Editor’s note: McKnight’s Home Care, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News are profiling the McKnight’s 2023 Women of Distinction honorees daily from July 5 to Aug. 15. For additional McKnight’s Women of Distinction content, visit this page.
Fellow staff members often refer to Katie Davis as the epitome of servant leadership.
“There is not a job in our facility that she is not willing to do, be it cleaning rooms, mopping floors or service meal trays to residents,” says Kelly Honstad, director of nursing. As an administrator for the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, Davis focuses on excellence and drives members of her team to do the same. She works with the team to set goals to keep the facility moving forward, no matter what obstacle may present itself. Her energy radiates throughout the facility, colleagues say, and her passion and drive to provide excellent care to her residents is second to none.
Davis has a bachelor’s degree in business and psychology, a graduate certificate in long-term care and a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of South Dakota. She has been active with several national and local organizations in the industry.
Davis joined Good Samaritan in 2009 and first served as administrator-in-training in Luverne, MN. She soon moved to the administrator role in Austin, MN, and then to administrator in Albert Lea, MN, where she continues to serve. “I think one of the main things I strive for as an administrator is simply creating a thriving environment and culture both for residents and employees,” she says.
Quantitative and qualitative data show that she is undeniably successful in those efforts. Based on data from the Good Samaritan employee experience survey platform, Davis has one of the most highly engaged leadership teams in the organization. Her facility has had a 5-star quality rating since 2020, and she has eliminated the use of agency staff. Her center also has had four deficiency-free infection control state surveys while experiencing one of the largest COVID-19 outbreaks in all of Good Samaritan.
Outside of work, Davis has served as a board member of the Children’s Center Daycare/ Preschool and is actively involved in her church.
The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Home Care, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News. PointClickCare is the Diamond sponsor of this year’s program. PharMerica is the Silver sponsor. Additional sponsors include American HealthTech, Healthcare Services Group, Omnicare, Sentrics and ShiftKey.
Visit this web page to see lists of honorees from 2023 and previous years.
