Honoring the Women Who’ve Helped Us Come so Far
March 8th marked International Women’s Day, and this year marks Benchmark’s 25th anniversary. As a senior living community, we want to acknowledge and honor all the women in our lives that have helped us grow and supported us. 70% of our residents here at Benchmark are women and have achieved remarkable things. The women who work at Benchmark, as well as those who reside here are all amazing individuals. Our residents and associates’ accomplishments and their devotion to family and friends is admirable. We are honored to share so many of their exciting and impactful stories.
In honor of International Women’s Day, we want to recognize four women from our leadership team in particular who help lead our organization to make Benchmark exceptional. Elizabeth Sampath, Elizabeth Wheatley, Michelle Tristani and Pam Filby are all extraordinary leaders who share a passion for our residents. Their stories inspire us and remind us of why we do what we do.
Elizabeth Sampath is currently our Vice President of Quality Assurance at Benchmark, but she began her career as a wellness nurse. Here she enjoys the quality time she is able to spend with residents instead of rushing from patient to patient as she was doing in her previous job as a nurse. Now, she oversees a team of women who ensure our communities are up to regulatory standards and are meeting and exceeding both Benchmark and state standards. She finds her job at Benchmark extremely rewarding, with room for growth and opportunity, and is inspired by how engaged and lively the residents are. She values the times when she can see the impact, she has made on someone’s life, especially when improving their quality of living. Her advice to young women is to take a deep breath–things don’t happen overnight. Speak up, work hard, be receptive to learning and receiving feedback, and you will get where you want to be.
Elizabeth Wheatley, our Vice President of Resident Care, has a passion for senior living, vast experience, and a drive to learn that is invaluable to Benchmark. Upon her graduation from nursing school, she wanted to take a holistic approach to keeping seniors healthy and independent. At Benchmark, she works alongside other clinical collaborators to solve challenges together. She’s often inspired by other associates and loves the many opportunities she has to meet and bond with our residents. Elizabeth is a lifelong learner who belongs to several nurse executive groups committed to sharing best practices, challenges, and advice for the benefit of seniors today and into the future. Throughout her career, Elizabeth has played a critical role in the careers of women new to the healthcare industry. She encourages all women to seek out experiences and mentors who will help them develop clinical, leadership and business skills so they can make a difference in residents’ lives and help transform the industry.
Michelle Tristani, our Corporate Director of Memory Care, is passionate about providing innovative care to residents with dementia. She does this by supporting associates and family care partners and sharing her experience and knowledge gained as a Speech Pathologist and Cognitive Specialist. Her role entails community support, Mind & Memory Care Program Development, projects, and training. Her advice to young women entering the industry is to prioritize and train the front-line workers in an effort to have the best people on the job. Not only will this create job satisfaction, but it will also lead to lifelong bonds along the way. One of her many achievements is helping to develop Benchmark’s award-winning Connect First program, a program that works to remove the barriers that can often lead to miscommunication, anxiety, and fear for those with Dementia.
Pam Filby, our Vice President of Sales, is driven to make the lives of residents and their families better. After spending the past two decades in the senior living industry, she has gained vast experience and a passion for providing care to seniors. At Benchmark, she focuses on growth strategy and finding ways for the Directors of Community Relations to be successful. Her advice for young women is to persevere and focus on the big picture: grow as a person and a professional while helping to improve the lives of others. As a leader, she says honesty with your colleagues and team members is the best way to build trust and create an environment for success.
Each of these women has made a significant impact on Benchmark communities through the Northeast, and we are so grateful for their passion and drive. It means the world to us, our residents, and their families to have such caring employees who truly love what they do.
Benchmark is an equal opportunity employer, whose core values, Called to Care, Better Together and Be the Benchmark, guide its mission of not only providing exceptional care, but doing so in a way that keeps Benchmark focused on who and what matters most.
