A Legacy of Leadership: A Mother and Daughter's Story at USAP-MD

When Laurie Meginnis, CRNA (USAP-MD), was raising her children in Indiana in the 1990s, she juggled nursing classes while managing a household and watching her kids play volleyball. With her textbooks open on her lap in the bleachers, she wasn't just building a career. Without knowing it, she was also showing her daughter Kelly Lock, DNP, CRNA (USAP-MD), exactly what was possible.

Now, nearly three decades later, both Laurie's and Kelly's professional lives are woven together in ways neither fully planned. Laurie serves as USAP-Maryland's Platform Chief CRNA, overseeing more than 130 CRNAs across the state's hospital sites and still stepping into the OR herself. Kelly is Site Chief CRNA for the Johns Hopkins Surgery Center series, managing three Hopkins ASCs and their clinical teams. The story of how they got here is one of quiet determination, timing, and a daughter who paid close attention.

“I'd always had some type of interest in medicine for as long as I can remember,” Kelly says. "Seeing my mom become a CRNA, being able to shadow in the ORs—that merged my desire to be an advanced practice provider with being able to have a family and be present for them."

Kelly deliberately chose the career path that her mother pioneered, but eventually, the connection ran both ways. It was Kelly, fresh out of CRNA school in 2020 and interviewing for her first job, who spotted a leadership opening at a USAP site. She encouraged Laurie to look into it, saying it was “right up your [Laurie's] alley.” Laurie submitted her CV, joined USAP just before COVID hit, and hasn't looked back, calling it “the best thing I ever did.”

At USAP, the pair found an organization that matched their values—one that supported its clinical staff through the pandemic rather than cutting pay or reassigning CRNAs out of their specialty. That culture of loyalty, Laurie says, is what makes USAP-Maryland a place where people want to stay.

Of her mother, Kelly says, “She's always been my number one cheerleader. She and my dad are the ones that really pushed me and always told me I could do whatever I want. Work hard, it pays off. Be dedicated no matter what. You're always going to have adversity, you're always going to have people that doubt you—but your family's always there for you.”

Of her daughter, Laurie says, “I'm very, very proud of her. The hard work and everything has paid off. She's gone through a lot of adversity to get where she is—as does everybody—but she's handled it all very, very well.” Then, after a pause: “She was always kind of the quiet one. And now people ask me, ‘Kelly does what? She manages how many people?’ And I say, yeah, you'd be surprised!”

Laurie Meginnis and Kelly Lock are proof that the most powerful career mentorship sometimes happens not in a classroom, but on the bleachers of a high school gym—with a textbook open, and a mom who refused to stop.