Editor’s Note: The McKnight’s Senior Living Daily Briefing and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Daily Update e-newsletters are profiling each of the McKnight’s 2020 Women of Distinction honorees now through the July 28 online awards celebration. To learn more about the 2020 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Awards, or the accompanying Forum, which offers three free CE credits the next morning (July 29), visit mcknightswomenofdistinction.com.

Carole Burnell headshot
Carole Burnell

Carole Burnell has set a new bar for women at Capital Senior Living as the first female vice president of operations.

An experienced operations manager, she rose through the ranks and attained her current position last year. In 2004, she came on board CSL as regional manager following the company’s acquisition of operating company CGI Management. Before joining CSL, she was regional director of operations at Alterra Healthcare. She began her career at Assisted Living Concepts.   

In her current role, Burnell has racked up professional accomplishments. These include developing a peer review program designed to appoint the best and brightest leaders at the community level to serve as members of peer review teams. These teams visit CSL communities monthly to conduct audits of processes, policies and procedures, to help ensure that all communities are delivering services to residents at consistently high standards. Other achievements include standardizing pharmacy systems across Texas communities; implementing a microfiber cleaning system leading to substantial reductions in infectious diseases; and chairing the first national dietary committee, which brings together the best food service directors focused on improving food quality.

Burnell has earned respect from colleagues for her belief in treating the CSL communities as her own home and residents as family members. As an example, she advocated for cameras to be placed in CSL communities as an added security feature. Such equipment allows her and other community leaders to remotely access views of parking lots, common areas and certain hallways at any given community. Burnell is known for checking the cameras after a long day at work to make sure everything looks secure.

Beyond her work at CSL, she devotes time to community service. Over the years, this time has included serving as leader for her son’s Boy Scout troop and volunteering with Mercy Heart Ministries and Awana, an organization dedicated to helping church volunteers.

The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program’s Diamond sponsor is PointClickCare. The Silver sponsors are OnShift and PharMerica, and the Signature sponsor is Acadia Pharmaceuticals.