Editor’s Note: McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care are profiling the McKnight’s 2023 Women of Distinction honorees daily from July 5 to Aug. 15. For additional McKnight’s Women of Distinction content, visit this page.

LaShuan Bethea, a registered nurse and attorney, has more than 25 years of experience in long-term care.

She began her journey as a licensed practical nurse in a skilled nursing facility through a program offered at her high school and has held many roles in the long-term care industry—from direct care nurse and unit manager to staff development coordinator and assessment coordinator— since then.

Bethea has worked with healthcare providers across the country to advocate for laws and regulations that improve care outcomes. She has worked on issues related to Medicare and Medicaid, telemedicine, workforce and labor challenges, the regulatory environment and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care.

Bethea started at Genesis HealthCare in 2007, quickly advancing to director of regulatory and program development before being promoted in 2015 to vice president of legislative affairs. She assumed a dual role as vice president of reimbursement in 2020. In this role, she saw first-hand the challenges created by rapidly changing state and federal standards. 

Bethea began as NCAL executive director in September 2021. Since joining NCAL, she has dedicated herself to helping assisted living providers navigate the challenges presented by COVID-19 and supporting efforts to ensure a strong future for the sector.

Bethea has a passion for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. While at Genesis HealthCare, she was chairperson of the DEI committee. She has continued those efforts at NCAL, including being an instrumental part of the launch of the association’s Diversity Executive Leadership Program.

She is the former first vice president of the Maryland Nurses Association, Division 2. Bethea has represented the long-term care industry as part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ ongoing initiative to reduce the regulatory burden on healthcare providers

 Bethea empowers and mentors team members to help them grow professionally. She believes that leadership exists at every level of an organization and that anyone can be a leader.

The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care. PointClickCare is the Diamond sponsor of this year’s program. PharMerica is the Silver sponsor. Additional sponsors include American HealthTech, Healthcare Services Group, Omnicare, Sentrics and ShiftKey.

Visit this web page to see lists of honorees from 2023 and previous years.