Editor’s Note: McKnight’s Senior Living, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Home Care are profiling the McKnight’s 2024 Women of Distinction honorees daily from July 1 to Aug. 13. For additional McKnight’s Women of Distinction content, visit this page.
Danielle Parker’s career in senior living began at the age of 16 when she took a job as a dining room server after her mother passed away. At age 23, she began working for Leon Grundstein and his new company, GenCare Lifestyle. The rest is history.
Today, Parker is the chief operating officer of GenCare. The company has multiple communities serving independent, assisted living and memory care residents in western Washington. She leads more than 400 employees.
Parker was named the COO in May 2022 and has overseen an 11% increase in overall company census. By partnering with companies such as Rippl Care and Senior Sign, and through GenCare’s signature Whole Life Connect program, she has made home care more accessible to residents.
Parker’s outreach with nursing colleges, middle schools and high schools has established an employment pipeline and has educated a new generation on the benefits of senior living. Once hired by GenCare, new recruits are welcomed with open arms. Almost every one of GenCare’s more than 300 employees has met and knows Parker, and she frequently visits the organization’s communities, her nominator said. Integrity, honesty, accountability and the highest moral code direct her through work and life.
More about Parker:
- In a recent career day visit, high school students were riveted by Parker’s story about finding her passion and career path after her mother died, as well as how she overcame the obstacles of extreme poverty and grief. One of them now is a GenCare volunteer.
- She is a devoted Seattle Seahawks fan and has won first place in her fantasy football league two years in a row.
- She supported herself without any assistance from family members when she enrolled in nursing school at Everett Community College. She was able to obtain a registered nurse license and transition to providing care for residents.
The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Senior Living, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Home Care. Healthcare Services Group was the Platinum sponsor of this year’s McKnight’s Women of Distinction Awards and Forum. PointClickCare was the Gold sponsor, and PharMerica was the Silver sponsor. Other sponsors included Curana Health, DirecTV for Business, Easyshifts, Hireology, Reliant Rehabilitation, ShiftKey and Sentrics.
Visit this web page to see lists of honorees from 2024 and previous years.
