Carol Cheney has had a passion for business since she was a little girl. Both her father and grandfather were true entrepreneurs and successful business owners in different industries, and she was surrounded by the entrepreneurial mentality from the start. In college, she developed a passion for healthcare and started her early career as a speech-language pathologist.
Working in healthcare for 25 years, Cheney transitioned into many different areas, including clinical education, population health, and simulation, and then ultimately staffing where she is now the president of Epic Special Education Staffing.
“This role was the perfect opportunity to take what had previously been a family-run business, which was hugely successful but was struggling to scale as it grew, and really create a cost-efficient, scalable operational model to take Epic Special Education Staffing to the next level,” said Cheney.
Epic Special Education Staffing is a national special education talent and staffing solutions firm that caters to school districts, clinicians and educators across the country. The firm attracts and retains special education and related services talent on a contract basis to place in school districts across the nation where they are experiencing a gap or shortage.
Under Cheney’s leadership, the staffing company has seen a 60% CAGR, restructured the team and brought in change leaders. The firm has added new services and disciplines into its offerings, further expanding growth potential. Cheney has also pioneered a high-touch client and candidate-centric model, expanding services into behavioral and mental health, which has grown roughly five times and now accounts for one-third of all placements. As a result, the firm was awarded the ClearlyRated Best of Staffing Talent and Client for two years in a row.
“Carol’s success comes from her ability to merge her clinical background with her passion for healthcare, staffing, and business operations to support the growth and development of children,” said her staff. “She leads by example and isn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves and work alongside the team to get things done.”
As a leader, Cheney said that in today’s dynamic and often unpredictable environment, the most important attributes to lead are flexibility, agility and transparency, and empathy.
“Intuition is my secret superpower and I trust my gut instincts explicitly,” she said. “Intuition helps me to recognize patterns early on, really tap into all the great information and learning that lives in our subconscious.”