OROVILLE — An outstanding student who went on to have a stelar career in the medical field, Las Plumas High School class of 1976 graduate Vivian Walker McGee is being honored as a 2024 Oroville Union High School District Hall of Fame inductee.
In high school McGee was a member of the California Scholastic Federation; a Top 10 student in her freshman and sophomore years; and was awarded a Stare Scholarship from Stanford University. She was also listed in Who’s Who in North American High School Students.
McGee’s extracurricular activities included track and field, basketball and powder puff football. She was also a member of the Girls Athletic Association. She was a member of the student council and served as class president all four years.
Vivian Walker McGee (Oroville Union High School District/Contributed)
Outside of school, McGee volunteered at the Seventh Day Adventist Church assisting families in need.
Following high school, McGee earned an associate of arts degree from Spokane Community College, was on the President’s List both years, and received an Academic Excellence Award. She earned her bachelor of science in nursing from Eastern Washington University in 1984 and three years later became a certified geriatric nurse specialist.
From 1984 to 2011, McGee worked at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington where she served as a psychiatric nurse, clinical nurse specialist for the child and adolescent adult and geriatric psychiatric staff, and Assistant Nurse Manager/Interim Nurse Manager/Interim Director of Nursing. McGee was the first Black woman to hold interim and senior management positions at PSHMC.
During her years at PSHMC McGee developed and taught clinical skills classes to support nursing and mental health counselors and co-developed and implemented a highly successful partial hospitalization program for older adults. She also taught at Spokane Community College.
In 2011, McGee began working for Frontier Behavioral Health, the largest community-based mental health services in Eastern Washington, as the organization’s Director of Nursing Services and Infection Control Officer. She was the first Black woman to work in a senior management position at FBH.
During her 11 years at FBH McGee managed three inpatient psychiatric facilities and all adult, children and adolescent outpatient nursing services, restructured three inpatient facilities, and served as a member of both the Eastern Washington Nurse Managers Behavioral Health Advisory Committee and the Eastern Washington Regional Support Network.
McGee received numerous accolades during her career including the Recognition for Service by Women Helping Women and the Recognition for Service by Women’s Healing and Empowerment Network. In 2019 she was inducted into the International Nurse’s Association.
McGee lives in Greenacres, Washington.
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