Summary
Overview
Skills
Work History
Education
Additional Work History
Certification
Computer Skills
Quote
Work Availability
Timeline
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Kathryn (Kate) Waldo

Kathryn (Kate) Waldo

Manchester,New Hampshire

Summary

Versatile healthcare leader dedicated to strategic innovation and collaborative partnerships. Creative problem-solver who embodies and champions diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments. Strong patient advocate focused on high staff, family, and resident satisfaction. Highly skilled Recreational Therapist with over twenty years of proven success creating, leading, assessing, and documenting therapeutic programs and activities that improve the quality of life, physical wellness, psycho-social wellbeing, and optimal cognitive functioning. Dynamic Educator with extensive experience working with subject-matter experts to design, develop, deliver and evaluate adult-learner training.

Overview

22
22
years of professional experience
6
6

Certifications

9
9
years of post-secondary education

Skills

  • Accommodations and Modifications, Clinical and Operational Quality Standards, Assurance, and Improvement, Coaching and Mentoring, Corrective Action Planning, Cultural Awareness, Curriculum Writing, Customer Service and Satisfaction, Grievance and Complaint Resolution, Health, Medical, and Wellness Programs, Hospitality Management, Leader in Long-Term Care, Onboarding, Training, and Supervision, Policy and Procedure Development, Project Management, Recreational Therapy, Virtual and In-Person Teaching and Presentations

Work History

National Director of Recreation and Guest Services

Genesis HealthCare
Kennett Square, PA
08.2014 - Current
  • Directly and virtually supported Recreation and Guest Services departments for up to 476 centers nationwide through ongoing orientation, education, clinical supervision, coaching, mentoring, and speaking engagements.
  • Ensured regulatory compliance and facilitated plans of correction for identified deficient practices.
  • Collaborated with population health and center teams to develop and implement innovative care pathways for current and new business lines such as Person-Centered Care, Memory Support, Short-Stay Rehabilitation, Mental Health, and Substance Use Disorder Recovery.
  • Designed, operationalized, and elevated evidence-based therapeutic recreation, quality of life programs, and wellness initiatives where intersectionality was acknowledged and utilized to honor preferences, differences and shared experiences of entire community.
  • Created compassionate and caring environment where resident engagement, education, and cultural exploration occurred, with focus on race, religion, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, social justice, equity, and inclusion.
  • Championed culture of service excellence that focused on compassion, patient experience, and responsiveness to resident council/patient/family concerns and grievances.
  • Established and managed improvement goals and objectives for resident and family satisfaction and discharged customer loyalty, including end-of-life care.including end-of-life care.

Executive Director

Hearthstone Alzheimer's Care
Woburn, MA
07.2013 - 08.2014
  • Directed memory care assisted living facility operations, including budget management, program development, staff and family education, community relations, marketing, sales process, and fiscal responsibility.
  • Established vibrant, purposeful resident flow of day that supported non-pharmacological approaches to dementia care, elevated family satisfaction, and invigorated resident self-esteem.
  • Systematically stabilized a facility in crisis through intensive coaching, mentoring, and modeling expectations around resident-directed services, collaborative decision making, team empowerment, and clinical excellence.
  • Improved facility's reputation with local referral sources and increased occupancy rate to 100%.
  • Fostered environment that increased morale, reduced turnover, and achieved optimal productivity and quality of care.
  • Recruited by the largest long-term care healthcare organization to oversee quality of life and meaningful engagement.

Project Guide

The Green House Project
Linthicum, MD
02.2012 - 07.2013
  • Guided traditional long-term care organizations through transformation to evidence-based, innovative small home care model called The Green House.
  • Produced replicable, systematic, streamlined, and cost-effective project management plan for developing and operating small homes for long-term care.
  • Co-created and taught foundational suite of training products, including Educate-the-Educator programs that revolutionized role of healthcare workers in non-traditional and innovative model of long-term care.
  • Developed and piloted quality improvement and model integrity evaluation tools and processes for projects in operation.

Organizational Culture Change Specialist

PHI (Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute)
The Bronx, NY
01.2005 - 02.2012
  • Provided leadership on multi-state, multi-stakeholder, grant-funded, and fee-for-service projects and initiatives that improved long-term care organizations.
  • Developed and delivered national and regional educational programs focused on person-directed care, respectful work environments, self-managed work teams, coaching supervision, peer mentoring, and interactive train-the-trainer programs.
  • Performed needs and cultural evaluations for improvements at all organizational levels and coached internal teams to drive organizational change.
  • Lead writer and trainer for legacy curriculum on inclusion of LQBTQ+ Elders in healthcare for SAGE (Advocacy & Services for LGBTQ+ Elders).

Education

Master of Science - Parks, Recreation, And Tourism Management: RT

Clemson University
Clemson, SC
08.2016 - 05.2019

Bachelor of Science - Recreational Therapy

Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC
08.1997 - 05.2000

No Degree - Education And Hospitality Management

Appalachian State University
Boone, NC
05.1990 - 12.1993

Additional Work History

Assistant Administrator and Director of Recreational Therapy

Neville Manor Skilled Nursing Facility – Cambridge, MA

Adult Day Program Assistant

Thoms Rehabilitation Hospital – Asheville, NC

Guest Services Manager

Quality Inn and Suites – Raleigh, NC

Guest Services Specialist

Chetola Resort – Blowing Rock, NC

Guest Services Manager

The Greek Park Inn – Blowing Rock, NC

Certification

  • CTRS - Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist-2000
  • Licensed MEPAP Instructor, NCCAP- 202
  • ACC - Activity Consultant Certified, NCCAP - 2014
  • Trained Eden Associate, Eden Alternative®, 2001
  • Certified Alzheimer’s Support Group Leader - 2013
  • Certified TimeSlips Facilitator - 2010

Computer Skills

Adobe/Abode Connect, Articulate 360(Workplace Learning Platform), Canva, Company Google Site and Community Page Development/Maintenance, Data Studio, Google Suite(Google Workspace), Microsoft(Excel, PowerPoint, and Word), Point Click Care(EMR/EHR), ServiceTrac, Survey Monkey, and Zoom

Quote

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
Tensin Gyatso, Fourteenth Dalai Lama

Work Availability

monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Timeline

Master of Science - Parks, Recreation, And Tourism Management: RT

Clemson University
08.2016 - 05.2019

National Director of Recreation and Guest Services

Genesis HealthCare
08.2014 - Current

Executive Director

Hearthstone Alzheimer's Care
07.2013 - 08.2014

Project Guide

The Green House Project
02.2012 - 07.2013

Organizational Culture Change Specialist

PHI (Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute)
01.2005 - 02.2012

Bachelor of Science - Recreational Therapy

Western Carolina University
08.1997 - 05.2000

No Degree - Education And Hospitality Management

Appalachian State University
05.1990 - 12.1993

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Kathryn (Kate) Waldo