Fifteen women working in senior living, skilled nursing or home care are being announced today as Rising Stars and will be feted May 13 as part of the seventh annual McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards.

“These women made an impression on the judges due to the impact they have been able to make so early in their long-term care careers,” said McKnight’s Editorial Director, Vice President and Associate Publisher John O’Connor. “We’re excited to be able to call deserved attention to their contributions, and we look forward to honoring these Rising Stars in person.”

The program is a joint effort of McKnight’s Senior Living and sister media brands McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Home Care.

The Rising Star awards category honors women who are either 40 or younger or have fewer than 15 years of experience in their respective careers. All have demonstrated an exceptional commitment at the community, facility, agency or corporate level.

The 15 Rising Stars in the McKnight’s Women of Distinction class of 2025 are:

, Director of Nursing, Clement Manor, Greenfield, WI

, Director of Marketing, Touchmark, Beaverton, OR

, Director of Sales and Marketing, Bayview, Seattle

, Regional Vice President of Operations, Commonwealth Senior Living, Charlottesville, VA

, Head of Quality and Clinical Development, The Key, La Jolla, CA

, Director of Data Analytics, Alden Management Services, Chicago

, Vice President of Operations, The Springs Living, McMinnville, OR

, Administrator, Pleasant Valley Nursing and Rehab Center, Derry, NH

, Administrator, Alden Estates of Shorewood, Shorewood, IL

, President, Wingate Living, Newton, MA

, Administrator, Quail Ridge Living Center, Colcord, OK

, CEO/Administrator, SMP Health – Ave Maria, Jamestown, ND

, Senior Administrator, Legacy Healthcare, Clear Lake, IA

, Senior Vice President of Therapy, Ignite Medical Resorts, Park Ridge, IL

, Senior Director, Home-Based Services, The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, Sioux Falls, SD

The McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards program is judged by a national, independent panel of judges.

Once again, a Veteran VIP category will recognize women with at least 15 years of experience who are making an impact on the senior living, skilled nursing or home care fields, and a Hall of Honor category will recognize women who are at a level equivalent to vice president or higher and who have had a significant effect on their organization or industry. The 2025 Veteran VIPs will be announced Wednesday, and the Hall of Honor inductees will be announced Thursday. Winners of the Spirit Award, recognizing inspiring women who provide care and services, will be announced Friday.

The 2025 program, as in years past, also will bestow a Lifetime Achievement Award; that recipient will be announced at a later date, as will the recipients of an award new to the program this year, the Commercial Excellence Award. That category recognizes women working at vendor companies that provide products or services to senior living, skilled nursing or home care providers.

All of this year’s honorees will be celebrated Tuesday, May 13, during an in-person cocktail reception, dinner and awards presentation at the JW Marriott in Chicago. The bestowing of awards will be preceded by the sixth annual McKnight’s Women of Distinction Forum, offering educational sessions featuring industry thought leaders discussing important topics. All events are open to the entire long-term care industry, including Women of Distinction award winners, family members and friends of winners, and anyone else interested in attending.

For more information about the event, including how to obtain tickets, visit https://www.mcknightswomenofdistinction.com/. Those with questions can contact Anna Naumoski, associate director of events at the parent company of the McKnight’s brands, Haymarket Media, at [email protected].

Keep up to date with McKnight’s Women of Distinction news on the McKnight’s Senior Living website. See a list of previously honored women by year and category on the McKnight’s Senior Living website or an alphabetical list by category at mcknightswomenofdistinction.com (click on “Past Honorees” at the top of the page).

Healthcare Services Group is the Platinum sponsor of this year’s event, and PharMerica is the Silver sponsor. Additional sponsors include Curana Health, DirecTV for Business, EasyShifts, Guardian Pharmacy Services, Priority Life Care and Sentrics.