At Rcedutalent, we love celebrating individuals whose journeys reflect dedication, growth, and genuine impact. Today, we highlight Thomas Stedham — a respected professional whose career in public service showcases persistence, leadership, and lifelong learning.
Can you tell us about your childhood, studies, and how your career started?
Youngest of three children. Born and raised in Alabama, and lived here my whole life. Graduated from Jacksonville State University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing (and a minor in Sociology). When my maternal grandparents were still alive, we had lots of get-togethers at their house, including all the holidays. When I was in grammar school, I loved to write fiction stories. The State of Alabama came to the placement office of my alma mater, Jacksonville State University, and they were recruiting new hires. I took a written test for an eligibility worker job, and that led to Medicaid hiring me.
What job do you have now, and what do you like most about it?
I retired in September 2025. It is great to be free to travel and spend time with my friends and family. My last position was as Associate Director for the Alabama Medicaid Agency. My favorite part of that job was developing positive relationships with my colleagues, employees, and superiors.
How do you continue to stay updated and relevant in your field?
I have been taking college classes in relevant fields, reading, and interacting with people in the field.
What is the biggest achievement of your career so far?
I led a Request for Proposal (RFP) when the Medicaid Agency had a contract up for renewal (Medical & Quality Review). I was the project manager for the RFP. I helped write the RFP, solicit proposals, and coordinate all steps involved from the beginning of the RRP process until the end. The Agency chose not to award the new contract to the incumbent vendor, so I had to orchestrate everything involved with transitioning from the old vendor to the new one — including lots of training and preparation. I worked closely with many of my colleagues across multiple program areas within the Agency, even though I did not have direct supervisory authority over most of these people. It all worked out smoothly in the end on a five-year, multi-million dollar contract.
What is one big difficulty you faced at work, and how did you deal with it?
The biggest challenge of my career was dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. I had a lot of help, of course. During these three years of suspending many of our eligibility rules and processes, then “unwinding” at the end of the pandemic, where we went back to the way things were before Covid 19, I had many meetings with my superiors as well as my employees. I set an example by keeping a positive attitude, persevering, and keeping the end goal in mind — serving our clients and Medicaid providers.
How do you keep learning and growing in your profession?
Reading from a wide variety of sources. Watching news programs and videos relevant to my field.
What simple advice would you give to young people who want to succeed?
Don’t sell yourself short. Hold your head high and pursue your dreams. Fear can hold you back, but in the words of Norman Vincent Peale, “Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain.” Also, there is no substitute for experience! The way you learn to do something is by doing it. It’s like the Nike slogan — just do it. “Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I will remember. Involve me, and I will understand.” Any time you perform a task that you have not done before, there will be a learning curve. Don’t let that intimidate you or hold you back. The more you engage in an activity, the better you get. Keep learning a little bit more each day, and eventually the light bulb will come on.
Any final thoughts or key message you’d like to leave our readers with?
Success rarely comes overnight. It usually takes SUSTAINED EFFORT over a long period of time. Just keep plugging away, even if you don’t seem to be making progress at certain times. Sooner or later, your time will come. Fortune favors the persistent.
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