Vernatene Banks
Avon,Indiana
Summary
Experienced and dedicated Assisted Living Administrator with over 8 years of experience leadership in senior care management. Proven track record of driving resident satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence. Passionate about fostering a supportive, resident-centered culture while maintaining financial sustainability and team engagement.
Results-oriented executive professional with history of delivering impactful organizational changes and strategic initiatives. Proven ability to lead and inspire teams, ensuring alignment with company goals and fostering culture of excellence. Renowned for adaptability and strong focus on achieving measurable results through effective collaboration and leadership.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Assisted Living Executive Director
Sweet Galilee at the Wigwam
Anderson, IN
06.2024 - Current
- Oversee all aspects of operations for a 130-resident assisted living community, maintaining 85% occupancy. Improved service development and resident satisfaction
- Conduct assessments for potential residents to ensure appropriate placement
- Recruited and mentored department managers, improving staff retention by 20%
- Ensured compliance with all state and federal regulations, resulting in few deficiencies during the annual state survey.
- Managed budgets identifying cost-saving measures that reduced overhead by 10% without sacrificing care quality.
- Partnered with local health providers to optimize resident care coordination
- Oversaw implementation and management of Indiana’s Medicaid Waiver program, supporting low-income residents' access to long-term care
- Developed and implemented training programs for staff, improving retention by 15%.
- Reduction and elimination of outside agency staff, and reduced overtime.
- Directed development and execution of community sales and marketing strategies to drive occupancy growth and strengthen referral partnerships.
- Oversaw daily operations, including staff scheduling, on-call leadership, and adherence to state and federal assisted living regulations.
- Led full-cycle recruitment, onboarding, orientation, and training to build a high-performing, mission-driven team.
- Supported sales performance by coaching the sales team, monitoring lead management, and ensuring consistent, relationship-focused follow-up with prospective residents and families.
- Facilitated conflict resolution among staff, residents, and families while maintaining a positive, person-centered culture.
- Experience with various software programs; Excel, Microsoft 365, PCC, DSSI, TELS, MRI, Sherpa, Paycom.
Assistant Executive Director
Experience Senior Living-Greenwood, IN
Greenwood, IN
08.2023 - 02.2024
- Oversee all operations of Memory Care and the entire facility.
- An understanding of local, state, and federal regulations as they pertain to the facility.
- Maintain survey and regulatory readiness per DOH and company policy.
- Maintain and oversee best practices for the residents.
- Reduction and elimination of outside agency staff, and reduced overtime.
- Risk management systems, processes, procedures, and reporting structures designed to detect, monitor, assess, mitigate, and prevent risks to residents.
- Provided leadership by building strong relationships with all levels of the organization, including families, residents, volunteers, and referral sources.
- Provide vision and motivation to the facilities leaders.
- Ensure compliance with company policies, regarding resident care, HR, financial control, public relations, maintenance of community, and policies and procedures.
- Working with all department heads and supervisors, evaluating performance, ensure performance reviews are done and completed on time.
- Ensuring maintenance standards of the community meet regulatory requirements.
- Support and encourage a positive work environment. Provide staff development opportunities.
- Work with staff to build high morale and group commitment to goals and objectives, and adapt a management style to diverse staff.
- Development and implementation of sales/marketing plans with the sales team.
- Scheduling and on-call responsibilities.
- Oversee recruitment, onboarding, orientation, and training of new staff.
- Responsible for sales and occupancy, support the sales team, and oversee follow-up.
- Oversee conflict resolution.
- Experience with various software programs; Excel, Microsoft 365, PCC, DSSI, TELS, MRI, Sherpa, Senior Sign, UKG.
Memory Care Director/Asst. Executive Director
Experience Senior Living-Greenwood, IN
Greenwood, IN
01.2023 - 02.2024
- Knowledgeable about the disease process and understanding how to evaluate and assess changes associated with the disease.
- Eliminated the use of agency personnel by 60%
- Develop and update the memory care program.
- Led the day-to-day operations in memory care.
- Offered support to families.
- Interviewed, hired, and onboarded all nursing staff.
- Completed care plans, and scheduled care team meetings with providers and family.
- Responsible for payroll oversight
- Staff scheduling and on-call responsibilities.
- Ensured compliance with all state regulations and ESL policies and procedures.
- Conducted initial assessments of residents moving into the community.
- Met with prospective residents and family members, discussing monthly rates.
- Maintained budget expectations.
- Led training/presentations.
- Strong verbal and communication skills
- Developing a support group for families/friends
- Dementia Friend Member
Director of Supported Living
Cornerstone Associates, LLC - Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
07.2016 - 03.2017
- Provided services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities living independently in the community.
- Reviewed all referrals and assessed residents to ensure their appropriateness.
- Audited sites for regulatory, procedural, and compliance policies
- Demonstrated leadership by managing staff including hiring, scheduling, mediation, and training. Ensuring staff receive appropriate training and development. Established priorities and monitored staff performance and development goals and set objectives and conduct annual performance reviews.
- Oversaw staffers day-to-day responsibilities in assisting residents to lead self-directed lives with daily activities and behaviors to enhance their independent living within the community.
- Oversaw the day program providing a place for individuals to socialize, offering various activities to enhance their skills and boost confidence.
- Ensure that adequate services were provided daily while coaching them through complex problems.
- Managed and administered the budget for residential services; analyzed expenditures and recommended adjustments, improved efficiency, and reconciled accounts payable.
- Collaborated with nursing to address the medical needs of the individuals.
- Responsible for submitting all incident reports to the Bureau of Development Disabilities Services.
- Scheduled routine and as-needed ADT meetings to ensure awareness of individual service plans, support needs, behaviors, and other needs of the individuals.
- Maintained good communication with parents, guardians, and social workers.
- Complied with applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations.
- Maintained knowledge of and followed all company policies and procedures.
- Organized clinical documentation, treatment plans, and referrals.
Licensed Community Residence/Apartment Coordinator, Supported Housing Manager
Options for Community Living - Smithtown, New York
Smithtown, New York
06.2004 - 05.2016
- Managed multiple sites.
- Participated in OMH, Medicaid, and HUD inspections.
- Assessed client needs and linked to support systems.
- Facilitated the client’s development of mental health coping strategies.
- Coordinated and monitored the client’s use of mental health and community services.
- Assessed client readiness to advance to a more independent living.
- Met agency deadlines and standards for billable note documentation and treatment plan to maintain funding requirements and record compliance.
- Assessments and progression of residents
- Knowledge of all required emergency procedures to provide leadership during practice and drills.
- Conducted regular staff in-service meetings and training.
- Trained in crisis prevention, intervention, and mediation.
- Assessed and processed leasing applications for potential tenants
- Applied Federal, State, and local regulations concerning services to the mental health population.
- Led incident review team meetings and recommended and implemented corrective action.
- Oversaw all client’s medical, medication, and health issues.
- Collaborated with case management to engage, support, and integrate clients into their community.
Senior Assisted Living Administrator
Mercy Haven, Inc - Islip Terrace, New York
Islip Terrace, New York
07.1999 - 07.2004
- Opened a new 27-bed assisted living facility.
- Oversaw all operations of two 27-bed facilities.
- Maintained, managed, and controlled all expenses in alignment with the budget.
- Continued marketing strategies which maintained occupancy at 85-90%.
- Exhibited proven ability to effectively handle the daily operation of multiple sites and priorities.
- Developed positive relationships with external community contacts and resources.
- Ensured staff maintained safe working practices including the Disaster Plan through trainings and individual support.
- Maintained a homelike environment for residents, protected and promoted resident rights, very sensitive to the needs of the aging.
- Established and updated facility operating policies and procedures on operations and resident care
- Timely, accurate, comprehensive fiscal reports.
- Monitored compliance with regulations and standards to ensure quality resident care.
- Interviewed, hired, trained all new staff, with ongoing coaching and training.
- Trained staff in passing, refilling, and counting medications, with zero deficiencies during inspection.
- Completed performance evaluations.
- Monitored maintenance submission and progress.
- Exhibited proven ability to effectively handle multiple sites and priorities.
- Applied critical thinking skills and good judgment to handle crises and emergencies.
- Completed service plans in conjunction with resident/family and communicated the plan to the resident’s team.
- Reported specific incidents to government agencies within established timelines, conducted incident investigations, reported findings, initiated corrective actions
- Coordinated and managed the preparation for all State surveys.
- Maintained zero citations during annual surveys.
- Applied and followed all Federal, State, and local regulations.
- Worked with the Regional Director of the DOH to organize required CEU training for administrators.
Education
Residential Care Administrator -
12.2023
Master of Health Care Administration - undefined
Purdue University Global
05.2022
Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration - undefined
Purdue University Global
05.2021
Skills
- Budget management
- Communication and Relationship Management
- Knowledge of Healthcare facility laws and regulations
- Leadership
- Microsoft Office suite and Excel proficiency and the ability to learn new applications
- Excellent oral and written skills
Accomplishments
- Used Microsoft Excel to develop inventory tracking spreadsheets.
- Supervised team of 55 staff members.
- Mentored new employees and provided continuous feedback while celebrating key milestones, contributing to a 20% increase in overall job satisfaction within six months.
- Reduced agency staffing usage by 75% by analyzing workforce patterns and implementing optimized scheduling adjustments that aligned staffing levels with operational needs.
Affiliations
- Society of Collegiate Leadership and Achievement
- Human Services Club
- Alpha Beta Kappa Honor Society
- American College of Healthcare Executives
- American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management
- The American College of Health Care Administrators
- NAMI
- AHCAINCAL
Certification
- Assisted Living Administrator License
- CPR/First Aid
Timeline
Assisted Living Executive Director
Sweet Galilee at the Wigwam
06.2024 - Current
Assistant Executive Director
Experience Senior Living-Greenwood, IN
08.2023 - 02.2024
Memory Care Director/Asst. Executive Director
Experience Senior Living-Greenwood, IN
01.2023 - 02.2024
Director of Supported Living
Cornerstone Associates, LLC - Indianapolis, Indiana
07.2016 - 03.2017
Licensed Community Residence/Apartment Coordinator, Supported Housing Manager
Options for Community Living - Smithtown, New York
06.2004 - 05.2016
Senior Assisted Living Administrator
Mercy Haven, Inc - Islip Terrace, New York
07.1999 - 07.2004
Master of Health Care Administration - undefined
Purdue University Global
Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration - undefined
Purdue University Global
Residential Care Administrator -
Core Competencies
- Assisted Living Operations Management
- Regulatory Compliance & Licensing
- Budgeting & Financial Oversight
- Staff Training & Leadership Development
- Resident & Family Relations
- Strategic Planning & Growth Initiatives
- Emergency Preparedness
- Quality Assurance & Risk Management