Editor’s Note: McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Senior Living are profiling the McKnight’s 2021 Women of Distinction honorees daily July 6 through Aug. 6. To see the 2021 McKnight’s 2021 Women of Distinction awards ceremony, register for free here.
It didn’t take long for Tracy Zamora to figure out that long-term care was where she was meant to be: She began in the field at age 16.
Starting out as a certified nursing assistant, Zamora soon found that counseling and advocating for the elderly was her goal. She now has been a social service director for two decades. She currently serves in the position for Heritage of Bel-Air of Vetter Senior Living, offering independent living and skilled nursing, in Norfolk, NE.
Zamora has worked at three different facilities over her career and, according to her colleagues, has set an example for the social service department at each one. They say she exemplifies the facilities’ missions, visions and values.
One way she offers leadership is by serving on an advisory committee for Vetter, representing more than 30 facilities. As a chairperson on the committee, she advocates for social services and pilots new policies in her facilities.
Zamora has demonstrated that she has talent on and off the job. She was able to finish her undergraduate degree in behavioral science at Bellevue University while working full-time and raising a family. And she completed her degree with a 4.0 GPA. She also recently helped lead Heritage of Bel-Air to a Gold Quality Award from the American Health Care Association.
Outside of work, Zamora can be found volunteering for her church with bake sales, family meals and participating in the nativity scene at Christmas time.
For residents and co-workers, Zamora’s bright smile and tennis shoes are a pleasant sight to see during the work day. If she’s not in her office, she is interacting with those residents and helping them make memories. To Zamora, positive test results and policy changes just mean there’s a resident somewhere to cheer up.
The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Senior Living. The program’s Diamond sponsor is PointClickCare, and the Roundtable Sponsor is Paycor.
