It was so much fun to gather hundreds of people together last year in Chicago to celebrate the inaugural class of 41 McKnight’s Women of Distinction award winners.
For our second year, we had looked forward to an even bigger in-person event in May, and then the pandemic hit.
But in a scenario all too familiar to anyone working in and around long-term care, the McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News teams have adapted to the new normal, including finding new dates and new ways of honoring senior living and skilled nursing heroes.
And now our expanded virtual event is only one week away! Anyone can attend, and there’s no admission fee, so I hope you’ll join us. (You can register here.)
Allow me to share the details for those of you who may not be familiar.
The 2020 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Awards will be presented on Tuesday, July 28, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. ET. We’ll be celebrating this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner, 22 Hall of Honor inductees and 22 Rising Stars. And we have a few other surprises you won’t want to miss.
New this year is the McKnight’s Women of Distinction Forum, a slate of three hour-long educational sessions at which attendees can earn continuing education credits, on Wednesday, July 29. We’ll be featuring past, present — and perhaps future — McKnight’s Women of Distinction.
The day will begin at 9:30 a.m. with “Finding the Secret Sauce.” Lori Alford, 2019 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Hall of Honor inductee and chief operating officer, Avanti Senior Living; Brenda Bacon, 2019 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Hall of Honor inductee and president and CEO of Brandywine Living; and Leigh Anne Barney, president and CEO of Trilogy Health Services, will share how their organizations are meeting the distinct needs of women in the workplace, with impressive results.
In the second session, beginning at 10:45 a.m. ET, McKnight’s Women of Distinction 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Lynne Katzmann, founder and CEO of Juniper Communities, and McKnight’s Women of Distinction 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Wendy Simpson, CEO and chairman of LTC Properties, will share “Lessons Learned Along the Way” during their careers. (I’ll be moderating this discussion.)
In the third session, beginning at noon, Eleanor Alvarez, 2020 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Hall of Honor inductee and president and CEO of The Ganzhorn Suites and LeaderStat; Akia Blandon, 2020 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Hall of Honor inductee and vice president of clinical services for The Plaza Rehab and Nursing Center; Mary “Molly” Forrest, 2020 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Hall of Honor inductee and CEO – president of the LA Jewish Home; and Jaclyn Pritchett, 2020 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Rising Star honoree and vice president, human resources – field operations for Brookdale Senior Living, will reveal the good, the bad and sometimes ugly that comes with being a strong woman in long-term care — and their thoughts on making things more equitable.
Learn more and register here. We look forward to seeing you!
