We are thrilled to welcome Tabitha Marie Welsh, Director of Supply Chain Operations at Northwestern Medicine, to the AWESOME community. Tabitha brings a wealth of experience—and a passion for authenticity—into every part of her work. From her early career as a nurse to her current role driving innovation in healthcare supply chain, Tabitha has built her journey on resilience, trust, and a commitment to leading with compassion. In this conversation, she shares how she balances her leadership career with her life as a farmer, beekeeper, and mentor, and why creating space for women to lead authentically matters now more than ever.
Tabitha Welsh is an accomplished Supply Chain leader with a proven track record in driving growth, innovation, and efficiencies within the Supply Chain technologies and data analytics sectors. With over a decade of experience, she has successfully led cross-functional teams and spearheaded initiatives that not only enhance operational efficiency but also foster a culture of inclusivity and empowerment. Tabitha’s passion for developing talent and mentoring the next generation of leaders is evident through her extensive involvement in professional organizations and community initiatives.
As an advocate for diversity and women’s leadership, Tabitha is dedicated to creating pathways for underrepresented voices in the industry. Believing in the power of collaboration, she strives to cultivate environments where everyone can thrive. Since 2016, Tabitha has worked in the Supply Chain department at Northwestern Medicine. She holds a Master’s in Accounting and an MBA, along with several undergraduate degrees in diverse fields. Beyond her professional pursuits, Tabitha is also a commercial beekeeper and resides on her farm with her three children just outside of Chicago. She enjoys outdoor activities and loves traveling across the country and around the world with her kids.
AWESOME
Hi Tabitha, I’m excited to welcome you to the AWESOME community. How did you hear about AWESOME?
Tabitha Welsh
I attended a workshop at the Gartner Conference in Orlando. AWESOME spoke at the Women’s Leadership Luncheon, and that’s where I first learned about the group.
AWESOME
Wonderful, glad you attended the panel. What makes you excited about this community?
Welsh
I’ve worked in supply chain for a long time, and it’s great to see a leadership group of women gathering, especially in what is still a male-dominated field. That’s changing, though. There have been a lot of strides in just the past five years in getting more women into leadership roles.
The presentation at Gartner really stood out. It was honest about the cyclical nature of progress, especially in light of recent political events. What I appreciated most is how AWESOME fosters relationships among women. In corporate America, you sometimes encounter women who try to lead by emulating men instead of leading authentically. I think it’s important that we reject that pattern. Spaces like this help us build relationships in a more genuine way.
AWESOME
I’ve heard that from others in the network, too—women leaders looking for that sense of connection and grounding. It’s great to hear you say that. Building on that, I’d love to learn more about your background. How did you get into supply chain?
Welsh
Honestly, by accident—like many of us! I was originally trained as a nurse. I started in Labor and Delivery in Minnesota during the height of the nursing shortage in 2001. But I quickly realized it wasn’t for me. I’m a home birthing mama myself, so hospital birth environments didn’t align with my values. It was stressful, especially working in NICU and L&D.
So, I left nursing and started working at a bank. Great hours, holidays off–very different! Later, I moved to Florida, earned my master’s, and became a CPA. When my husband started getting deployed regularly, I stopped auditing due to traveling a lot with a young child. I pivoted into finance in a hospital and was eventually pulled into supply chain by a VP who saw something in me.
That path led me to Northwestern, where I’ve been for ten years now. I love it. I believe in the organization and our leadership. We’re empowered to innovate, and the work has evolved dramatically, even just in the last few years. It’s all AI, automation, and strategic partnerships now.
I also work closely with other women leaders, like Alicia Barringer, who was on the AWESOME panel at the Gartner Conference. We have a great partnership… and when you’re surrounded by women like that, it’s hard to walk away. That said, I do a lot outside of work too. I’m a farmer, a commercial beekeeper, I breed horses, raise Icelandic sheep, and grow elderberries commercially. We recently took our honey business commercial, and we migrate our hives to California. I still do CPA work and run about seven businesses on the side.
I love that I can balance all of that with my leadership role at Northwestern. The flexibility and trust I’m given helps make that possible. My team has been with me since 2019, and we rarely have turnover, and when we do, it’s usually due to a promotion. I don’t micromanage. I trust them to get their work done, and I make sure they have a real work-life balance.
People call me “the mother in the shoe” because I love nurturing others. That extends to how I lead. I don’t believe in hyper-aggressive leadership or hiding emotions. We’re emotional beings and that’s okay. That’s part of why I love what I do and where I work.
AWESOME
You and your team sound like total rockstars. That culture feels so intentional like it was built with a real purpose. Thank you for sharing that.
Welsh
The supply chain team at Northwestern is truly top-tier. If it weren’t, I’d be heading back to Florida! But I stay in Illinois (even though it’s hard being a farmer here) because I love my job.
AWESOME
You’ve mentioned a lot of growth, from nursing to CPA to supply chain leadership. What are some challenges you’ve faced and how have you overcome them?
Welsh
Having a clinical background helps me communicate with nurses and clinicians. A lot of folks in clinical roles don’t always appreciate the financial side like budgets, forecasting, etc., but I can bridge that gap because I’ve lived in both worlds.
Take COVID, for example. That was a wake-up call. At Northwestern, we always approach challenges as a team. We work hard not to silo ourselves. When we notice silos creeping in, we call it out and come together to course-correct.
Right now, our biggest challenges are external: backorders, recalls, global disruptions like wars and hurricanes. However, our internal processes are solid. In fact, other organizations regularly come to us asking how we’re doing what we do – how we’re automating, using AI, building bots.
To keep improving, we’re looking beyond healthcare and joining groups with companies like John Deere and Mastercard to learn from other industries. We’re also bringing pharmacy operations in-house by creating our own compounding and distribution center. It’s a big initiative.
AWESOME
Sounds like your team is the benchmark. You’re really tapping into diversity of thought to keep evolving. Are there key opportunities or challenges you see for women leaders in supply chain?
Welsh
I actually think it’s getting better. I’ve seen more women step into officer roles lately. There may have been a slight dip recently, but I think that’s tied more to broader hiring slowdowns.
Personally, I don’t feel like I face resistance. Quite the opposite. I’m invited to speak at events, and my opinion is respected. My team just won a collaboration award from GHX for work we did with Medline. There’s still room for more women in leadership, for sure and I’m seeing more and more get there.
AWESOME
That intentionality really shows and it sounds like your life is full in the best ways. You mentioned mentoring women. Have you had mentors yourself?
Welsh
Yes, I’ve had mentors in the past. One was incredibly brilliant, but she also taught me how not to act. She taught me so much about business and leadership, but she also modeled behaviors I knew I didn’t want to emulate.
The other woman was a beautiful mentor and human. We’d even go to church together during lunch breaks. She taught me how to build meaningful relationships in the workplace.
At Northwestern, I do a lot of mentoring myself and my team jokes I’m part therapist. I listen. I ask about their kids, pets, and families. That’s where I thrive. But I do think if I want to get to the next level, I’ll need mentorship too.
AWESOME
I hope AWESOME can help you find that. Is there any advice you’d offer to women aspiring to leadership?
Welsh
A few things. First, seek to understand. And second, learn how to manage your reactions. Not everything deserves an immediate response. That alone can save you so much grief.
I’ve found tools like ChatGPT helpful… you can type out what you want to say, then ask it to remove the emotion. It gives you space to process before responding.
Also, lead as a woman. Some women claw their way up in ways that aren’t kind or ethical. And sure, they may make it to the top, but they don’t stay long. It’s stressful to keep switching jobs and rebuilding trust. I’d rather be somewhere I feel supported, where I’ve built a strong, values-driven team.
You have to live with the path you take to the top. At the end of the day, can you rest knowing you treated people well along the way? That’s what matters.