Editor’s Note: McKnight’s Senior Living, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Home Care are profiling the McKnight’s 2025 Women of Distinction honorees daily through Aug. 18. For additional McKnight’s Women of Distinction content, visit this page.

Throughout her tenure as senior director of home-based care services at the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society in Sioux Falls, SD, Cassie Zielke has matched her ability to drive operational excellence with a proclivity for compassionate care. For that work, she was named a Rising Star in the 2025 McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards program.

Zielke began her career as a clinic nurse trainer for Altru Health System in Grand Forks, ND, and later spent time as a case manager at Sanford Health, which affiliated with Good Samaritan in 2019. Her first foray into home-based care was as a director for Ethos, a startup specializing in home health and hospice services. After almost a decade in leadership at Ethos, she joined Good Samaritan to oversee home health, private-duty home care, hospice and palliative services across four states.

Colleagues of Zielke know her as a steadfast and thoughtful leader, saying that she has played a critical role in guiding Good Samaritan’s home health teams through a comprehensive retraining initiative. Her ability to communicate clearly, professionally and efficiently, paired with her empathetic and person-centered leadership approach, helped transform the monthslong process into an indispensable growth opportunity.

“Cassie exemplifies the qualities of a compassionate, innovative and impactful leader,” one colleague said. “She is deeply committed to supporting home health and hospice patients during some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives. Her work consistently transforms lives — not just for the patients she serves, but for their families and entire communities.”

Zielke’s leadership was on display when she helped reunite a pediatric patient with her family after nearly a year in hospital care. This patient, a newborn baby girl, had complex care needs that caused enormous strain for her parents and family. Zielke orchestrated a comprehensive staffing and home healthcare game plan that led to her eventual healthy discharge.

Her impact on Good Samaritan Society’s day-to-day operations also is significant, according to colleagues. Zielke has developed music and massage therapy programming to enrich the lives of hospice patients, overseen the launch of a new electronic medical records system and spearheaded philanthropic efforts that enhance both the personal lives and clinical outcomes of Good Samaritan clients.

“Her ability to connect with families, advocate on their behalf, and deliver person-centered care sets her apart as a rising leader in the senior care and home health fields,” her nominator said. “Her leadership will continue to shape the future of home-based services for years to come.”

The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Senior Living, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Home Care. Healthcare Services Group was the Platinum sponsor of this year’s festivities, and PharMerica was the Silver sponsor. Additional sponsors included Affinity Health Services, Curana Health, DirecTV for Business, EasyShifts, Guardian Pharmacy Services, Marquis Health Consulting Services, Priority Life Care, Reliant Rehabilitation, Reside Admissions and Sentrics.

Visit this web page to see lists of honorees from 2025 and previous years.