CHICAGO — Dozens of senior living, skilled nursing and home care leaders and frontline workers became celebrities for a few hours Monday night in Chicago, where they were feted at the 2023 McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards.
The fifth annual celebration of the sector’s best and brightest female leaders kicked off with two educational panels and rolled into a fun-filled cocktail reception and dinner. Each honoree in attendance was presented with an engraved trophy marking their accomplishments.
Fifty of this year’s 59 Hall of Honor, Veteran VIP, Rising Star and Spirit Award winners attended the live gala, where co-workers, peers and loved ones 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 award winner quickly has become a coveted title since the program launched in 2019.
Additionally, Marilynn Duker, co-chair of Baltimore-based Brightview Senior Living, was named the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree.
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. The company has received several awards for its positive workplace culture.
“All of us in the room are incredibly fortunate to have a career that can be incredibly fulfilling while doing something really good for people at a very vulnerable time in their lives,” Duker told those gathered. “I’ve found the greatest personal satisfaction from having the incredible opportunity to work with so many amazing people. I’ve learned so much, getting so much, from many of you, both in Brightview and throughout the industry, and know we are better as a whole because we’re all in this together.”
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 (added in 2021), with more than 15 years of experience making an impact in long-term care 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 quickly have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the industry.
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 evening, with the crowd warmly applauding feats such as organizing hurricane evacuations and administering life-saving CPR off the job.
“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 in Chicago was truly a cause for celebration. These honorees truly are women of distinction.”
To learn more about all of this year’ honorees, flip through the commemorative booklet from the 2023 event.
Several of this year’s winners and a few notable previous honorees helped round out the day by participating in two roundtables on leadership and lessons learned over long careers during the McKnight’s Women of Distinction Forum, which preceded the awards dinner. Stay tuned to mcknightsseniorliviing.com later this week for coverage of “Traits of a successful long-term care leader” and “A lifetime of lessons from the C-suite.”
You can keep up to date with the entire McKnight’s Women of Distinction program and watch for details on next year’s entry period on the McKnight’s Senior Living website. For more inspiration, browse lists of previously honored women by year and category.
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.
