Pegasus Senior Living proudly celebrates team members who go above and beyond in their work every day. In honor of the 2025 senior living awards, we’re highlighting five award winners whose commitment, creativity, and compassion reflect the values of our communities.
These recipients, from health and wellness to sales, leadership, and memory care, are helping shape the future of senior living. Their stories offer a glimpse into what it means to work in an award-winning senior living community and why so many residents and their families trust Pegasus with their care.
Rebecca Missaghy
Executive Director, The Legacy at Long Meadow
2025 “In Sync” Award Winner
How did you get started in senior living?
I began working at a skilled nursing facility shortly after graduating from nursing school. I was quickly promoted and realized how fulfilling senior living is. Over time, I transitioned into management roles and witnessed firsthand how strong leadership could have a significant impact on residents and teams.
What do you love most about your role?
Building real relationships. Improving someone’s quality of life each day, even in small ways, is what drives me. One of my favorite quotes is, “Be the change you wish to see in the world” by Gandhi. It reminds me to take responsibility for the impact I have and to lead by example, whether in work or personal life.
What’s a moment on the job that’s stuck with you?
A resident’s daughter once told me, “You gave me my mom back for the last six months of her life.” Her mom had been isolated before moving in, but after joining our community, she reconnected, smiled again, and even started painting.
It reminded me that our work isn’t just about care — it’s about quality of life, connection, and dignity. It made everything we do feel incredibly meaningful.
Best advice for someone new in your role?
Lead with empathy and patience. No one expects you to know everything on day one, but staying open and willing to learn makes all the difference. In this work, it’s not just about completing tasks — it’s about how you make people feel. The residents might be having a tough day, or maybe they just need a little extra attention. If you take a moment to connect, it makes all the difference for them — and for you.
Jessica Maidlow
Community Sales Director, The Chateau at Gardnerville
2025 “Community Sales Director of the Year”
What’s your career story?
I started in senior living at age 17 as a CNA. I left for a time but returned to the same community years later, and I’ve been here ever since. I realized it’s where I belong. I was amazed to find residents who still remembered me from my early days. It was then I realized my heart had found its true path — as a Community Sales Director in the place that helped shape me.
What do you love most about your work?
Forming lifelong connections with residents and their families. Those relationships mean everything to me. One of my favorite quotes is by Maya Angelou:
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I have it framed in my home as a daily reminder of the lasting impact we can have on others.
Advice to new sales professionals?
Lead with empathy, not pressure. Know your community inside and out so you can speak with confidence. Follow up like it matters, because it does. When you give a tour, make it personal and purposeful. We only get one first impression — make it count.
What inspires you?
Helping families during a vulnerable time and giving them confidence that this is the right place for their loved one. Giving back is important to me. I enjoy volunteering in my community and teaching my boys the value of service and kindness.
Jasmina Alimanovic
Senior Memory Care Director, South Hill Village
2025 “Out-of-the-Box Thinker” Award Winner
How did you get started in senior living?
I came to this country starting from scratch, with absolutely no connections or shortcuts. This had a huge impact on who I am today. I started as a caregiver and became a med tech, then Resident Care Coordinator, then Memory Care Director. Each role taught me about compassion, leadership, and how to advocate for people who need it most.
What do you enjoy about working in memory care?
The ability to make someone feel seen, even for a moment, is powerful. Simple interactions can turn someone’s day around. I became interested in this area of senior living after becoming aware of the significant assistance that residents and their families needed. I wanted to be part of the solution. I wanted to be a person who could bring stability, kindness, and understanding to even the most challenging situations. This leadership role provided me with the opportunity to make a difference every day.
What’s stayed with you most?
The holidays. They’re emotional for residents, especially those without nearby family. Our team puts in extra effort to introduce joy during that season.
What strengths have helped you succeed?
Patience. It’s key to working with residents, supporting families, and leading a team. No one on this team works alone. We support one another, just as we support our residents. Even when our shifts have officially ended, we never stop caring for our residents and families.
Loretta Martin
Health and Wellness Director, The Legacy at Forest Ridge
2025 “Health and Wellness Newcomer of the Year”
How did you start in senior living?
I worked most of my nursing career in family medicine. I picked up a weekend role at Forest Ridge, fell in love with the work, and later became the Health and Wellness Director.
What motivates you?
I’ve always loved helping and guiding people. As long as people keep calling me for advice, I’ll keep doing this work. Perseverance for the job and humbleness. This is the toughest job I’ve done in my nursing career so far, and it has taught me so much. You have to be humble to be able to grow in this position.
What’s one story that stuck with you?
A resident passed away during my weekend shift. I warmed my stethoscope before confirming her passing. Later, a colleague shared how much that small act of care meant. That moment reminded me that dignity matters, even in someone’s final moments.
Advice to new nurses in senior living?
Be patient with yourself. This job is challenging, but growth comes with time and a willingness to learn and grow. It’s a work of heart. I know my team knows this, but I don’t think the population as a whole understands that.
Rudy Deleon
Maintenance Director, The Oaks at Inglewood
2025 “Maintenance Director of the Year”
How did you get started in maintenance in senior living?
I began as a maintenance assistant at an assisted living community. I worked hard to grow my skills and was eventually offered my first director role at The Oaks at Inglewood.
What do you love most about your job?
I like keeping the community in top shape and hearing positive feedback from residents. It feels good to know I’m contributing to their environment. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity Pegasus has given me. To this day, I have been given the chance to grow and develop as a Maintenance Director.
What makes your work successful?
Passion and consistency. I love what I do, and I give it my best every day. I’m happy to be able to contribute to a senior community in my hometown and play a major role. Being part of one of the best teams of directors out there has played a large role in my growth as a Maintenance Director and in the success of the community.
Advice to others?
Never stop learning. Take pride in your work and let your actions speak. The passion for what I do, hard work, and dedication have made me successful. I’m inspired by the words of Winston Churchill, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal — it is the courage to continue that counts.”
Christopher Davis
Dining Services Director, Town Village of Leawood
2025 “Dining Services Director of the Year” Award
How did you get started in senior living?
I got started here at Town Village of Leawood when a friend who was the Dining Services Director asked me to come on as the dining room manager. I loved it from day one. She taught me a lot about the director’s job, and when she got promoted, I moved into the DSD position.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
Interacting with the residents is definitely the best part, but the people I’ve worked with over the last 15 years have also been great. Some have even become good friends of mine.
What moments have stuck with you?
The moments that stick with me most are when a resident tells me how much they enjoyed a certain meal and how it reminds them of something from their past. Coming from years of serving, cooking, owning, and managing restaurants, I’ve always aimed to create as close to a restaurant experience as possible.
What do you wish more people understood about working in senior living?
The feeling you get when you see happiness on a resident’s face. It could be a great meal, great service, a great party, or just that you took time to sit with them and have a fun chat. My personal motto is: There are no problems, only solutions.
Kevin Holyfield
Executive Director, Magnolia Place of Roswell
2025 “Customer Service Award”
How did you get started in senior living?
After a long career in the food industry, particularly in health food service, I didn’t like the way I saw staff, residents, and families being treated. I went back to school, obtained my Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, and was fortunate enough to start a career as an Executive Director in senior living.
What brought you to Pegasus?
After a management company change at a previous community, I began looking for a stable company that not only talked the talk but walked the walk—and it was then that Pegasus and I found each other. You know that you have found a home when you know that you are surrounded by a very talented, committed team from the very top of the organization.
What do you love most about your role?
Developing teams and a culture that can positively affect the lives of residents, staff, and families. Although there are many moments that stick with me, it’s the times that residents say they are so glad to be here, and when families say they know they made the right decision. Also, when a team member makes the decision to start a progressive career in this industry.
What skills have helped you succeed?
Listen and never let them see you sweat. My personal motto is: If you don’t have a minute to stop and speak with someone, you have grossly mismanaged your time.
What advice would you give to someone new in your role?
Be very receptive to learning. Make sure that this is where your heart is. People don’t realize the amount of effort that goes into the coordinated effort to achieve positive results.
Troy Florian
Senior Executive Director, Town Village of Leawood
2025 “Customer Service Award”
How did you get started in senior living?
I grew up in a small town in Michigan, and when my grandmother started having challenges with Multi-Infarct Dementia, it began my journey into senior living while I was in college. I was hired in senior living immediately after college, became a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, and began running my first nursing home in Oklahoma at the age of 22. It all started with my Grandma Florian.
What brought you to Pegasus?
I have four children and two grandchildren. I missed a lot of things while traveling in larger career roles, but this time, with my youngest now 14 years old and starting high school, I wanted to be close to home and be a better husband, father, and Papa T to my grandchildren. It also brought me back to my roots of running a great community.
What do you love most about your role?
I love the “second paycheck,” as we call it: helping seniors, families, and all my team members get better, learn, and grow.
What skills have helped you succeed?
I love to analyze a business and operate as if I’m my own little CEO, thinking like an owner and finding opportunities. Yet I’ve been blessed in finding and developing talent to make a vision come to life. Without great people, a leader spends all their time putting out fires reactively.
What’s your best advice for someone new in your role?
Your people are the foundation of your community. Building a business on a weak foundation will not sustain long-term success. Being respected as a leader is always the goal.
Bernard Fox
Life Enrichment Director, Parmer Woods at North Austin
2025 “Life Enrichment Director of the Year” Award
How did you get started in senior living?
I’m from the South Side of Chicago, and growing up wasn’t always easy. As a teenager, I wasn’t sure what direction I was going in until my aunt invited me to come work with her at a personal care home. I was hesitant at first, but that day changed everything. I stayed for 10 years.
What’s kept you in this work for so long?
I show up. I listen. I cry with families during tours because I’ve been there. That first experience showed me how impactful this work can be. Later in life, I also lost two grandparents — one with dementia. That loss deepened my empathy for residents and families. It made me more passionate about creating real, loving connections with the people I serve.
What was your approach when you first arrived at Parmer Woods?
When I arrived four years ago, many residents weren’t leaving their rooms. They had gotten used to playing bingo every day, ten games a day. I knew I needed to change the dynamic, but not by immediately pushing group activities. I started by building one-on-one relationships with residents and their families. I started to rebuild engagement by listening first.
What makes your approach to life enrichment different?
For me, it’s not about the biggest activity or the loudest event. It’s about building relationships. That could be a conversation, painting someone’s nails, or doing a puzzle. Whatever makes someone feel less alone. I’m not focused on numbers; I’m focused on meaning. If four residents come to something, that’s four lives I get to enrich.
How do you support residents day-to-day?
I’m on my feet all day. By 3 p.m., I’ve usually hit 10,000 steps. I check on residents regularly, knock on doors, and make sure they know I’m there. I even make a deal with them: just come to two activities a day. Pick any two. Many of them come just to support me, but they end up supporting themselves by building relationships.
What advice would you give to someone in your role?
Start with relationships. Get to know each resident individually. Focus less on the size of an activity and more on the emotional impact. And be yourself. The residents can tell when your heart is in it. If you’ve ever loved someone with dementia or helped care for a family member, you understand that this job is deeply personal. That’s where the real strength comes from.
Morgan Ward
Health & Wellness Director, Parmer Woods at North Austin
2025 “Above & Beyond Award”
How did you get started in senior living?
I began my nursing career with seniors in skilled nursing. I’ve had the privilege of working in various roles, including staff nurse, case management, assistant director of nursing, director of nursing, treatment nurse, MDS Coordinator, and Health and Wellness Director. I received my RN in 2019 and my BSN in 2021.
What brought you to your current role at Pegasus?
Assisted living has long been an area of interest for me. What I love about assisted living is seeing residents live healthier and enjoy a higher quality of life. PSL provides a positive culture, and I feel supported in my role. It’s a healthier culture than what I’ve previously experienced.
What do you love most about your job?
Building connections and trust with residents, their families, and my team members. Showing authenticity, love, and compassion toward those I serve. PSL focuses on quality over quantity and ensures that a person is suitable for assisted living or memory care.
What’s your best advice for someone starting in your role?
Take care of yourself. No one else will do it for you. Neglecting yourself will burn you out and leave you unable to perform. Do this job from your heart. Refrain from getting too caught up in negativity. Take pride in the effort you put into any given day.
Why We Celebrate Our Award Winners
Every year, our leadership team highlights standout individuals across our communities with internal recognition through the Pegasus Senior Living Awards. These honors acknowledge team members who go above expectations to ensure residents live with dignity, comfort, and care.
Each winner represents our shared mission to create award-winning senior living communities — places that offer high-quality independent living, assisted living, and memory care. Their work reflects what Pegasus stands for:
We celebrate and enhance all lives with kindness and integrity.
Find an Award-Winning Senior Living Community
To learn more about our independent living, assisted living, and Connections memory care program — and see why our communities are home to award winners like these — find a Pegasus Senior Living community near you.