Influential Women Profiles Rae Phoenix Rohus‑Wells: Public Service Advocate and Employer Compliance Leader
Rae Phoenix Rohus-Wells’ professional journey is inseparable from the life she has lived. With years of experience supporting children with mental health challenges and intellectual and developmental disabilities, Rae began her career as a Qualified Mental Health Professional in Texas. She later transitioned into Applied Behavior Analysis, serving as a Registered Behavioral Therapist, where she honed her expertise and dedication to supporting individuals on the autism spectrum. This foundation in clinical care eventually led her into public service in Colorado, where she has navigated unemployment services, employer accounts, and family leave programs—using her experience to advocate for individuals during some of life’s most challenging transitions.
Rae’s passion for helping others is rooted in her own lived experiences. Having faced profound hardship and trauma, she intimately understands the challenges of recovery and resilience. This personal journey enhances her professional work: her empathy is born from lived experience, not theory. Her strength and perseverance are supported by her husband, G. Scott Wells, and her son, Derek Steimle, both of whom have been steadfast sources of encouragement and grounding.
Beyond public service, Rae channels her dedication to healing into entrepreneurship. She creates handcrafted lotions, bath products, and soaps that embody her philosophy of sensory comfort and emotional restoration. For Rae, these products are more than self-care items—they are tangible expressions of her belief that healing is lived, shared, and embodied.
Rae attributes her success to a strong work ethic, a commitment to continuous learning, and the ability to cultivate positive, trust-based relationships. She has built her career by staying organized, maintaining composure under pressure, and following through on her commitments. Early mentorship in Las Vegas from Janice Decker, her HR Director, emphasized the importance of confidence, initiative, and trusting her judgment—a lesson that continues to inform her leadership style.
Rae advises young women entering public service, particularly in compliance and integrity roles, to lead with both courage and clarity of purpose. She emphasizes that this work matters deeply to communities, making it essential to ground one’s career in service, ethics, and self-respect.
In her experience, public service and employer compliance often place individuals in situations where they must ask difficult questions, enforce standards, and say “no” when it would be easier to say “yes.” Rae stresses that being early in one’s career does not diminish the value of one’s contributions. She encourages thorough preparation, understanding the laws, regulations, and policies at hand, and then trusting one’s judgment. Clear communication, accurate documentation, and professionalism—defined by being fair, consistent, and precise rather than quiet or agreeable—are key to long-term success.
Rae notes that in integrity and compliance-focused roles, reputation is the most important asset. She cautions that pressures will arise to “look the other way,” bypass rules, or make exceptions that feel inappropriate. Protecting oneself and the public requires transparency, adherence to established processes, and seeking guidance when unsure. Following through on commitments, even when inconvenient, builds trust and credibility over time.
She also highlights the importance of understanding organizational dynamics: knowing stakeholders, how decisions move through systems, and one’s role within the bigger picture. Building respectful relationships across departments, leadership, unions, and external partners is essential. Effective compliance work is not only about knowing the rules but also about explaining them, negotiating when appropriate, and collaborating to uphold both policy and people.
Rae encourages young women to recognize the weight they may carry in public service, including high expectations, emotional labor, and the drive to prove themselves. She advises giving oneself permission to be a learner—asking questions, seeking mentors, volunteering for challenging projects, and pursuing training or certifications. At the same time, she underscores the importance of well-being: setting boundaries, taking leave, and mentally stepping away from work when the day is over. She emphasizes that long careers in public service are built on resilience, not perfection.
Finally, Rae reminds women that they belong in rooms where important decisions are made. Their presence is earned through education, effort, and character, not luck. She encourages advocacy, applying for roles even without meeting every requirement, and aligning work with personal values. According to Rae, public service needs women willing to stand for fairness, accountability, and integrity—and she believes every young woman entering the field has a rightful place at that table.
Rae notes that the biggest challenges in her field involve helping employers and third-party administrators understand and correctly implement complex FAMLI requirements, including registration, wage reporting, and coordinating leave with existing policies. At the same time, she sees a major opportunity to use the program to expand access to paid family and medical leave, strengthen worker protections, and build collaborative, education-focused relationships with employers that support long-term compliance and program integrity.
Rae places the highest value on balance, integrity, and meaningful connection in both her professional and personal life. In her work, she is committed to fairness, accountability, and ethical decision-making, ensuring that policies protect workers while supporting employers in doing what is right. She believes that work should be purposeful and aligned with her principles.
Equally important to Rae is maintaining a lifestyle that prioritizes well-being and relationships. Remote and hybrid work flexibility allows her to be fully present for her family, nurture her relationships with her pets, and focus on her physical and mental health. She recognizes that professional effectiveness depends on avoiding burnout, which is why setting clear boundaries, staying active, and prioritizing mental wellness are essential to how she operates in every area of her life. For Rae, success is measured not only by professional accomplishments but also by living in a way that is sustainable, authentic, and grounded in the people and values she holds most dear.
For Rae Phoenix Rohus-Wells, restoration is more than a profession—it is an art form, a way of transforming personal experience into guidance, advocacy, and hope for others. Her career reflects resilience, expertise, and a commitment to integrity, demonstrating how one life’s journey can create a lasting impact across both community and industry.
Learn More about Rae Phoenix Rohus-Wells:
Through her Influential Women profile, https://influentialwomen.com/connect/rae-gannon
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