2007 40 Under 40 Honoree: Charity Elmer

Becoming CoxHealth’s first in-house general counsel tops Charity Elmer’s list of accomplishments. The job is tough and demanding, but it is one that she loves, handling all legal matters for the health system.

“Every day I find opportunities to help people, whether it be an employee of CoxHealth, a patient or a member of the community,” she said.

Elmer is often approached by young attorneys and college students who want to know if they can excel and still have a family, and she considers herself successful at being able to strike the right balance.

“I firmly believe that it is possible to have a successful career and a family life,” Elmer said.

Elmer’s husband, Paul, has been central to building a home life for her and their children, 6-year-old Max and 4-year-old Mason. Her husband sold his Allstate insurance agency and has stayed home with the boys since June 2006.

“With both of us working demanding jobs, we felt we weren’t dedicating enough time to raising our kids, so we bit the bullet and sold the agency,” she said. “Paul is now the CEO of the Elmer family. He runs the entire household from buying groceries to paying bills.”

While her personal goals include focusing more on her long-term physical and mental health, improving her leadership skills is her top professional goal.

“When I took my job as general counsel, I went from being an attorney in private practice, where managing people was really not required, to managing a department and assuming a leadership position in a very large organization,” she said.

Elmer also is involved in the community, serving on the board of Make-A-Wish and volunteering at First and Calvary Presbyterian Church and Sequiota Elementary.

Stats

Position: General Counsel, CoxHealth

Age: 34

Favorite professional sports team: St. Louis Cardinals

A quote to live by: “Life is not a dress rehearsal.”

Information accurate at the time of the honor.