Title: Chief Executive Officer

Company: Positive Outcomes, Inc.

Location: Socorro, N.M.

One of the main motivators behind Tara Jaramillo’s success as chief executive officer of Positive Outcomes, Inc. is her desire to give back to her community. For 16 years, Ms. Jaramillo’s company has been facilitating speech, occupational, and physical therapies to children and families in the New Mexico area as well as providing educational diagnostics through the Department of Health’s Developmental Disability Waiver program. Her dedication towards community and individual quality of life is demonstrated in the company’s 2005 decision to offer at-home care as a provider for personal care services in local areas. Ms. Jaramillo passionately believes that positive outcomes are guaranteed when innovative therapeutic practices are combined with community and family involvement, communication, and education.

Ms. Jaramillo achieved a Master of Arts in speech-language pathology from New Mexico State University in 1995, where she received a scholarship and, in turn, vowed to give back to the community that provided for her. She accomplishes this goal through her work in the field of speech therapy and through her local scholarships. Ms. Jaramillo also generously offers an endowment to support graduate students in the department of special education and communication disorders. She would like to make a difference for the children in her community, and her support of local education and prospective speech pathologists assists in establishing that legacy.

Inspired by her parents (especially her father, an educator), Ms. Jaramillo feels that her success stems from surrounding herself with an exceptional professional team; under her leadership, employees have risen in number from two to 280. Guided by her own experiences, she encourages a younger generation of women not to be afraid to ask their more experienced peers for help when facing road blocks. She keeps abreast of changes in her profession through her membership with The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She has also been recognized for her dedication to her field by the local chamber of commerce and the Friends of the Communication Disorders program. Ms. Jaramillo’s overarching goal is clear: “I just want to be remembered for helping.”