INSIDE IARC- SHAE MCKENNEY

Shae joined the IARC team in 2016 and is a Program Coordinator. She loves all things outdoors whether it is fishing, snowboarding, or hiking. She finds her work at IARC so rewarding to be able to be a part of someone’s life journey no matter the path it took to get there.

Have a coworker describe you.

Program Coordinator Kayla had this to say about Shae:

Shae is the epitome of an independent woman. She is self-motivated, decisive, opinionated and always takes responsibility for her actions.  Shae can handle nearly any problem thrown at her yet she’s not afraid to reach out for help when needed, her self-awareness is spot on.  Shae is spontaneous and unafraid of risk hence the baby goat she ‘adopted’ out of the blue.  She didn’t even have a yard at the time but she knew she’d figure it out.  In addition to her hooved fur baby she also has two cats, Norm and Pam, who she treats like little humans. Shae has a great sense of humor as you can tell by the names she chose for her cats.   She can take a joke as well as she can dish one, I love that I don’t have to sensor myself around her and I’m sure others feel the same.  I can honestly say I wouldn’t enjoy working in the office nearly as much if she weren’t sitting next to me.

What is the best part about your job or why you love working for IARC?

Developing a relationship with parents and surrogates throughout the months (sometimes years) and then being able to see the parents take home their newborn is the absolute best!  There is no better feeling than knowing that you have been a small part of making someone’s lifelong dream come true.

Share a fun fact about yourself.

Traveling is my passion- I have a goal to visit all 50 states and as many countries as possible. So far I have been to a little more than half of the states and 15 countries.

What is an IP or SU story that motivates you in your work?

When one of my very first programs achieved a positive pregnancy (beta test) I was so excited that I marched straight to the pet store and purchased a betta fish for an office pet.  Little did I know, these parents and surrogate(s) would be some of the most inspirational people that I would work with.  The parents of this match went through so many struggles but were bound and determined to have their own genetically related child, and that’s exactly what they did!  This couple persevered through all the challenges they were faced with and were able to bring home their beautiful baby girl in July! ?

If you could do someone else’s job in IARC for a day, who would it be and why?

I’d still do my own!  There are so many moving pieces in the Program Coordination position which allows us to have contact with parents, surrogates, clinics, and the law firm.  I love being able to connect with the variety of people involved, and all the knowledge that comes with it.

When not in the office, you can find me…………….

Traveling, fishing, hiking, boating, working on the yard; basically anything outdoors…unless it’s the winter, then I’m most likely hibernating.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Originally an ice skater, but then I changed gears and decided a “check out lady”- must have been the cool noise the barcode scanner makes. ?