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.
Shannon Watson’s success as the administrator at Forbes Road Personal Care facility in Pittsburgh over the past five years is no surprise considering her past in the healthcare field.
Before working in assisted living and long-term care, while attending graduate school, she was a group counselor for young girls and women who had drug and alcohol addictions. Watson later was a mental health therapist and school counselor and as a therapist for The Angelus Personal Care Home also helped veterans who had post-traumatic stress disorder.
Watson’s selflessness and willingness to help others has been instrumental in Forbes’ ability to remain complaint-free on surveys during her tenure as administrator, all while keeping census high. Watson also is known to sit through extra hours of training and classes to ensure that the facility’s staff members are training properly and have every tool necessary to succeed.
Watson earned her undergraduate degree in psychology/sociology from Johnson C. Smith University and a master’s degree in psychology from North Carolina Central University. She is working toward her doctorate in healthcare administration at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Outside of her work as an administrator, Watson has been an active member at her church, Petra International Ministries, volunteering as a Sunday school teacher, serving on its hospitality committee and being a mentor and tutor for local children.
Her dedication to her community has been instrumental in ensuring that Forbes Road is connected to the neighborhood. Through her guidance, the facility has been able to adopt a class at a local elementary school, provide a safe place for children to trick-or-treat during Halloween, and allow local students to celebrate holidays with residents.
Such selflessness and dedication to those around her showcase why Watson not only is a rising star in the healthcare industry but in her community as well.
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.
