September 22, 2021 Washington, DC — Three executives in aging services will be celebrated next month for their innovation, leadership, and advocacy successes at the LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO at the Georgia World Congress Center, when mission-driven service providers from around the country gather for to learn, to 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.

Paul Winkler, who retired September 1, 2021 after 34 years at Oakmont, PA-based Presbyterian Senior Care Network, most recently as president and CEO, is the winner of the 2021 LeadingAge Award of Honor, a recognition bestowed annually on one LeadingAge member who has provided nationally significant, transformative leadership and made exceptional contributions to the field, showing vision, mission, compassion, and courage in their communities. Read more about Paul here.

Erica Thrash-Sall, executive director of Presbyterian Villages of Michigan’s McFarlan Villages Corporation in Flint, MI, receives the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Equity, which celebrates individuals who have changed systems and policies at a local level to increase the chance that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to live the healthiest life possible. Read more about Erica here.

Kristen Schulmerich, RN, BSN, director of nursing services at Monroe Community Hospital (MCH), in Rochester, NY is the winner of the Joan Anne McHugh Award for Leadership in Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Nursing, now in its 15th year honoring 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. Read more about Kristen here.

“Paul, Erica and Kristen have each forged a unique path, and had a positive and powerful impact on their staffs and their communities. As innovators and advocates, they serve as role models for all of us,” said Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services. “The characteristics shared by all three — as caring and committed leaders — exemplify the best in our sector.”

We represent more than 5,000 nonprofit aging services providers and other mission-minded organizations that touch millions of lives every day. Alongside our members and 38 state partners, we use applied research, advocacy, education, and community-building to make America a better place to grow old. Our membership, which now includes the providers of the Visiting Nurse Associations of America, encompasses the continuum of services for people as they age, including those with disabilities. We bring together the most inventive minds in the field to lead and innovate solutions that support older adults wherever they call home. For more information visit leadingage.org.