CHICAGO — Dozens of skilled nursing, senior living and home care leaders and frontline workers became in-person celebrities for a day when they were feted as the 2023 McKnight’s Women of Distinction.
The fifth annual celebration of the sector’s best and brightest female leaders took place May 22. A full day of events included two educational panels that rolled into a fun-filled cocktail reception and dinner.
Fifty of this year’s 59 winners attended the live gala, where coworkers, loved ones and peers from across the country gathered to network and pay homage to those making a mark on long-term care. Recognition as a McKnight’s Woman of Distinction has quickly become a coveted title since the program launched in 2019.
Each honoree in attendance was called to the stage and presented with an engraved trophy marking her accomplishments.
Marilynn Duker, co-chair of Baltimore-based Brightview Senior Living, was honored with the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award.
She has been with Brightview and its predecessor, The Shelter Group, a privately held real estate development and property management firm, since 1982. She was The Shelter Group’s second employee and has been involved in every phase of the company’s operations and growth. A little more than a decade after joining, she helped found Brightview, where she is one of six partners.
“These last 40 years have wildly exceeded my expectations,” Duker told the crowd. “I would never think you go somewhere and you take a job when you’re 26 years old that you can end up in the same place 40 years later in a completely transformed organization. … I couldn’t feel better about what we have all accomplished.”
Women of Distinction candidates are nominated in four categories. They include Hall of Honor, for senior-level professionals in the C-suite or at a level equivalent to vice president; Veteran VIPs, with more than 15 years of experience making an impact in long-term care but still at a level lower than vice president or its equivalent; and Rising Stars, candidates 40 and younger (or with fewer than 15 years of experience in the profession) who have quickly demonstrated leadership and an exceptional commitment to the industry.
“Congratulations to these notable women who are leading the way. They have distinguished themselves — and us — by showing how it’s done,” said John O’Connor, McKnight’s editorial director, vice president and associate publisher. “This year’s event was truly a cause for celebration. These honorees truly are women of distinction.”
The McKnight’s Spirit Award, added in 2022, recognizes inspiring caregiving and service to patients and communities. The stories of this year’s Spirit Award winners provided some of the most tender moments of the live event, with the crowd warmly applauding feats such as organizing hurricane evacuations and administering life-saving CPR off the job.
Another stirring moment came when the entire crowd gave a standing ovation in memory of
Genevieve Gipson, director and founder of the National Network of Career Nursing Assistants based in Ohio. Gipson died after she’d been selected as a Hall of Honor class member; a colleague picked up the award on her behalf.
2023 marked the fifth year of the McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards, which have grown from the inaugural year to include additional categories of recognition as well as the educational component. This year’s celebration was the third in-person Women of Distinction event, with two years of festivities having been held virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.
See additional coverage of this year’s event at www.mcknights.com/tag/women-of-distinction.
PointClickCare was the Diamond sponsor of this year’s program. PharMerica was the Silver sponsor. The event’s additional sponsors included American HealthTech, Healthcare Services Group, Omnicare, Sentrics and ShiftKey.
The nomination process for the 2024 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Awards will open later this year. Details will be posted at mcknightswomenofdistinction.com.
Leadership on display
The 2023 McKnight’s Women of Distinction festivities featured two afternoon educational sessions that showcased insights from women honored this year and in previous classes.
“Traits of a successful long-term care leader,” was moderated by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas.
Six 2023 inductees spoke about their leadership journeys and the ability to identify and support the next generation of leaders in long-term care.
Making tough decisions separates a leader from a follower, noted Clement Manor Campus Administrator Carly Loewus, who stepped into her role during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Healthcare is not black and white, and there was so much gray area, especially going into pandemic when nobody else had answers,” said Loewus, pictured in photo 1, second from left. “You might make a decision that is not the norm, but it aligns with your morals and values.”
One tough decision her facility made early on was mandating the COVID-19 vaccine — making it one of the first facilities in Wisconsin to do so.
“It was not the most popular decision, but you’re making those decisions in those gray areas probably more often than your black-and-white ones,” she said.
Other speakers included (pictured in photo 1, left to right) Help at Home Chicago Director of Operations Rose Trevino, Help at Home Market Leader Katie Gallenstein, WelbeHealth Director of Strategy and Special Projects Sophia Guel-Valenzuela, Elara Caring Skilled Home Health President Kimberly Nystrom, and Sanford Hospice Administrator and Rising Star Desirae Toomey.
In the second panel, “A lifetime of lessons from the C-suite,” McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois A. Bowers moderated a lively discussion with three Lifetime Achievement Award winners (picture 3, left to right): Duker; 2020 inductee Wendy Simpson, the chairman and CEO of Westlake Village, CA-based real estate investment trust LTC Properties; and 2019 honoree Lynne Katzmann, the founder and CEO of Bloomfield, NJ-based Juniper Communities.
Simpson told the packed audience that she has been delighted to see how far women have come over the decades in managing and operating long-term care and “being in charge.”
She attributed her success to showing up and doing her job — and being available to do something more.
From the July/August 2023 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
