LeadingAge Florida’s Lifetime Achievement Award Given to Our CEO, Roger Stevens

ORLANDO, July 22, 2019 – On Monday, LeadingAge Florida honored Westminster Communities of Florida’s CEO, Roger Stevens, for his extraordinary career of leadership and service to older adults.

This year’s awards were given at LeadingAge Florida’s 56th Annual Convention, held at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort. The theme of this year’s event was “What If?”

Stevens was recognized for his exceptional dedication to older adults throughout his entire lifetime. In presenting the award, Westminster COO Garry Hennis said that Stevens is “a visionary leader and builder – someone who has made exceptional contributions over the course of a career and has positively impacted and advanced the aging services field.” He added, “Please join me in congratulating Roger!”

After the award was presented to him, Stevens said in his remarks, “What an honor it is to be chosen by you for this award – all of you who contributed to this! It is not always easy to serve, so I want to say thanks to all of our staff for their dedication. And thank you very much for this great honor.”

Stevens has served Westminster Communities of Florida and its residents since 1995, first as chief operating officer, and then as chief executive officer since 2011. He is also the chairman of LeadingAge Florida, the state association representing the industry. He is a Certified Public Accountant and former manager with an international CPA firm working for not-for-profit retirement community and health care clients throughout the Western United States. He is experienced in feasibility studies, new facility development, financing, start-up, turn-around and operations. Stevens has been a speaker at national and regional retirement community and healthcare meetings and conventions, and has been active with LeadingAge and LeadingAge Florida.

Westminster Communities of Florida is proud to have such an exceptional leader contributing to our Mission. It is through his hard work that we are able to serve older adults throughout Florida and make the greater communities we serve stronger at the same time.

Please join us in congratulating Roger Stevens on this award!

LAF 2019 Awards: Roger Stevens from AssociationStudios.com on Vimeo.

About LeadingAge Florida: For 56 years, LeadingAge Florida has served as a nonprofit statewide association of more than 250 mission-driven communities, representing the full continuum of care for seniors with members ranging from affordable housing to nursing homes and from assisted living facilities to continuing care retirement communities. LeadingAge Florida is proud to serve quality leaders who devote themselves to creating a culture of excellence that motivates and inspires others throughout the aging continuum. LeadingAge Florida’s members are trusted with providing quality care and services to Florida’s seniors. LeadingAge Florida promotes practices that support, enable and empower people to live fully as they age.

About Westminster Communities of Florida: Westminster Communities of Florida is a faith-based, not-for-profit organization serving more than 7,000 residents in 22 communities around Florida who are in search of an enlightened, fully integrated, person-centered approach to health and wellness. Since 1954, we’ve been Florida’s best choice in active senior living. Our Mission of service commits us to creating and preserving excellent active living communities and honoring each person’s dignity, rights, self-respect and independence.

A Special Letter of Thanks While Our Country Observes National Nurses Week

We’re excited to join the Westminster family and our whole country in observing National Nurses Week, a celebration of dedicated women and men who have chosen the profession of nursing. In celebration of the nearly 350 Licensed and Registered Nurses who support the Mission of Westminster Communities of Florida, our COO, Garry Hennis, wrote a letter of thanks to all nurses. Read Garry’s letter below to learn how we celebrate those who serve our residents:

May 6, 2019

Dear nursing team,

I’m excited to join the Westminster family and our whole country in observing National Nurses Week, a celebration of dedicated women and men who have chosen the profession of nursing. Nearly 350 Licensed and Registered Nurses support the Mission of Westminster Communities of Florida throughout our organization, sharing in our commitment to the quality of our residents’ lives and their wellbeing.

Nursing is a distinguished profession and are called to serve. It brings to mind my favorite hymn, for those who are called into service: Here I Am, Lord.

Here I am Lord,
Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night,
I will go, Lord,
If you lead me,
I will hold your people in my heart.

This week I especially want to Celebrate the 350 nurses of Westminster Communities of Florida, members of the 4 Million Reasons to Celebrate.

Every day, Westminster’s nurses ensure resident safety and wellbeing, offering both a sense of security and the opportunity for residents to remain active and independent. You provide the essential communication with physicians, pharmacists, therapists and other providers to define the needs of the resident and the effective responses to those needs.

Westminster nurses have invested in the profession of nursing and through their action and commitment have become examples for others. You have encouraged women and men from all departments to respond to the call to join the profession of nursing and become Reasons to Celebrate. 

In addition, Westminster nurses participate in the essential training of students in nursing and related health care professions who come to our sites for internships and clinical practice.  Westminster nurses therefore shape the future of post-acute care.

This week, we plan to discover what nurses enjoy about working for Westminster Communities of Florida. I look forward hearing how you have responded to the call to serve our Mission of the Heart.

I am so grateful for the nurses who choose to serve the residents and families of Westminster Communities of Florida. On behalf of all of us, thank you!

Gratefully yours,

Garry D. Hennis
Chief Operating Officer
Westminster Communities of Florida

CEO Roger Stevens Honors Extraordinary Leaders with CEO Award, Mission Leadership Award

Leadership Awards Presented at Annual Awards Banquet, In Recognition of Exceptional Service

ORLANDO – Westminster Communities of Florida is delighted to announce two very special awards to its employees, given out by CEO Roger Stevens, at the organization’s 21st Annual Awards Banquet in Orlando. These special awards are only given out when merited, and are selected by Stevens in recognition of extraordinary service.

Jim Wilde, administrator of Westminster Village in Pensacola, received the Mission Leadership Award for 13 years of exceptional leadership. The Mission Leadership Award is given to an individual who demonstrates great leadership and a commitment, over a period of many years, to the Mission and ministry of Westminster Communities of Florida.CEO Roger Stevens presents the Mission Leadership Award to Jim Wilde, Administrator at Westminster Village.
CEO Roger Stevens presents the Mission Leadership Award to Jim Wilde, Administrator at Westminster Village.

In giving the award to Wilde, Stevens said, “Jim has done an excellent job as the administrator of a very large affordable housing community in Pensacola. He has been there for many years and has really whipped it into great shape. It is a stellar community that anyone would be proud to live in! In addition to that, Jim has trained a lot of our administrators, has helped us on many occasions through many hurricanes and other disasters. Jim is truly a leader who exemplifies the Mission and ministry of Westminster Communities of Florida. I am delighted to recognize him this evening!”

Wilde and his wife, Trish, were on hand to receive the award.

In addition, Stevens presented this year’s CEO Award for a career of extraordinary accomplishment to Callie Potter, Bookkeeping Coordinator. Potter was recognized for exemplifying the Mission and helping us be good stewards of our residents’ resources. She has worked at Westminster Woods on Julington Creek since before the community became part of the Westminster family, and has continued ever since.

Potter was unable to attend the banquet, so the award was presented in her honor to Chief Financial Officer Hank Keith. Of Potter, Keith said, “I’ve worked with Callie Potter since we took over Westminster Woods on Julington Creek. She is just the greatest individual, and the hardest working person I know. Even right now, she can’t be with us here today, she’s probably working right now! She’s done all kinds of things in our business office and has helped so many people.”

“And then she drives the bus during hurricanes,” Keith added with a smile. “I think that’s an interesting thing that she does. She’s just the best! Congratulations to Callie.”

Congratulations to Wilde and Potter on this very special recognition for their leadership and contributions to Westminster Communities of Florida’s mission.

We Honor Our 2018 Employees of the Year and Volunteers of the Year

Congratulations to Our Employees and Volunteers of the Year

THURSDAY, March 28, 2019 – Westminster Communities of Florida threw its 21st Annual Awards Banquet to celebrate its exemplary Employees of the Year and Volunteers of the Year. The Creating Legends Program was developed to help managers “catch our employees in the act” of providing Legendary Service to our residents, their family members, and co-workers.

In 2018, there were more than 140 employees caught in the act of providing Legendary Service. We also had the help of more than 2,500 volunteers, serving approximately 275,000 hours, which is equivalent to the work of 132 full-time employees. Each recipient received a plaque of appreciation presented by CEO Roger Stevens.

We are thankful and privileged to have so many wonderful employees and volunteers who consistently “stretch” to serve our residents and benefit the greater community. And thank you to the Board of Directors and the Banquet Committee for making this event possible. 

Each of our Employees of the Year and Volunteers of the Year express the heart behind our Mission. We are delighted to shine the spotlight on these exceptional people.

View their stories in the slideshares below.

We Honor Women in Leadership for Women’s History Month (Part III)

March is Women’s History Month, and in celebration, Westminster Communities of Florida has been highlighting the contributions women make to the leadership of our organization. These leaders represent every area of our organization, and make an impact in all of them. We’re thankful to have such excellent leaders to help guide us in living out our Mission.

“The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another,” said Serena Williams, the tennis star. “We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be kind, and above all, be humble.”

Read Part I of the series to learn about how our service to the residents comes first.

Part II discovers leaders who put our faith-based Mission at the core of their service.

Today, we interview leaders who have made an impact on our Mission and helped us improve our ability to fulfill it.


Sophia Morgan

“When we come together as an organization and collaborate as leaders from different genders and ethnicities, we all do better work. There are more and more women leaders in our organization, which creates more opportunities for other women to look up to them as mentors,” said Sophia Morgan, Assistant Controller.

Our Finance Department and people like Morgan play an unsung role in ensuring that we can continue to serve our residents, because, as CEO Roger Stevens often says, “With no margin, there is no Mission.” Earlier in her career, she sought to work for a faith-based, not-for-profit organization, and landed at Westminster Communities of Florida, where she began as a general ledger accountant.

Morgan adds that mentorship is a critically important role that women, and especially women of color, can provide to offer more opportunity. “We want to give other women hope that they can grow within our organization as well,” she said. “Mentors help you aspire and achieve your opportunities. Getting more women into leadership roles will encourage others to step up.”

Lisa Bloder, Regional Health Services Director, offered a similar assessment of the benefits of mentorship — to help us live out our Mission. “I believe it is important to be a mentor to our staff, to help them be the best they can be in providing quality care to our residents,” Bloder said. “A majority of our residents are women, so I believe having women in leadership roles allows us to have a better understanding of the female perspective, and how business and clinical decisions for living in our communities will affect them.”


Lisa Bloder

Bloder has worked for Westminster Communities of Florida since 1999, and she has discovered that, “Our strength comes from the belief that together, we are stronger.” She completed her master’s degree in 2016, with the support of our educational benefits, and has found encouragement over the last 20 years to grow in different positions and increase her knowledge.

To Bloder, the Mission is central to everything. She recalls then-CEO James Emerson saying to her, “Lisa, we will always put the care of our residents first. Make sure we are providing what the resident needs.” At that moment, Bloder recounts, “I knew that the Mission of this organization was truly at the heart of all we do.”

That empathy is a strength of our organization, as recounted by Teri West, Director of Clinical Services at Westminster Pharmacy Services. “The people who work in the organization really care,” West says. “The people who stay within the Westminster family, stay because their faith in the Mission is strong and their love for the residents brings them back every day. You can’t teach caring.”

Having women in leadership, she adds, helps provide a diversity of experience and perspective that makes the whole organization stronger. “Because of their dedication to resilience and balance, women can truly embrace the Mission and the responsibility of the stretches that are needed in their roles to care for our residents,” she says.

West, who was raised by a very independent mother in a single-parent household, said that she always believed she could accomplish anything. “My mother always told me, I can become whatever I want to be, no boundaries. I don’t think of myself differently based on my gender when it comes to my work,” she said.


Teri West

“The residents are the reason for us being where we are, the core of the Mission,” West said.

We asked these leaders what advice they would give to women who are seeking to grow as leaders themselves.

Morgan’s advice was simple: Keep an eye out for how you can continue to grow. “My advice is to never lose out on opportunities that can possibly exist,” she said. “See the world through a lens of opportunity, especially those unseen.”

Meanwhile, Bloder recommends focusing on completing the task at hand: “Take baby steps. Take one thing at a time, do it well, and proceed to the next item. Never let fear stop you from trying something new. And make mistakes, as [CEO] Roger Stevens says — but only new mistakes.”

Lastly, West said, “Be part of the solution to challenges. It’s easy to point at all the things that others could be, and should be, doing that they are not. You have to start with asking one simple question: ‘What can I do?’ ”

How is Westminster Communities of Florida honoring women throughout March? We look forward to sharing the final installment in this series with you soon!

Westminster Woods on Julington Creek welcomes singer-songwriter Michael Reno Harrell

JACKSONVILLE, Tuesday, February 19 – Westminster Woods on Julington Creek was pleased to welcome award winning storyteller, Michael Reno Harrell. Residents enjoyed an evening of storytelling and entertainment.

Harrell’s original songs and stories have been described as “Appalachian grit and wit.” However, his awareness is much broader than the bounds of his boyhood home or even the Southern experience. He’s traveled and toured through out the British Isles and Europe, as well as we the United States, and his collective life experiences are reflected through the songs he writes and the stories he creates insight into people’s lives that catch the ear like an old friend’s voice.

Residents laughed at the memories that his stories evoked and may have even shed a tear in sentiment of others. We were pleased to welcome Harrell with the support of the Westmister Retirement Communities Foundation, part of our Cultural Enrichment program, with the goal of enhancing the exclusive My W Life program for wellbeing of body, mind and soul, through intellectually stimulating events.

To learn how you can enjoy My W Life and the active lifestyle at Westminster Woods on Julington Creek, call us today at (877) 608-4803 or click here to contact us now.

Advocating for Those We Serve

Advocating for Those We Serve

For this year’s Leading Age Florida Legislative Days, Westminster Communities of Florida is proud to be advocates for those we serve: All older adults throughout Florida.

On Tuesday, our senior leadership and leaders from Westminster Oaks in Tallahassee were delighted to meet at the State Capitol with senators and representatives who represent our communities in the Capitol, along with some of our partners from LeadingAge Florida. We want to thank Sen. Linda Stewart of Orlando, Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto of Fort Myers, Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando and Rep. Loranne Ausley of Tallahassee for meeting with us.

During our meetings we advocated on key issues affecting older adults in Florida and in all of our communities. We discussed the following key issues for our communities:

  • Affordable housing for seniors
  • Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) regulatory reform
  • Certificate of Need process in Florida
  • Nursing home staffing modernization

From left to right: Scot Aurelius, a shareholder at Moore Stephens Lovelace; Tyler Sununu, Westminster Oaks Health Services Administrator; Shannon Sauls, Westminster Oaks Assistant Executive Director; Sen. Linda Stewart of Orlando; Garry Hennis, Chief Operating Officer; Jim Polaski, Regional VP of Operations; and Rob Matschner, a shareholder at Moore Stephens Lovelace.
From left to right: Scot Aurelius, a shareholder at Moore Stephens Lovelace; Tyler Sununu, Westminster Oaks Health Services Administrator; Shannon Sauls, Westminster Oaks Assistant Executive Director; Sen. Linda Stewart of Orlando; Garry Hennis, Chief Operating Officer; Jim Polaski, Regional VP of Operations; and Rob Matschner, a shareholder at Moore Stephens Lovelace.From left to right: Lisa Lyons, Westminster Suncoast Executive Director; Doug Feller, Village on the Isle COO; Troy Churchill, Lee FP President; Robert Gall, H.J. Sims Senior Vice President; Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto of Fort Myers; Lynn Gordon, Erickson Living Director of Regulatory Affairs; and Scott Bridgman, CliftonLarsonAllen Principal.
From left to right: Lisa Lyons, Westminster Suncoast Executive Director; Doug Feller, Village on the Isle COO; Troy Churchill, Lee FP President; Robert Gall, H.J. Sims Senior Vice President; Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto of Fort Myers; Lynn Gordon, Erickson Living Director of Regulatory Affairs; and Scott Bridgman, CliftonLarsonAllen Principal.From left to right: Sununu, Matschner, Sauls, Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando, Hennis and Polaski.
From left to right: Sununu, Matschner, Sauls, Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando, Hennis and Polaski.From left to right: Sauls, Sununu, Polaski, Rep. Loranne Ausley of Tallahassee, Matschner, Aurelius and Hennis.
From left to right: Sauls, Sununu, Polaski, Rep. Loranne Ausley of Tallahassee, Matschner, Aurelius and Hennis.

Westminster Communities of Florida appreciates the opportunity to meet with Sens. Stewart and Benacquisto and Reps. Eskamani and Ausley, and to discuss these issues of importance to seniors throughout Florida.

‘Blessed With Another Beautiful Day’: More Than 300 Older Adults Enjoy Active Living at 5th Annual Westminster Games

At Eckerd College, more than 300 senior residents from Westminster Communities of Florida’s 10 communities enjoyed fun in the sun with outdoor festivities, games and fitness opportunities

ST. PETERSBURG, February 15, 2019 – With outdoor lawn games, live music and dancing, the Fifth Annual Westminster Games kicked off in the sunshine on Friday afternoon on the sunny campus of Eckerd College. More than 300 residents from around Westminster Communities of Florida, around the Tampa Bay area and throughout the state, came to enjoy a competition of outdoor lawn games and a group line dance by the residents. At the end of the day, their objective was to have fun in the great outdoors!

The Westminster Games showcase Westminster Communities of Florida’s active lifestyle, featuring their exclusive My W Life program for wellbeing of body, mind and soul. Residents enjoyed a fun and active experience today with the support of Eckerd College students and faculty, plus live music and dancing. Eckerd College students helped to put on the games and tabulate the scores, for inter-generational opportunities to learn more about seniors and their interests.

Attendees competed as teams by community in a variety of games to celebrate active living and wellbeing for seniors. The games included horseshoes, ring toss, corn hole and more.

Games-2019-Dancing Games-2019-Lunch

At left, residents and staff enjoy a themed line dancing, including Pharrell Williams’s “Happy.” At right, lunch provided by Westminster Suncoast, including three sandwich choices: smoked brisket, chicken salad, and eggplant and provolone.

Mario DeLuca, Westminster Communities of Florida Director of Resident Experience, celebrated the day’s intent. “God has blessed us with another beautiful day!” DeLuca said. “All 10 of our communities are here to celebrate active living with us today. Let’s all have fun!”

Eckerd College student body President Marissa Bradley offered a warm welcome to attendees on behalf of Eckerd. “I admire the relationship that Eckerd College has formed with Westminster,” Bradley said. “It has enhanced both the lives of Eckerd students and Westminster residents alike. I speak for all the Eckerd students when I say that we are honored to host you again, and I hope you have a great time!”

After a prayer led by Eckerd College chaplain Doug McMahon, the games kicked off. Several hundred residents competed in teams to see which community would come away with the prize of first place.

In the end, Westminster Point Pleasant, in Bradenton, came in first place for this year’s Westminster Games. They were followed by second place to Westminster Manor, also in Bradenton, and St. Petersburg’s Westminster Suncoast in third place.

“There are winners, but there are no losers!” said Jim Polaski, Regional Vice President of Operations for Westminster Communities of Florida. “I hope everyone had an amazing time! Thank you all very much for coming to the Fifth Annual Westminster Games. Have a great weekend!”

Westminster Communities of Florida, the state’s largest not-for-profit provider of active senior living, emphasizes whole-person wellbeing for its older adult residents. With communities in Bradenton, Jacksonville, Orlando, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee and Winter Park, the organization serves more than 7,000 residents statewide with a lifestyle featuring active living, wellness and lifelong learning.

Throughout March, We’re Celebrating Women in Leadership (Part II)

Throughout Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting the contributions of women in leadership roles in our organization. We are fortunate to have countless team members who exemplify our Mission of service. Today, we interview two leaders who put our faith-based Mission at the core of their service to our organization. As Saint Mother Teresa said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.”

Along with every American, throughout March we will be commemorating Women’s History Month. Read Part I and learn about how our service to the residents comes first

Rev. Jan Banker
The Rev. Jan Banker

“I’m a mother to four daughters — no sons – and entered a profession that was off limits to women for centuries, so I have a deep sensitivity to challenges women face in the workforce from multiple sources,” said the Rev. Jan Banker, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and chaplain at Westminster Shores in St. Petersburg. “When I first joined the organization, I wanted a new experience other than serving in a local congregation that would build on my passions and also utilize my gifts and experience. I highly valued working for a church-related organization that considered chaplains important enough to make sure each of their communities employs one. I was drawn by the size and diversity of the staff which makes for a work environment that stimulates and broadens my horizons in ways most local churches cannot.”

Being from the first generation of Presbyterian women to graduate from seminary, Rev. Banker said, “Many of us struggled to get ordained and receive calls to congregations. The stained-glass ceiling–as we clergy women call it–was pressing down on me from the very start.” But, she adds, “I’ve found more parity, support and acceptance at Westminster Communities of Florida.”

An organization with a Mission inspired by the Bible has served other leaders in our organization well. Our CEO, Roger Stevens, assigns new leaders the Book of Proverbs, and encourages them to follow a path of ethical and moral leadership.

Suzanne-Barnes
Suzanne Barnes, AIA

“I completely agree with biblical principles that support our Mission,” said Suzanne Barnes, Director of Design in our Management Services office. She quotes Psalm 127:1 as her inspiration: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

Barnes, an architect, found her career come full circle when she first came to work for our organization. She holds a certificate in gerontology, along with a master’s degree in architecture, and she did her master’s thesis on design for senior living with the support of a Bradenton physician, Dr. Richard Conard. One of the communities she visited as part of her research would later become part of the family of Westminster Communities of Florida: Westminster Point Pleasant.

“I feel a blessing that Westminster offers is the network throughout the state of quality projects at varied levels, with caring colleagues and administrators who take time to handwrite heartfelt cards several times a year,” Barnes said. “I personally feel that my role as a leader is to be a steward and ambassador of our design resources and to make our office an oasis to challenge and dream about better ways to implement successful designs.”

Barnes describes working in senior living design as her “dream job,” and was recently interviewed about her experiences by the Wall Street Journal. Read more about her career and her experience as Director of Design there.

Why, to a leader who is inspired by our Mission and her faith, is it important to have leadership that consists of both men and women? Rev. Banker said that isn’t just good for our organization operationally; it’s also good for the organization spiritually. “Since we are church-related and have a theology that God created male and female in the divine image, we must have women in leadership, including at the very top tiers,” she said.

What are the ways in which we can honor women this month? We look forward to sharing the next installment in this series with you soon.

For Women’s History Month, We Celebrate Women in Leadership (Part I)

Today is International Women’s Day, and Westminster Communities of Florida is pleased to highlight the contributions of women to organizations like ours all around the world. We are honored that their work makes our organization stronger – as former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor said, “Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability.”

Along with every American, throughout March we will be commemorating Women’s History Month.

Our organization is fortunate to have a Mission at the core of what we do. Westminster Communities of Florida is far more than a family of not-for-profit, faith-based senior living communities. We’re also 2,700 employees who touch lives through service every day. We are fortunate to have countless women serving our organization, as CNAs and nurses, chefs and servers, maintenance techs and housekeepers.

All throughout March, we celebrate the contributions of women in leadership to our organization. We’re proud to stand out on women’s contributions in leadership roles, including our vice presidents, executive directors, health services administrators, directors of nursing and more. Their experiences tell a story, one of dedication to the Mission of serving our residents first and foremost and to the belief that women and men make an equal contribution to the workplace.

Amanda-Birch
Amanda Birch

“Having women in key leadership roles strengthens an organization by providing diversity and balance. Not-for-profit organizations tend to be an organic, natural fit for women as we seek meaningful purpose-filled work,” said Amanda Birch, Regional Director of Operations for Northeast Florida.

Birch has been the Executive Director at Westminster Woods on Julington Creek for four years. She said that when she first came to the community, many residents were surprised to note that she was the first female executive director dating back to 1964. At the same time, she has not felt that being a woman was an impediment.

Another leader at Westminster Communities of Florida, Alexandra Piriz Mookerjee, sees the presence of so many women in leadership roles as providing a clear signal of the organization’s commitment to development and growth. “I believe our organization can only truly excel when all its employees are given a fair chance of success and a dream team to look up to,” said Mookerjee, who is the Regional Director of Rental Retirement Communities and also Administrator at Magnolia Towers in downtown Orlando. “The make-up of our leadership team is inspiring. Look at the number of executive directors and RRC administrators who are female. Just being able to see those achievements helps to make all those coming up know that it is possible to grow.”

Piriz Mookerjee
Alexandra Piriz Mookerjee

Their experiences show the opportunities for leadership growth at our organization.

Birch was promoted to the role of Regional Director of Operations, and has been serving as the chairwoman of the Residential Living Technology Guiding Coalition. In addition, she is the Management Support Services Employee of the Year for 2018, in recognition of her outstanding contributions of service during times of duress at other communities.

Meanwhile, Mookerjee wears two hats routinely, serving the residents of Magnolia Towers and supporting our other Central Florida Rental Retirement Communities. She is inspired to serve by the Mission, which she finds an integral part to her work: “I have helped hurricane refugees find a home, I have helped homeless veterans move into their first home, I have helped new front-line staff grow in their careers and advance to the next stage, I have supported families through the worst moment of their lives finding out their loved-ones have passed – those moments inspire me each day.”

The most important part of how our organization has supported growth in leadership, Birch said, has been the opportunity to learn from failures as much as successes. “Knowing that you can make a mistake, learn from it and continue to grow is an important part of development,” she said. “Not being fearful of mistakes supports that philosophy.”

We asked for their advice to women trying to make it as leaders, at any organization. Birch said, “I would recommend that women boast about their achievements, yet check their ego at the door… If I want it, I go after it and know that I have just as much of a chance as a person of the opposite gender.”

Mookerjee added, “I believe we all need someone in our corner but we also need to believe in each other. It is not always easy to believe in ourselves, but if we believe in others, in the goodness and strength of the greater good, then we can all do amazing things.”

At the end of the day, “We are honored to serve our residents and those staff who work for me, with me and who I work for: Making a difference in their lives, making each day a bit better,” Mookerjee said.

Stay tuned to be inspired all throughout March, as we honor the role of women in leading our organization and touching lives through service.

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