Cean C. Eppelheimer

Training & Organizational Development Specialist
BS, Michigan State University
Certified Eden Associate
Eden Educator and Eden Mentor
Nursing Home Administrator Certificate

Cean came to PHI with an extensive resume in culture change initiatives, and has brought valuable expertise to the team in helping organizations strategically plan for change. As Training Coordinator and Trainer for BEAM (Bringing the Eden Alternative to the Midwest), and Vice President of Culture Transformation at Trinity Senior Living Communities, she worked closely with administrators, front-line staff, residents, family members, and the larger community to improve the quality of care and quality of life for those living in nursing homes.

As part of the PHI Training & Organizational Development Team, Cean brings particular expertise in:

• Culture assessment
• Strategic planning
• Model creation
• Training and facilitation
• Implementation consulting

What I love about my work…

I was the kid who brought home every wayward critter — baby birds, kittens, bunnies, turtles — and felt deeply the injustice involved in whatever natural, human, or cosmic forces that had abused or abandoned them.

As an adult, my work with PHI is very much the natural extension of those early sensibilities. Giving voice to the unheard, undervalued, and disenfranchised segments of our society — such as elders, caregivers, and people living with disabilities — is one aspect of what I love about my work. But being directly involved in helping people find their voice, and then use it to improve their lives and relationships, is what is ultimately most rewarding.

Recent projects

• Trinity Senior Living Communities. In conjunction with management staff, created a culture “model” to serve as a guide, followed by customized curriculum development and training to implement the “Sanctuary Model” of care.
• Sisters of Mercy. In conjunction with management staff, created a culture “model,” followed by customized curriculum development and training to implement the “Mercy Eldercare Model” of care.
• Epworth Villa. Performed a comprehensive culture assessment and recommendations for this Oklahoma City Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC).

Key Accomplishments

• “Successful Edenization through Education: Suggestions for encouraging long-term care staff to embrace the change of the Eden Alternative.” Nursing Homes/Long Term Care Management, March 2004. Co-author with Jack Steiner and Marla DeVries.
• Speaker and workshop facilitator at AAHSA, MAHSA, and Trinity Health conferences and events.

And when Cean’s not working for change…

I love being at home with my family, living close to nature and enjoying my small farm and gardens. This is the core of my life, from which I enjoy venturing from — but to which I always long to return.

At left: Cean, with her favorite hen!

Helen Kathleen McCollett

Organizational Culture Change Specialist
BS, Granite State College

Kathy came to PHI after eleven years as a social worker, manager, and assistant to the director of nursing at The Edgewood Centre, a 156-bed nursing home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Over the course of her work at Edgewood, she became a great champion of the culture change movement, eventually becoming involved with the PHI Northern New England LEADS Institute in 2005.

This three-year initiative provided training, technical assistance, and cross-learning opportunities among twelve provider partners in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. As the lead contact at one of these sites, Kathy was ideally suited to introduce and integrate the unique set of individual, team, and organizational management skills that are at the core of PHI training programs, with the aim of creating truly person-centered care.

Now part of the PHI Training and Organizational Development team, Kathy brings an extremely valuable perspective to our work. Her commitment to culture change, innate training and planning skills, and first-hand knowledge of the opportunities and challenges that culture change initiatives present for eldercare/disability services organizations, make her tremendously effective with our clients who are just starting their culture change journey, as well as those who are well on their way.

Kathy brings particular expertise in:

• Training and facilitation: PHI Coaching Supervison, PHI Peer Mentoring, and PHI Leadership Development programs
• Culture change initiative planning and implementation
• Organizational needs assessment (as it relates to long-term care and culture change)
• Executive coaching

What I love about my work…

There is nothing more rewarding than witnessing the personal growth of those I train and coach, and how this translates almost seamlessly into real, measurable organizational change. PHI training is designed so that participants can practice and integrate a range of basic communication skills that lead to enhanced self-awareness and self-management. This leads to stronger and healthier relationships with peers, supervisors, and clients, and ultimately to a stronger and healthier organization as a whole. To be a part of this process is a gift.

Recent projects

• Primary site liaison for the PHI Center for Coaching Supervision and Leadership at:
  • Community Health & Hospice, Laconia, New Hampshire
  • Partners Home Care, Waltham, Massachusetts
  • Loretto: Cunningham/Fahey, Syracuse, NY
• Primary site liaison for the PHI Northern New England LEADS Institute at:
  • The Edgewood Centre, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
  • Home Care for Maine, Farmingdale, Maine

  This work involves the assessment and documentation of organizational needs, facilitation of several Train-the-Trainer programs, design and facilitation Executive Leadership Development programs, and the facilitation of Coaching Supervision programs and Peer Mentoring programs.

• Providing technical assistance and training through the Commonwealth Corporation [http://www.commcorp.org/ ] and the Extended Care Career Ladder Initiative (ECCLI) [http://www.commcorp.org/eccli/index.html ] in Massachusetts.

Key Accomplishments

• Speaker and workshop facilitator at the Commonwealth Corporation’s Extended Career Ladder Initiative (ECCLI) events in Boston, Springfield, and Berkshire Massachusetts.
• Speaker and workshop facilitator at the Pioneer Network Annual Conference, 2009.

And when Kathy’s not working for change…

I love living with my family in rural New Hampshire, and enjoy gardening and landscaping throughout the year. I also enjoy creative writing, and am an avid student of the Bible.

At left: Kathy in her garden.

Kate Waldo

Organizational Culture Change Specialist
Coursework in secondary education, Appalachian State University
BS, Western Carolina University
CTRS, Certified by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation

While Kate’s professional training as a recreational therapist informed her early professional career as a program assistant at Thoms Rehabilitation Hospital/CarePartners, as a therapeutic recreation specialist at the Walter B. Jones Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center, and as the director of recreational therapy and an assistant administrator at Neville Manor Skilled Nursing Facility, these experiences also had a profound impact on her perceptions of the long-term care system. Early on she could see how the system itself could either facilitate or negate the outcomes it hoped to achieve. She also clearly recognized the connection between the quality of care that people received and the quality of jobs for those who worked most closely with her clients.

Kate brings her deep and abiding passion for transforming the culture of eldercare/disability services — by creating organizations and systems of care that are responsive to the needs of both the client and the worker — to the PHI training and organizational development team. She also brings her clients particular expertise in the following areas:

• Organizational culture assessment and planning
• Household and Small Home models of care
• PHI Coaching Supervision
• PHI Peer Mentoring
• Dementia care training
• Customized curriculum development
• Activity programming
• Recreational therapy
• Executive coaching

What I love about my work

I was raised in a large and close-knit family in rural North Carolina, and thrived in the daily contact I had with my grandparents and great grandparents throughout my childhood. In my work today, I think of them often, and am acutely aware that my work involves a very fundamental value, and one that I hold very close to my heart: I believe that everyone — for the entirety of their lives — deserves to live with dignity and with the opportunities and support they need to explore and celebrate their full capacity as human beings.

I know that at PHI, in my work with my clients, we are actually taking some of the steps necessary to fulfill that vision. When an organization makes the essential link — between the quality of care that elders and people with disabilities receive and the quality of the direct-care job for the workers who care for them — some truly remarkable things start to happen. Being a part of that transformation is extremely satisfying.

Recent Projects

• GREEN HOUSE® Project, NCB Capital Impact. Lead site liaison and trainer for preparing NCB staff to teach three core GREEN HOUSE curricula: The Coaching Approach to Leading Change, Coaching Supervision for Guides, and The Coaching Approach to Partnership. Developed and delivered additional booster sessions at the GREEN HOUSE Annual Conferences in St. Louis, Missouri; and Kansas City, Missouri.
• PHI Center for Coaching Supervision and Leadership. Lead trainer and site liaison responsibilities to help build and strengthen the internal capacity of PHI trainers, and in-house trainers at client organizations, to deliver the PHI Coaching Supervision and the Coaching Approach for Peer Communication programs. Also provided onsite technical assistance for integrating the implementation of coaching into the client organization’s culture.
• PHI Northern New England LEADS initiative. Supported 12 nursing homes and home care agencies in improving the quality of life and quality of care for consumers while improving the quality of direct-care jobs. Over three years, assisted these organizations in orchestrating effective public policy initiatives, as well as implementing person-centered caregiving practices, peer mentoring, and coaching supervision.
• Extended Care Career Ladder Initiative (ECCLI). As a part of ECCLI in Massachusetts, provided training and technical assistance to participating long-term care providers, including the development and delivery of customized curricula on Peer Mentoring and A Coaching Approach to Dementia Services.

Key Accomplishments

• Facilitator, Conference Call series. “Activities Training for Adult Day Programs,” Vermont Better Jobs Better Care Grant, April-May 2006.
• Speaker, MassCap Annual Conference, October 2006
• Speaker, “A Map Through the Maze Conference” — MA/NH Alzheimer’s Association, May 2007
• Speaker and Workshop Facilitator, Pioneer Network Annual Conference, August 2007
• Presentator, NCCNHR: The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care Annual Meeting and Conference, October 2007
• Speaker, Quality of Life Seminar, New Hampshire Health Care Association, February 2009

And when Kate’s not working for change…

I love to kayak, hike, camp, and do almost anything outdoors. There is nothing more peaceful and restorative for me than being out in the wilderness sitting next to a small campfire on a beautiful evening with no one in sight! I also love music of all kinds. I play the bass (poorly), and am learning to play the mandolin. I am blessed with a close extended family, and also the companionship of my beautiful Chocolate Lab, Tannin, who goes with me (almost) everywhere.

Above: Kate, with her faithful companion Tannin, camping in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Makeeda Womack Holley

Program Manager
BSW, Temple University
MS, New School

Makeeda brings all of her administrative, management, and logistical skills to support the entire Training and Organizational Development team, as well as to our clients. She came to PHI after several years working as a case manager with homeless families in Philadelphia, and then with Seedco, connecting low-income individuals to community resources and benefits.

What I love about my work…

I have always been committed to social justice issues and advocacy. In my role at PHI, I help keep the entire training staff prepared and ready to go, as well as assisting our clients with the materials and information they need to meet their goals. I love the feeling of being part of a team, particularly a team that is equipping individuals and organizations with the skills they need to be more effective and successful.

And when Makeeda’s not working for change…

I greatly enjoy time with my family, as well as reading, writing, and spur-of-the-moment weekend trips!

At left: Makeeda with her husband, Marc, in Nantucket.

MariaElena Del Valle

New York Training Manager
BA, College of Mt. Saint Vincent

MariaElena has a story to tell, and she wants to hear yours as well. From her earliest experiences as an elementary school teacher, social worker, and training and organizational development consultant, she was always inspired by the transformative power of each person’s story, and how key one’s experiences are to shaping our sense of ourselves and the world.

In her current position at PHI, she brings her training skills, great enthusiasm, and generous spirit to each client setting, and is also often asked to organize and facilitate large coalition gatherings or training sessions.
MariaElena’s particular expertise lies in helping the individuals with whom she works to open their minds and hearts to new possibilities — not only in a workplace, but in their personal lives as well. She also brings client organizations expertise in the following areas:

• Design and delivery of workshops in:
  • Coaching Supervision
  • Team Building
  • Creating a Respectful Work Environment
  • Leadership Training for Direct-Care Workers
  • Understanding Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
  • Rhythmic Medicine
  • Integrating the imagination and the arts into training program development
• Large event planning and facilitation

What I love about my work…

What I love about my work at PHI is that I have the opportunity to address these issues directly, and at the most basic and seminal levels, through my training experiences with direct-care workers, supervisors, and administrators in the eldercare/disability services industry.

Assisting individuals in finding their voice, and teaching them the skills necessary to use it appropriately and effectively, is transformative for the individual as well as the entire organization. For me, I feel that my work is essentially about restoring and revitalizing the human spirit. It has been a privilege to explore — with my colleagues and with those I work with — the infinite possibilities that can flow from that process.

Recent Projects

• Partners in Care. Primary site liaison working with the executive team, in-house trainers, and cross-functional teams to implement Coaching Supervision throughout the organization.
• Independence Care System. Primary site liaison working with the executive team, director of training, and organizational development team in developing and delivering the following workshops:
  • Coaching Supervision
  • Facilitation Skills
  • Understanding Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
• 7th Annual Lillian & James Portman Conference November 10th 2008, Livonia Michigan. Designed and delivered the multimedia opening plenary session
• Spotlighting The Direct Care Workforce, May 13 and 14, 2009, Houston Texas. Sponsored by Care for Elders. Workshop leader/facilitator presenting Introduction to Coaching Supervision.

And when MariaElena’s not working for change…

I love traveling, music, dancing, theater… and being quiet with myself on a sunny beach at sunset, listening to the sea.

Maureen Sheahan

Midwest Training & Organizational Development Specialist
BA, Wayne State University
Graduate Course Work, Wayne State University

After seven years managing small progressive businesses in Michigan, Maureen realized that just having one’s heart in the right place wasn’t enough. The development of core communication and leadership skills was also essential to making any work place more effective, and, she realized, these skills could be taught and learned. This awareness eventually launched her career as an educator, facilitator, and consultant, primarily helping workplaces of all sizes change from the traditional hierarchical labor-management dynamic, to more participatory and team-oriented practices.

With a strong practical background in the implementation of “Total Quality Management” (TQM), QS 9000 standards, lean systems, and self-directed teams, Maureen was able to bring all of the training skills and labor relations experience she had developed in manufacturing and health care settings to her position at PHI.

Though whatever work she is focused on is the best in the moment, Maureen most enjoys facilitating groups to make the “tough dialogue” possible that can resolve organizational challenges and create strategic plans. She also brings client organizations expertise in the following areas:

• Supporting labor-management partnerships to create high- performance workplaces.
• Developing participatory processes that support the bottom-line effectiveness of self-directed teams and person-centered care.
• Generating across-the-workforce confidence in both group and individual problem-solving skills.
• Curriculum development and training program design.
• Delivering PHI’s “Consumers as Employers” Train-the-Trainer Programs.
• Strategic planning and leadership development.

What I love about my work…

I have been an activist throughout my adult life working on several social justice fronts, including enhancing workers’ voices in the decisions that impact them. In my current work to help people at all levels of a long-term care organization learn new communication skills — how to speak constructively and listen openly — I know that am participating in positive change at the very deepest levels.

In teaching these skills using adult learner centered approaches, I have the privilege of watching people grow and change, both personally and professionally, and am also continuously enhancing my own learning and personal growth. There are few endeavors that I can think of where the rewards are this concrete and inspiring.

Recent projects

• Presenting train-the-trainer programs for consumer peer mentors at the Michigan Quality Community Care Council (Michigan’s public authority) and for consumer/agency staff partners for the Michigan Department of Community Health. Both programs support consumers in employing and supervising personal care staff.
• Developing workshops for direct-care workers, including:
  • “Speaking Up for Yourself and Individuals in Your Care,” for the Lillian and James Portman Conference.
  • “Communications for a More Supportive Workplace,” for employees of Adult Well Being Services, at its adult day care center in Detroit, Michigan.
• Participating in the development and piloting of the “Adult Abuse and Neglect Prevention” curriculum, a training program for direct-care staff and supervisors that was created under a CMS-funded grant to the Michigan Department of Community Health.
• NW Michigan Council of Government’s Healthcare Regional Skills Alliance (RSA). Providing training in coaching supervision, team-building, and communication to front-line staff at participating employer locations in an initiative to provide workers with advanced specialty designation in home health care as well as dementia and end-of-life care.

Key Accomplishments

• OPEN: Opportunity Partnership & Empowerment Network. A Case Study of an Effective Employee Retention Project. Author of a case study for The Health Field Collaborative of Grand Rapids, Michigan, chronicling the development of a collaborative strategy to recruit, retain, and advance employees in health care.
• 12 Steps for Creating a Culture of Retention: A Workbook for Home and Community-Based Long-Term Care Providers. Lead author in a comprehensive workbook to help Pennsylvania long-term care employers address the needs of its direct-care workforce.
• Served as the education advisor from 1985 – 1989, for UAW-Ford Joint Programs.
• Launched the Labor-Management Council for Economic Renewal, a nonprofit membership organization providing training and consulting services to businesses and union members for over ten years. During that time, Maureen wrote: “A Labor-Management Guide to Successfully Implementing QS-9000.”
• Served as the national coordinator for The Coalition of Kaiser-Permanente Unions on projects to merge thousands of regional paper and electronic forms and processes into a single, integrated electronic medical record, and to transform human resources into a shared services organization.

And when Maureen’s not working for change…

I love reading, traveling, playing softball, enjoying great food and music with friends and my husband, as well as biking and rollerblading.

At left: Teammates Al, Maureen (“Mo”), and Jesse play for the Reds in Detroit, Michigan.

P. Afeefa Murray

Coaching and Organizational Development Specialist
BS, Temple University

Throughout her career, Afeefa has worked as an educator and manager, providing program leadership for people working with socially challenged populations. For more than 13 years, she has worked in long-term care settings, teaching coaching supervision techniques to staff at all levels in residential care settings.

Also, as the Workforce Training Director for District 1199C National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees, (NUHHCE) she developed and managed a model welfare-to-work program, providing training in the areas of life skills, job readiness, and clinical skills, as well as job placement and retention services to welfare recipients transitioning to work as CNAs. With additional experience as the Director of Training at Home Care Associates, where she guided the home health aide training program, customer service training program, and the peer mentoring program, Afeefa brings a wealth of management and organizational development expertise to our training team.

Afeefa brings particular expertise in:

• Training leadership and coaching
• Workforce development and retention strategies
• Training program design and delivery
• Event planning and delivery
• Curriculum development
• Organizational assessment
• Conflict resolution/mediation

What I love about my work…

From a very early age, I could see how challenging life could be for low-income workers, particularly single women with children, and how the cycle of poverty worked. Through my work with the NUHHCE and Home Care Associates and PHI, I know I am making a difference in the lives of direct-care workers — most of them low-income women — by providing not only a pathway to a career in health care, but also to acquiring the relational skills that can lead to job success and life success.

Recent Projects

• Genesis Health Care – Central Region. Facilitated a series of Introduction to Coaching Supervision workshops, training over 120 managers, administrators, nurses, and regional support personnel throughout the Philadelphia, PA area and New Jersey.
• Air Force Village, San Antonio Texas. Assisted in the planning and creation of a more person-centered household model of care at a large, two campus, continuing care retirement community.
• Village Center for Care of New York. Adapted the Coaching Supervision curriculum to train staff at a new short-stay nursing home unit. Also trained staff in coaching techniques to help empower residents and prepare them both clinically and psychologically for community living.

Key Accomplishments

• Member, PA Culture Change Accord Planning Committee.
• Member of the advisory team to create the trainers guide for “The Coaching Approach,” a video resource to accompany the Coaching Supervision introductory curriculum.

And when Afeefa’s not working for change…

I enjoy sewing, jewelry making, and other crafts, as well as being an avid swimmer, canoer, kayaker, scuba diver, and snorkeler. I take great pleasure in pursuing new learning and travel opportunities whenever I can, and connecting with people, places, and ideas along the way.

Patricia L. Hillebrand

Training and Organizational Development Specialist
BS, St. Joseph College
RN, Temple University
MED, Pennsylvania State University

After 10 years as the Administrator of a two-county mental health/mental retardation program, and 20 years as a Vice President of Patient Care Services in three hospital systems in Pennsylvania, Patricia brings a wealth of administrative experience in the wider health care system to our training and organizational development work in eldercare/disability services.

Patricia brings particular expertise in:

• Nursing leadership
• Culture change initiative planning and implementation
• Organizational needs assessment
• Executive coaching

What I love about my work…

While I’ve spent much of my professional career in health care administration, teaching has always been a personal passion. Through my work at PHI, I am able to observe the excitement and personal transformation that occurs when an individual begins to grasp and use new communication skills in their professional and personal life. By witnessing how these new skills are applied in the workplace, I can see how essential they are to real organizational change. Being a part of this process is enormously satisfying.

Recent Projects

• Primary site liaison for the PHI Center for Coaching Supervision and Leadership at the VNA of Indiana County [http://www.vnaindianacounty.com/homeflsh.htm], a home health care agency in western Pennsylvania.This two-year project has involved the initial assessment and documentation of organizational needs, facilitation of several PHI Coaching Supervision seminars and The Coaching Approach to Communication Training for nursing staff, the design and implementation of Leadership Development programs, cross-functional team training, and a train-the-trainer program to facilitate ongoing skill development.
• Introduced PHI Coaching Supervision at:
  • The School of Nursing at Sharon Regional Health System, Sharon, PA
  • Indiana County Technology Center, LPN Program, Indiana, PA
  • Marywood University, Masters in Nursing Program, nursing faculty, Scranton, PA
• Responsible for the submission of the application to the American Nurses Credentialing Center to obtain provider status for the provision of continuing education credits for PHI training programs offered to nurses across the country.

Key Accomplishments

• How Competent Need a Surrogate Be? — An Ethics Casebook for Community Hospitals. Georgetown University Press, 1999 (Case #9).
• Restructuring a Nursing Organization: A Vision to Meet the 21st Century Challenge. A Series on Nursing Administration. Vol. 7, March, 1995.
• “Strategic Planning: A Road Map to the Future.” Nursing Management, Vol 25, No. 1 January 1994.
• Dorison Award for Creative Energy, Hospital Association of Pennsylvania, Health Planning Connection, 1994.
• Fellow, The American College of Healthcare Executives, 1994.
• Clinical Specialist in Adult Mental Health Nursing, American Nursing Credentialing Center. 1988 – 2004.

And when Patricia’s not working for change…

I enjoy being with my family. I have three wonderful sons and 7 beautiful grandchildren. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for over forty years, and truly believe in the world of possibilities.

At left: Pat, with her husband and sons.

Renya Larson

Training & Organizational Development Specialist
BA, Brown University, magna cum laude
MA, New York University
Geriatric Scholar Certificate, Consortium of New York Geriatric Education Centers

Renya has worked with groups of all ages in a wide variety of community settings as a trainer, facilitator and consultant. She is a self-described optimist who believes that people who learn to work together can achieve almost any goal.

Before coming to PHI, her professional experience as Education Manager for the Department of Training and Organizational Development at Continuum Health Partners in New York City, and as Associate Director of the National Center for Creative Aging established her capacity and talent for working with individuals at all levels of an organization to design and facilitate programs to enhance the quality of care for consumers. She also worked extensively with older people in programs designed to enhance their quality of life.

As a member of the PHI Training and Organizational Development team, Renya brings particular expertise in:

• Team-building
• Participatory decision-making
• Customer service
• Coaching supervision

What I love about my work…

Communication — particularly the skill of active listening — is key to creating “relationship-centered” workplaces. I believe that when we listen to each other, we discover our common ground. In my work with organizations, I’ve seen that listening can build bridges between departments and job functions as well as between individuals. Probably the most rewarding aspect of my work is facilitating the construction of these bridges, and witnessing the positive personal and organizational changes that happen as a result.

Recent projects

• Serving as primary liaison to Beth Abraham Health Services and Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey, two of the agencies that the PHI Center for Coaching Supervision and Leadership is working with to establish and maintain coaching supervision as an organizational norm.
• Leading training in the TimeSlips storytelling method for dementia care professionals throughout southern New England and Pennsylvania.

Key Accomplishments

• Certified trainer of the TimeSlips storytelling method for people with dementia.
• Consultant to the New York City Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
• Author of numerous articles appearing in the Older LEARNer (the newsletter of the American Society on Aging), Generations, Chicago Caregiver Magazine and The Teaching Artist Journal
• Co-author of a chapter in Transformational Reminiscence: Life Story Work

And when Renya’s not working for change…

I am a salsa dancer! I also have a professional background in theater. Another life-long passion of mine is hiking, a passion I indulged by living in Alaska in my early twenties. I’ve also lived abroad (in Cameroon and Brazil) and speak French and Portuguese.

Susan R. Misiorski

National Director of Training and Organizational Development
BSN, University of Connecticut

From her earliest experiences as a CNA, Sue has been an advocate for change, and is today a national leader in the culture change movement that is transforming long-term care throughout the nation.

In her current position at PHI, Sue manages PHI’s organizational development work with nursing homes and home care agencies across the country. Sue has been instrumental in helping client organizations understand that there is no single “starting place” when it comes to culture change. In the journey to becoming a more relationship-centered organization, Sue believes that each organization has a unique set of needs and challenges. Her particular expertise lies in helping organizations understand where and how to begin, then assisting them with sustaining and expanding their vision.

Sue also brings client organizations expertise in the following areas:

• Understanding the connection and differences between standardized nursing care and individualized care directed by the client
• Implementing culture change initiatives in nursing home environments, including how to cost-effectively accomplish the establishment of neighborhood and flexible household models
• Leadership development — at all levels of an organization
• Executive coaching
• Culture change curriculum development

What I love about my work…

I believe that growth and change are fundamental to having a meaningful and satisfying life — as an individual, as well as an organization. What is exciting for me in my work is to observe how our training programs make a difference — not only in the “life” and working environment of an organization, but also in the broader lives of those who participate.
There is nothing more satisfying to me than a participant in any of our training programs sharing that the skills she learned not only improved her job satisfaction, but also helped her communicate more effectively with her spouse, her children, and others in her life outside of work.

That’s ultimately what “culture change” is all about.

Recent Projects

• Featured participant and in the June 2009 national webinar about CMS interpretive guidelines for culture change initiatives.
• Co-principal on PHI’s Center for Coaching Supervision and Leadership (CCSL) bringing coaching training to long-term care nurses and nursing schools.
• Consultant to Genesis Health Care in the North East Region for over 3 years, helping this continuing care network deepen person-centered culture change and implement coaching supervision training throughout their 70 site system.
• As a member of the PHI Northern New England LEADS initiative , supported 12 nursing homes and home care agencies in improving the quality of life and quality of care for consumers while improving the quality of direct-care jobs. For over three years, Sue assisted these organizations in orchestrating effective public policy initiatives, as well as implementing person-centered caregiving practices, peer mentoring, and coaching supervision.
• In Massachusetts, Sue provides training and technical assistance to long term care providers engaged in the Extended Care Career Ladder Initiative (ECCLI). As a part of ECCLI, Sue has developed and delivered curriculum for Person Centered Thinking and Care Planning and Customer Service in a Person Centered Culture.

Key Accomplishments

• Founding President of the Pioneer Network Board of Directors. The Pioneer Network is a national organization that serves the movement to transform aging and eldercare services.
• Getting Started: A Pioneering Approach to Culture Change. Author of the Pioneer Network’s comprehensive manual for initiating culture change within long-term care organizations.
• Featured speaker/presenter at AHCA, AAHSA, NCCNHR, and Pioneer Network conferences throughout the nation.
• Author of several articles about culture change, published in The Journal of Social Work in Long Term Care and Long Term Care Management.

And when Sue’s not working for change…

I love working my garden, and living in New Hampshire with my family. Between going to my kid’s sporting events, skiing, teaching Sunday School, and occasionally relaxing with a good book, I mostly enjoy paying attention to the seasons, and the gift that each day presents.

Above: Sue, with her husband, Chris, and children Katie and Mark.