HEALTH CARE
ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES, RANKED BY LIVING UNITS
Top 10 GLENCROFT SENIOR LIVING 8611 N. 67th Ave., Glendale, 85302 // 623-939-9475 // glencroft.com FOUNDED 1971 AZ EMPLOYEES 425 LIVING UNITS 797 PRINCIPAL John Wenzlau, president and ceo HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Susan Hornbostel, chief operating officer BEATITUDES CAMPUS 1610 W. Glendale Ave., Phoenix, 85021 // 602-995-2611 // beatitudescampus.org FOUNDED 1965 AZ EMPLOYEES 400+ LIVING UNITS 680 PRINCIPAL AND HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Michelle Just, president and CEO FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE TEMPE 2645 E. Southern Ave, Tempe, 85282 // 480-831-5000 // friendshipvillageaz.com FOUNDED 1980 AZ EMPLOYEES 490 LIVING UNITS 664 PRINCIPAL Cole Marvin, executive director HIGHESTRANKING WOMAN Ellen Cavanaugh, secretary, board of directors FELLOWSHIP SQUARE-TUCSON 8111 E. Broadway Road, Tucson, 85710 // 520-886-5537 // fellowshipsquaretucson.org FOUNDED 2000 AZ EMPLOYEES NA LIVING UNITS 611 PRINCIPAL George Ortega, executive director HIGHESTRANKING WOMEN Jerri Ann Hooper, director of sales and marketing; Winona Williams, director of dining services
SERVING WHILE LEADING
LEAH SHALER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BY ALISON STANTON
While she was growing up, Leah Shaler was often told that she had a natural aptitude for math. After graduating from high school, Shaler figured she would put that inherent skill to use and become an accountant. When she got a job at a bank, it didn’t take long to realize it was not the career for her. “I absolutely hated working there,” Shaler says. “The thought of spending my life moving numbers around made me want to stab my eyes out.” Knowing she had to rethink her entire career plan, Shaler remembered her mom’s advice, and set out to find a job she liked. “She raised me to make my own decisions and be a leader and not a follower,” Shaler says. Shaler took a job as a receptionist at a chiropractic clinic, and over time became the office manager. From the first day, she knew she had found her calling. “Karma was good to me,” she says. “It put me in the right place at the right time. I quickly realized that helping people was my passion. I don’t think I’ve ever looked back.” Now, as executive director of Immanuel Campus of Care, a managed long-term care facility, Shaler gets to help others on a daily basis. Although she jokes that her job involves doing a wide variety of
“other duties as assigned,” including facilitating plenty of meetings, mediating staff and resident disputes, writing grants and doing all kinds of managerial work, Shaler says she especially loves the time she spends with residents. “I help residents in the dining room,” Shaler says. “But my favorite thing is when I get to play with them and serve them dinner and just sit around and talk with them and hang out. This doesn’t happen as often as I like, but I always look forward to doing it whenever I can.” Shaler was surprised to learn how social she is, and how much she truly enjoys being around the residents and working with her staff. When she is not chatting with residents about their day or keeping tabs on the myriad managerial tasks, she enjoys playing video games and reading mystery and science fiction books. “I love playing Candy Crush,” she says. “My husband laughs and calls it ‘Candy Crack’ but I always tell him ‘Hey, I could be doing much worse.’” Shaler has never regretted going into healthcare instead of accounting. “I want to do something that matters, and to do all I can to serve the underserved,” she says. “My job here allows me to do that every day.”
IMMANUEL CAMPUS OF CARE 11301 N. 99th Ave., Peoria, 85345 // 623-748-1669 // watermarkcommunities.com FOUNDED 1978 AZ EMPLOYEES 241 LIVING UNITS 503 PRINCIPAL AND HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Leah Shaler, executive director FELLOWSHIP SQUARE ~ HISTORIC MESA 35 W. Brown Road, Mesa, 85201 // 480-834-0600 // azfs.org FOUNDED 2004 AZ EMPLOYEES 120 LIVING UNITS 475 PRINCIPAL AND HIGHESTRANKING WOMAN Kristie Larsen, executive director ROYAL OAKS RETIREMENT COMMUNITY 10015 W. Royal Oaks Road, Sun City , 85351 // 623933-2807 // royaloaks.com FOUNDED 1983 AZ EMPLOYEES 325 LIVING UNITS 437 PRINCIPAL AND HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Kendra Eberhart, CEO THE FOUNTAINS AT LA CHOLLA 2001 W. Rudasill Road, Tucson, 85704 // 520-797-2001 // watermarkcommunities.com FOUNDED 1987 AZ EMPLOYEES 160 LIVING UNITS 416 PRINCIPAL AND HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Fran Donnellan, executive director GRANDVIEW TERRACE 14515 W. Granite Valley Drive, Sun City West, 85375 // 623-975-8000 // sunhealthseniorliving.org FOUNDED 1997 AZ EMPLOYEES 278 LIVING UNITS 406 PRINCIPAL Ronald D. Guziak, CEO HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Sharon Grambow, chief operating officer THUNDERBIRD SENIOR LIVING 5401 W. Dailey St., Glendale, 85306 // 602-938-0414 // thunderbirdsenior.com FOUNDED 1986 AZ EMPLOYEES 80 LIVING UNITS 328 PRINCIPAL Peter Richardson, executive director HIGHESTRANKING WOMEN Linda Wiley, community life director; Alison McCool, sales and marketing director
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