Laurie Peterson

College Friend

“I knew that sociology or psychology—the ‘appropriate’ woman’s fields—were not what I was going to do. And SMC helped me discover the other possibilities.”

“I see Bruce Crampton out of my window,” says Laurie Peterson. “I just had breakfast with him. He’s a golf legend.” But Laurie doesn’t work at a golf course. She is the VP in charge of all support services at Centinela Hospital. And whether it’s Baryshnikov’s knee or Tommy John’s pitching arm, when world class athletes are playing hurt they head for the hospital that treats most of L.A.’s local pro teams.

Laurie is a gregarious person who loves to laugh and she takes great pride in what she’s helped to build at her hospital. “As VP, I’m in charge of engineering, dietary and housekeeping services,” says Laurie. “And I’m also in charge of a world-class research lab,” where many new medical techniques in biomechanics have been discovered. The hospital has gone through enormous growth since Laurie arrived. “We’ve added seven outpatient clinics,” she says. “And we even have a mobile fitness center that tours the country.”

“When I was young I was quiet and shy,” says Laurie. “But now I have 1,500 employees.” And she attributes the discovery of sports at SMC as being one of the reasons she became a “take charge” person. “I loved the SMC basketball team. It’s what first attracted me to sports; all the camaraderie and fun and excitement,” she explains. “So when I went to work at Centinela, it was all about sports. That’s what I knew about.”

Laurie Petersen, businesswoman, administrator and competitive athlete, remembers her time at SMC. “It was a place and a time, for me, where I could think about what I wanted while being exposed—without pressure—to a lot of different things. I didn’t have to decide, at the age of 18, what I was going to be doing when I was 43,” she says. “And for that I’ll always be grateful.”

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