LAKEPORT >> During Women’s History Month, Sutter Lakeside Hospital recognizes its female leadership.
Linnea Humble, manager of finance and member of Sutter Lakeside Hospital’s Senior Management Team, knows how much work — and how many spreadsheets — it takes to run a hospital.
Humble’s journey to finance and Lake County began in 1982 when she enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College in accounting. Three schools, four states and 20 years of traveling from military base to highway patrol assignments with her husband and three children, and Humble graduated Summa Cum Laude from Golden Gate University. The family moved to Lake County in 1996 because of its superior air quality, a benefit to their asthmatic daughter.
Humble’s job includes a range of responsibilities, including analyzing expenses, forecasting expenditures, budgeting and building strategy around predicted pricing.
“I started working in Lake County at a local manufacturing plant, but moved to nonprofit accounting after the plant closed,” said Humble. “I like following the number trail to its impact. Working for a nonprofit resonates with me because the numbers come down to patient care, not selling a product or turning a profit.
Sutter stays ahead of the curve, and it’s satisfying to see how we’ve progressed as an organization. It’s fulfilling to support the impassioned people who care for our patients. I can impact operations in areas that have a broad effect on patients; for example, ensuring financial health means we can continue to provide care for our community.”
Humble credits her affinity for numbers to her business-savvy mother, who immigrated to America from Sweden after World War II, and owned two Hallmark stores in Petaluma.
“She succeeded in running two of her own businesses in a male-dominated field during a time when women did not typically participate in entrepreneurship,” said Humble. “Watching her navigate the issues that come along with owning a store inspired me.”
The Humbles instilled the same spirit of independence in their daughters.
“They know how to check their oil and change their tires. We always taught them to take care of themselves and be happy on their own before taking on anything else.”
