Fifteen distinguished women working in skilled nursing, senior living or home care have been elected to the 2022 Rising Stars class in the McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards program.
“These honorees, early in their long-term care careers, already have made impressive contributions to their employers and fields,” said McKnight’s Editorial Director, Vice President and Associate Publisher John O’Connor in releasing the list of winners Wednesday.
The group will be honored at a gala ceremony May 12 in downtown Chicago, where fellow honorees in the 2022 Veteran VIP and Hall of Honor classes also will be feted. Those winners will be announced Thursday and Friday, respectively, in the McKnight’s Daily Update.
The McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards is a joint effort of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and sister brands McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care.
The Rising Stars awards category celebrates women who are 40 or younger or have fewer than 15 years of experience in the senior living, skilled nursing or home care fields. All have demonstrated an exceptional commitment at the community or corporate level.
The 15 Rising Stars in the class of 2022:
Sarah Bateman, Administrator, Rochester Regional Health – Edna Tina Wilson, Rochester NY
Patricia Bush, Administrator, Haskell County Nursing Center, Stigler, OK
Anne-Marie Fitz, Executive Director, Touchmark at Harwood Groves, Fargo, ND
Elizabeth Ann Fetner, Regional Operations Manager, LCS, St. Petersburg, FL
Stephanie Maupin, Executive Director, Brentwood at Elkhart Assisted Living / Integral Senior Living, Elkhart, IN
Jamie Merrill, Regional Vice President of Operations, Florida, Brookdale Senior Living, Nashville, TN
Morgan C.B. Miles, LEED AP, former Development Director, Brightview Senior Living, Baltimore
Holly Artkamp Romie, Chief Nursing Officer, Bethany Village, Centerville, OH
Crystal Shelby, Regional Director of Operations, Legacy Healthcare, Skokie, IL
Magen Shelton, Vice President, Strategic Development, Interim HealthCare of the Upstate, Greenville, SC
Julia Shiner, M.D., MPH, Vice President and Medical Director of Employee Health and Well-being, Erickson Senior Living, Catonsville, MD
Theresa Watts, Infection Control Preventionist, Alta Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Reno, NV
Victoria Wenick, Director of Philanthropy, Covenant Living at The Shores, Mercer Island, WA
Trista Wilson, Chief Operating Officer, English Meadows, Blacksburg, VA
Kristina Wright, Nursing Home Administrator, The Bay at Suring Health and Rehabilitation Center, Suring, WI
More award announcements coming
A national, independent panel of judges adjudicated the McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards program entries. Overall, 27 states are represented by the honorees across all categories.
Once again, a Veteran VIP division will recognize women with at least 15 years of experience who are making an impact on the senior living, skilled nursing or home care fields, and the Hall of Honor division will recognize women who are at a level equivalent to vice president or higher and who have had a significant effect on their organizations or industry.
The 2022 program, as in years past, also will feature a Lifetime Achievement Award winner; the recipient of that award, as well as the recipients of a new Spirit Award, will be announced at later dates.
Awards dinner and educational event May 12 and 13
The 2022 McKnight’s Women of Distinction program also features the return of in-person festivities after two years of virtual celebrations.
All of this year’s honorees will be celebrated May 12 during an in-person reception and dinner at the W Hotel City Center in Chicago. The presentation of awards will be followed May 13 by the third annual McKnight’s Women of Distinction Forum. It will offer free educational sessions featuring industry thought leaders discussing important topics. Both days’ events are open to everyone.
For more information or to register for either or both events, visit https://www.mcknightswomenofdistinction.com/. Questions about the event can be directed to Anna Naumoski at [email protected].
Keep up to date with McKnight’s Women of Distinction news, announcements and winner profiles on the McKnight’s Long-Term Care News website.
PointClickCare is the Diamond sponsor of this year’s event.
