Natalie Martin: Advancing Women's Leadership and Strengthening Healthcare Supply Chains

By: Marissa Parmalee

Natalie Martin has spent nearly two decades translating vision into impact. As Professional Women in Healthcare’s Chair Elect for the 2027–2028 term, and as Senior Director of Supplier Management for NDC, Inc., she is shaping both the future of women’s leadership and the strategic infrastructure of the healthcare supply chain.

Her story with PWH began in 2008, shortly after she joined National Distribution and Contracting (NDC). With the encouragement of Jackie Jones, her former boss and a PWH Charter Member, Natalie became involved in an organization she credits with elevating her visibility in the healthcare industry, expanding her professional network and accelerating her leadership trajectory.

Her investment has paid off. Over the years, PWH has been both a platform and a proving ground for Natalie’s leadership, giving her space to build relationships, gain industry insight and contribute to a mission she deeply believes in.

A Progressive Journey of Service and Leadership

Natalie’s PWH journey exemplifies a pattern of growth through contribution. She first served on the Marketing Committee before stepping into the role of Vice Chair of Aspiring Leaders under the Membership Committee. That experience allowed her the opportunity to join the PWH Board.

After taking a brief maternity leave, she returned to lead a full-scale website migration, a high-impact initiative that strengthened PWH’s digital infrastructure. From there, she applied her creative skillset as Graphic Designer and Photographer for the inaugural PWH Leadership Summit. When the Summit became a success and the Marketing Committee was reinstated, she was elected Marketing Chair in 2019.

Today, Natalie is honored to serve as PWH’s Chair Elect as she prepares for the 2027–2028 term. Her trajectory reflects a consistent theme: when Natalie sees an opportunity to move an organization forward, she steps in, leads, and leaves a lasting mark.

Impacting Healthcare at Scale

In her professional role, Natalie recently transitioned into supplier management after 18 years in NDC’s marketing organization. As Senior Director, Supplier Management, she operates at a more strategic level, partnering with suppliers to drive mutual growth and reinforce NDC’s position as a critical supply chain partner.

Her work extends far beyond corporate strategy. By strengthening supplier relationships, negotiating robust agreements, developing growth programs and ensuring cross-functional alignment with marketing, sales and operations, she directly supports the availability, affordability and efficiency of healthcare delivery across the country.

The downstream effect of her work is significant. Her efforts help ensure that providers have reliable access to the products, solutions and innovations necessary to care for patients. Ultimately, the collaborations she manages contribute to a more resilient healthcare ecosystem for communities nationwide.

As a member of the NDC sales team, I have been able to personally witness Natalie’s impact firsthand. I’ve seen her in meetings, involved her in opportunities and have had many wins with suppliers as a direct effect of the relationships she has built in this industry.

Advancing Women in Healthcare Leadership

Natalie’s service to PWH reflects a parallel commitment: fostering leadership opportunities for women, strengthening professional networks and advancing equity in an industry historically underrepresented at the executive level.

As Chair Elect, she is focused on supporting the Board, expanding Summit participation, recruiting new members and volunteers, as well as ensuring rising leaders have access to the same mentorship and developmental opportunities that shaped her own path.

She encourages prospective members to get involved early and often, ideally through committee service. Committees, she notes, are not only a tangible way to advance PWH’s mission of creating a healthcare industry equally led by women, but also a gateway into a network of inspiring, supportive and influential female leaders. She has shared that many of her closest professional relationships, and lifelong friends, emerged from that engagement. I can personally attest that I joined the marketing committee, her old stomping grounds, at her inspiration. Doing so has added significant value to my involvement in the program and has provided me with many new connections and friendships as well.

Leading with Balance, Intention, and Resilience

Despite her full-speed operating style, Natalie has become increasingly intentional about managing burnout. She admits that when you move quickly across all areas of life, the sudden stop can create a sense of whiplash. Her approach has evolved in recent years: she now protects her time, sets boundaries and extends empathy not just to others, but to herself. Those practices have helped her sustain energy, build resilience and grow through challenge rather than grind through it.

She has also invested meaningfully in professional development focused on resilience. Training on this has provided new tools and perspectives to adapt, recover and thrive amidst change.

As a member of Natalie’s mentor circle with NDC’s ERG group, WIN: Women in NDC, I have seen what leadership values she upholds. She is leading a group of women along the path that she has trailblazed for many to follow. She has taught me the value of building a personal brand, chasing improvement instead of only perfection, extending self-empathy and grace as well as the value of being an example to women who want to advance their careers.

Family, Inspiration and Personal Passion

Natalie draws her greatest inspiration from her four children. They remind her daily of the importance of balance, resilience and joy. They also serve as the motivation behind her own leadership journey while driving her to model growth, purpose and possibility.

Outside of work, she is energized by travel and music. If she finds a rare window of free time, there is a good chance she is boarding a plane to attend a concert in another city. These experiences serve as creative outlets that replenish her energy.

Professionally, however, PWH remains her passion project. This organization is one that aligns deeply with her values and allows her to contribute to the future of women’s leadership in healthcare.

Looking Ahead

As the organization looks toward 2027, PWH members can anticipate strategic momentum, strong leadership and an unwavering commitment to advancing women in healthcare. With Natalie Martin preparing to take the helm, the future looks both promising and transformative.

PWH’s mission thrives because of leaders who serve with purpose. Natalie is one of those leaders—helping to ensure that the next generation of women has not only a seat at the table, but every opportunity to succeed once they are there.