We are always on the lookout for the best and brightest DeWs and love to tell their stories. This short spotlight was featured in Patterson’s in-house newsletter.

APRIL 25, 2019 | PULSE POINTS

MEET MEG DIETZEL, EMERGING FEMALE LEADER AT PATTERSON

Who is your mentor?

When it comes to developing as a professional, having a strong mentor to help guide you is key. For Meg Dietzel, Regional President of the Ohio Valley Region for Patterson Dental, having the right mentor made all the difference.

“When I joined Patterson, my professional development was primarily peer-driven,” she recalls. “I started as a territory rep within a very tenured team and was surrounded by people who wanted to help me succeed. I was assigned a female mentor and there’s no way I would have survived my first year in the territory without her.”

Now approximately seven years into her career at Patterson, Meg says the role mentorship plays in developing new leaders has continued to grow and flourish.

“Patterson has made great strides in prioritizing professional development and creating a more formal structure with opportunities,” she says. “As a female leader, I think it’s important to have not only other female leaders but male leaders that value diversity and understand the benefit of sitting at a table collaborating with a group of people from different backgrounds. I’ve been fortunate to have many leaders at Patterson who value diversity and work to seek ideas across gender and origin lines.”

While she has had the opportunity to learn the ropes during her time with the company, Meg is no stranger to working hard and supporting a team, as she began her professional career in the Air Force and was deployed to Iraq back in 2006. Her lessons from those days have carried through to her career today.

“Your comrades are everything,” Meg says. “From my first day at Patterson, I had folks all around me that were willing to come alongside and mentor me, help me understand the job, and challenge me. People and culture are essential and I’m grateful that even in a company that’s undergone great change, those two foundations have remained.”

Thank you to Meg, for providing strong leadership and support, both as a Patterson employee as well as in shaping leaders of tomorrow!