September 27, 2023 Washington DC – Two aging services leaders will be recognized in early November for their innovation, leadership, and commitment to serving older adults during the LeadingAge Annual Meeting at McCormick Place in Chicago, when mission-driven service providers from around the country gather for to learn, strengthen networks, and find inspiration at one of the sector’s most unique events, which is hosted by the association of nonprofit providers of aging services.

Roger Myers, president and CEO of Presbyterian Villages of Michigan (PVM), who since 1992 has led PVM’s growth from five communities in suburban Detroit to over 30 today, covering the full continuum of services throughout the state, is the recipient of the 2023 LeadingAge Award of Honor. After starting his career as a hospital administrator, an executive director job “changed his mind forever” and got him hooked on nonprofit aging services. Throughout his three-plus decades at PVM, the Michigan native has led with optimism and a “focus [that says] we’re going to overcome the barriers, and we can’t be stopped.” Details on Myers’ career highlights at PVM, marked by an emphasis on partnership, a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, as well as service to the nonprofit sector, are here.  

Melanie Johnson, RN, director of nursing at Carol Woods Retirement Community in Chapel Hill, NC, is the winner of the 17th Annual Joan Anne McHugh Award for Leadership in Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Nursing. Established in 2005 in memory of Joan Anne McHugh, the award honors a director of nursing or an assistant director of nursing who creates a supportive and engaged workplace environment by displaying excellent leadership skills while managing nursing and frontline staff. Described as a “mama bear for her staff,” Johnson is known as a good listener, an energetic team player who never asks RNs, LPNs, and CNAs to do anything she would not do herself, and a leader who values the input of her staff and encourages team members to advance their careers. Her health care journey began as a unit secretary at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Medical Center, where her colleagues – “a great group of nurses, CNAs, and physicians” – convinced her to enroll in nursing school. After studying nursing at the local community college, she worked as a hospital RN before moving to aging services. At Carol Woods since 2018, Johnson is hopeful about aging services “because we have to be hopeful.” While “the need for what we do will never go away,” she believes that “long-term care is going to look a lot different. Our job is to be ready, no matter what the future looks like.” Read more about her career journey here. 

“Both Roger and Melanie demonstrate the importance of building and maintaining connections. They lead by example and persevere, maintaining an unwavering commitment to serving older adults,” said Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services. “Their actions and achievements exemplify the best in our sector. We congratulate them on these honors and thank them for all they do.”