BusinessReport.com

A call out of the blue set Amy Benton on her career move from the public sector to the private sector. But it was her crossover knowledge that secured the job.

At the time, Benton was working in communications for former Gov. Mike Foster’s administration. When that call came in 2004, she was interested in a private job that had a positive impact on the community. The Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center was a perfect fit.

“Pretty much everything I learned in the public sector has been helpful to me at Mary Bird Perkins,” Benton says. “It was just taking a skill set and applying it to a different context. My personality thrived off the adrenaline of a new and challenging role, but I was also very concerned about meeting and exceeding expectations.”

The job was Benton’s first in health care after sandwiching a job with the Southern Governors’ Association between stints with the Foster administration. And it initially felt like a “different ballgame” with its added responsibility.

But Benton knew how to hit the ground running, especially in reaching out to the community and public policymakers to support the center’s mission.

“Going to the private sector helped to broaden my horizons and give me a more global perspective in many areas, and it kept things fresh and interesting for me,” she says. “Most of my challenges were related to being in a totally new environment.”

Benton describes her work ethic as “walking the talk,” sticking to the basics of working hard, listening, doing what she says she’ll do and respecting others.

“To me, that’s important wherever you work and applies to life in general,” she says.

Benton says she grew into the leadership role, learning to trust herself more, to be patient and that motivating your team should be a top priority.

“I had a big learning curve about cancer, but it has revealed a new, fascinating world to me,” she says. “I have been working at Mary Bird Perkins for four years and can still come to work every single day and learn something new. I like that.”

Age: 36

What is the one thing Baton Rouge can do to help attract and retain highly educated young people?

“Be innovative. Invest in the public education system and the arts in innovative ways. It is not just what a city is doing, but how it is being done.”

Click here for the complete list of 2008's Forty Under 40 winners.