Felichia Fields, Rising Star

Editor’s Note: The McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Daily Update and McKnight’s Senior Living Daily Briefing e-newsletters are profiling each of the McKnight’s 2019 Women of Distinction in July. For more coverage, visit the McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Senior Living websites and read the July print edition of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and August print edition of McKnight’s Senior Living.

Felichia Fields is credited with brightening up St. Catherine’s Village in Madison, MS, so much so that her nickname is “Sunshine.”

Since becoming the assistant executive director there in 2014, her responsibilities and reach have grown substantially. She now directly manages seven supervisors and indirectly manages about three-fourths of community’s 250 employees. She also oversees a budget of almost $22 million. As if that’s not enough, she also has coordinated a partnership with In His Steps Ministries to provide a Youth Education day.

Previously, she was vice president of operations at Constant Care Family Management in Irving, TX, the executive director of an Autumn Leaves Assisted Living and Memory Care community in Irving, Tx, and multicultural outreach coordinator at the North Texas Alzheimer’s Association in Fort Worth.

Felichia Fields receiving Rising Star award
Felichia Fields with McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers. Photo: Social Snacks

Fields has made her mark on each of the places she has been employed. While at the Alzheimer’s Association, she developed, facilitated and established two Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Groups that are still operating 10 years later. She also started the association’s annual African-American Caregiver seminar and was the first multicultural outreach coordinator there.

Fields earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Alcorn State University before attending the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth for both her master’s degree and doctorate degree in public health management and policy.

She is an active member of  the American Public Health Association, the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Alcorn State University Metro Jackson Alumni chapter and Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

McKnight’s Women of Distinction is a joint program of McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News.

The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program’s exclusive Platinum sponsor is PointClickCare.