, Florida.

Baptist Health South Florida is one of America’s preeminent healthcare institutions. Baptist Health is composed of seven hospitals, more than 30 outpatient facilities, and a world-class Miami Cancer Institute. The organization’s clinical quality ranks it among the best hospital systems in the nation.

Christie has been with Baptist Health South Florida for six (6) years. In her role as Director of Community Relations, she ensures that Baptist Health maintains positive relationships in the business, government and civic communities it serves. In addition to managing the department’s multi-million dollar budget and overseeing numerous community partnerships, Christie serves as a departmental liaison between Baptist Health’s International division, its Office of Diversity, Baptist Health Medical Group, Miami Cancer Institute and Baptist Health Enterprises, its for profit real estate arm.

Christie’s illustrious career has afforded her the opportunity to gain extensive experience in commercial real estate leasing and development  and healthcare administration.  Her talent has undoubtedly gotten her to where she is today, but Christie also credits her success to her ability to network, be productive, and have confidence in her abilities.

“My personal motto for success is a quote that I adapted from M. Athalie Range, a noted South Florida leader and one of Christie’s mentors. Ms. Range once said: “Know your self worth and cause others around you to know it too.”

Christie says that this advice really resonated with her throughout her career. Just like any successful career woman, however, Christie has struggled with her own set of challenges. “In commercial real estate development, I was often the only woman at the table. Whereas this wasn’t a struggle for me, I could tell my colleagues were not as comfortable. This, for me, was actually a position of power,” recalls Christie. Christie went on to say that she continually showed her value, leading her colleagues to respect her and know her worth.

A native of West Point, Mississippi, Christie earned her B.A. from Spelman College and her MBA from Manchester Business School. Christie serves as president of the South Florida Chapter of the National Association of Health Services Executives, board secretary of the South Florida Progress Foundation and board member of the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce and the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce. Her childhood dreams were to be an international business woman and a fashion designer. Christie is a true testament that dreams do come true … and with hard work and determination, we can do it, too.

When asked what she’d like to share with other women, Christie told us this: “Mentors are amazing. Make sure to have at least one.”

To connect with Christie or learn more about Baptist Health South Florida, visit www.baptisthealth.net.