Spotlight Magellan gives colleagues and those we collaborate with the opportunity to get to know Magellan employees through facilitated interviews that explore their personal interests and the meaningful work happening across Magellan. Through intentional engagement, Spotlight Magellan fosters a sense of community and connection, and highlights the impact demonstrated by individuals in their roles at Magellan.

This month, we’re getting to know one of our military & family life counselors (MFLCs), Karla E. Sanchez Rivera, MSC, MDiv, LPC. With May being Military Appreciation Month, there’s no better time to get to know Karla!

Continue reading to learn more about Karla:

Describe a typical workday in your life?

I start my day by reviewing my schedule to stay organized and prepared for my clients. I also check my emails and phone to make sure I haven’t missed any messages, calls or voicemails.

Throughout the day, I meet with clients for counseling or consultation. I work with service members and their spouses. Some clients walk into the office while others call to schedule appointments. It is truly an honor to serve through Army Community Service, as well as support members of the Reserve and Puerto Rico Air National Guard.

What is your favorite thing to do during your time off?

I enjoy spending time at home with my family and my pets, playing my guitar and having a good cup of Puerto Rican coffee. I also dedicate part of my time to serving the parish I lead in Puerto Rico, which brings me great joy and purpose.

Do you have any pets? Tell us about their quirky personality traits and share a picture!

I have a very special love for my dogs. It all started in 2012 with my Miniature Schnauzer, Frida, who quickly became the heart of our home. Later, she had a puppy named Luna. About ten years ago, my family and I rescued a beautiful Golden Retriever mix. He has been one of the biggest challenges in my life, as he is a hunting dog who still longs to roam freely and explore the community. Seven years ago, we adopted another mix-breed dog named Estrella. She is shy, gentle and incredibly sweet.

What drew you to Magellan?

I first learned about Magellan around 2020 during the pandemic. At that time my previous company closed and I found myself unemployed. Although I don’t clearly remember the exact moment I applied, I do remember having an interview and thinking to myself, “This is the job I want.”

However, it took some time before that opportunity became a reality. In 2022, I finally received the call, and I said yes without hesitation. I was truly inspired by the mission of the organization and the responsibility that came with the role.

Since September 2022, I have been on this journey, learning and growing both professionally and personally. I feel proud to be part of a great organization and a great team with a clear vision of providing support and caring for our service members and their families.

What do you like best about your current position?

I truly love my job and being part of a strong MFLC team in Puerto Rico. One of the most meaningful aspects of my role is being able to support service members and their families. I value listening with empathy and compassion to their stories, fears, challenges and successes.

It is very rewarding to help bring light into their lives, guide them through their process and support them to improve their wellness. I enjoy helping them recognize their strengths and celebrate their progress and find healthy ways to manage difficulties.

I am also grateful for the opportunity to participate in C-pride, Employee Inclusion Groups (EIGs) and Business Innovation initiatives and to collaborate with leaders who truly demonstrate commitment to the mission.

What is your biggest strength?

I consider myself a people-oriented person who genuinely enjoys connecting with others.

I strive to create a peaceful and welcoming environment wherever I go, especially by listening attentively and offering a warm presence. I believe many people are navigating life without a clear sense of purpose or feeling unheard. Sometimes, what they need most is empathy, respect and someone who is willing to truly listen. I see that as one of my greatest strengths and a calling in the work I do.

Tonie Powell doesn’t think of herself as the average operations office manager, but rather thinks of her position as the heartbeat of the company. Powell is based at the headquarters of Magellan’s federal office in Arlington, Virginia, where she manages all office operations. From supporting the leadership team, assisting with facility renovations, sending cards for employees’ birthdays, and supporting employee morale. As the spouse of a disabled retired military veteran, Powell faces a unique set of challenges with balancing her job and being a military spouse. For Military Spouse Appreciation Month, Powell shares her experience and how Magellan’s culture supports working military spouses.

What sort of projects are you currently working on?

A major project right now is assisting with organizing a leadership summit that will take place later this year. I am responsible for leading the extremely detailed location logistics that go into planning and executing events of this scale. We are anticipating more than 100 of the top leaders of Magellan to be in attendance and there are a lot of moving parts to ensure its success. A large part of my job is making sure all the details of projects big and small are planned for so that leadership can stay focused on the task of delivering quality service and growing our business to help the service members, veterans, federal workers, and family members we serve.

How do you balance work and being a military spouse? How is Magellan supportive of your life as a military spouse?

My husband is retired military, so I do not have the same challenges I did as an active-duty spouse with childcare drama, long deployments, and frequent moves. One of the main challenges I faced as a working military spouse was that I could never take a day off for me. I needed to save my sick days for those times when my children would inevitably get sick. My husband’s schedule as an infantry officer was very unpredictable. He did not have the luxury of calling his boss to say he was staying home for a child with a sore throat. Now that my children are grown adults living on their own, the challenge is balancing my work schedule with caring for my husband. I help him manage medical appointments, get him to physical therapy and help him with other things he might require. My husband is alert and capable, but as a caregiver, it can be emotionally draining and physically demanding, and I’m lucky that my supervisors are extremely understanding by allowing me to be off when I need to be. Also, being able to work remotely at Magellan has been one of the positive things to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic. While I am frequently onsite now, I still manage to accomplish more than I did in the office full time and without the commuter headaches and expense that it takes to work near our nation’s capital.

What are your thoughts on the culture at Magellan?

Our mission is to empower federal employees and military personnel to live healthier, more productive lives includes those who work here as well. We have excellent resources for the people who support our customers. The flow of information is consistent and inclusive of all employees. I feel respected and that my contribution is valued. It is a great place to work!

Stacy Drones’, senior director of family programs at Magellan Federal, passion for helping military families comes from her real-life role as a military spouse. Since joining Magellan Federal in 2013, Drones now supervises a large array of military family programs including the Army Family Advocacy Support Services which includes the Domestic Abuse Victim Advocacy Program and New Parent Support Program, Army Exceptional Family Member Program and the Air Force Family Advocacy Program contracts. Drones is currently working on initiating various trainings for employees to better help the military families they serve in their unique situations. Continue reading to learn more about the many projects happening at Magellan Federal during Military Appreciation Month this May:

What can you tell us about Magellan Federal?

Magellan Federal has a strong history of support to the military. A lot of our employees on our contracts are military spouses, former military spouses or veterans who are passionate about the work. Many of our leaders at Magellan Federal have been in some way connected to the military, this is important and shows we have a passion for the work that we do because of our connection with service members and their families. My team has historical knowledge of our programs and we’ve been working with the government clients for a long time and know what they’re looking for and know how to execute the contracts successfully in the programs.

What cool, innovative projects are you currently working on?

The main part of my job involves managing our portfolio of programs that support military families. I personally manage the Family Advocacy Support Services contract for the Army which includes the Army Domestic Abuse Victim Advocacy Program that provides services for victims of domestic abuse. This contract also includes the New Parent Support Program that offers home visits to provide help and educational resources for new parents. This program provides licensed clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists and registered nurses to work with military families with children who are newborn up to age three. They conduct regular home visits to offer education that helps to prevent child abuse. We also have a lactation contract with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that hosts monthly lunch seminars for mothers who are nursing. In addition, we serve as a subcontractor for a family advocacy program at Food Hood where we provide information on stress management, parenting, couples communication, relationship classes and domestic abuse. I also oversee other contracts assigned to other program managers like the Army Exceptional Family Members Program, that provides help to military families who have dependents with disabilities and connects them with referrals and resources in the community. There’s also the Air Force Advocacy contract that we’re a subcontractor on that provides domestic abuse advocates for members of the Air Force.

On the Family Advocacy side, we do at least two employee professional development trainings a year. Planning those trainings and brining in speakers from all over is our big focus right now. Government employees are welcome to participate as well. We also have a requirement to have all victim advocates credentialed through the National Advocacy Credentialing Program. Although this is a new government requirement, Magellan has had this requirement in place for our Victim Advocates for nine years. We are currently helping our government client roll this training out to the government Victim Advocates.

In the New Parent Support Program, we are currently training our home visitors on how to address sensitive topics with their clients, such as mental health, abuse and race. They’re also trained on how to help parents and caregivers deal with the unexpected, such as deployments, birth plan changes or giving birth to multiples.

What are your thoughts on Magellan’s culture? How has the culture impacted your projects?

I love this company and the leadership; I think they’re very supportive of what we do. I feel that Magellan’s leadership really cares for their employees and cares about what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.

What trends are you noticing in the healthcare industry that are related to the work being done at Magellan Federal? Are there any lessons from other industries that can be applied to the work happening at Magellan Federal?

A big focus of the DoD Family Advocacy Programs currently is working with families of problematic sexual behaviors in children and youth. We have been looking at ways to intervene early and provide help for those children who are presenting those behaviors. We have our home visitors involved with this because they’re the ones working with the families in the home and have built a rapport with them. We’re increasing training for our home visitors to ensure they know the best way to help provide services to those families. The military has partnered with a lot of civilian agencies to provide trainings to help figure out how to address and solve the problem.

Magellan Federal understands that military families may have unique challenges compared to civilian families. That’s why we are doing what we can to develop partnerships with civilian agencies that have the funding to do research and develop correct programs. Initially, the development of the new Federal Program Management Office has been great for developing relationships with organizations. If we continue to do that, it’ll be a great thing.

Learn more about the various solutions provided by Magellan Federal here.