Balancing service and career

National Guard officer Kendrick Thomas found support from his employer and colleagues at Norton Healthcare. Here’s his story.

Author: Jacob Gary

Published: January 30, 2025

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Kendrick Thomas had found his niche at Bellarmine University — working toward a career that gave him the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of one of his greatest role models he had growing up. His mother served in the military for 22 years, and her service and passion for helping people inspired Kendrick to make two of the biggest choices of his life.

First, he became an intern in the regulatory and compliance office with research at Norton Healthcare. Second, he decided to enlist in the Kentucky Army National Guard. Making these decisions allowed him to serve not only his community, but his country too. He also had a goal in mind: becoming the first military officer in his family. Five years later, Kendrick, a clinical research coordinator at Norton Healthcare, is also an officer in the Kentucky Army National Guard.

In May 2024, Kendrick learned that he was being deployed to support a unit in the Middle East in two weeks.

Chandler Render, also a clinical research coordinator; Marti Gardner, system director for clinical research operations; and Avery Davenport, a clinical research manager; were among the first that Kendrick told. And each of them sprang into action to make sure Kendrick had the support he needed.

“We wanted to make sure that while Kendrick was overseas, he had no worries or thoughts about his job,” Marti said.

Marti and Avery made sure Kendrick knew that his job at Norton Healthcare was never in jeopardy while he was deployed. They made sure his job duties were covered and worked with human resources leaders to ensure resources (like our Veterans ERG, HR support, and retraining programs) were available to Kendrick upon his return, gave reassurance they were not looking to replace him. They even ensured his computer would not be locked when he returned.

“He is already under enough stress while protecting our country, so we did what we could to lift some weight off his shoulders,” Avery said.

Chandler did similar things as a co-worker, but also took it further as Kendrick’s friend. Chandler remembered when her stepdad was deployed and he wouldn’t stop talking about everything he missed from back home while overseas. She made sure Kendrick had everything he needed by putting together care packages to send him. He had limited time to talk to friends and family, so she made an Amazon wish list so everyone could pitch in to make sure he was reminded of home.

Kendrick, who was in Jordan for two weeks, then Kuwait for four months, spoke about how much that meant to him.

“There was a 12- to 14-hour time difference. I only had two to three hours to speak with people from back home. When you are over there, you start to miss home, because life goes on there without you. The phone call check-ins and care packages kept me going — gave me a reminder of what I was protecting,” Kendrick said. “I really appreciated it.”

Chandler also helped watch Charli, Kendrick’s dog. It was an added layer of comfort knowing his best friend was watching over his other best friend. He could do his job with the Army without worrying about anything back home.

This gave Kendrick an idea — to nominate Norton Healthcare for the Patriotic Employer Award from Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) — a Department of Defense office. The award is presented to employers who go the extra mile to protect the job of military service members who are deployed. Only a few employers win recognition every year, and this year’s have not been announced. Meanwhile, Kendrick nominated Chandler, Marti and Avery for the Patriot Award. This award goes to individuals who provided support directly to military members like Kendrick and his family. Kendrick said it was a thank-you for everything they did for him. It was his first deployment, and his team made sure he felt comfortable leaving and returning, while simultaneously sending him encouragement while on deployment and allowing him to do his duty with little to no worries.

He kept it a secret, and surprised Chandler, Marti and Avery with the award presentation by Kendrick and a member of the ESGR during a department holiday party in late December 2024. 

“When you come to work, you bring your whole self — which includes things that happen off the clock. Norton Healthcare supports that work-life balance and understands that things impact you from other aspects of your life. It is important to know what is happening in your employees’ lives,” Marti said. “It helps form a respectful and open relationship. It all goes back to our mission, vision, values and culture.”

According to Avery, initiatives like VETS (Veterans Engaging Through Service), Norton Healthcare’s employee resource group for military veterans, make it easier to lean on others so leaders and colleagues don’t have to shoulder the support alone.

“When you are called to serve, the last thing you want to be thinking about is whether or not you’ll still have a job,” Kendrick said. “I’ve never worried about that with Norton Healthcare, from the moment I enlisted they were there to support me every step of the way.”