McMinnville, Ore. — May 12, 2022 — Today, Brenda Connelly, chief operating officer for The Springs Living has been inducted into the Hall of Honor in the McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards. Now in its fourth year, the program recognizes women who have made significant contributions to the senior living, skilled nursing, or home care professions or who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the fields.
“Brenda has that rare combination of being a big picture strategist while also having an impeccable standard for details that drive the quality outcomes for our staff and residents,” said The Springs Living Founder and CEO Fee Stubblefield. “But what really makes her stand out is how well she demonstrates her empathetic servant leadership style that’s so necessary in our profession.”
Connelly was appointed chief operating officer at The Springs Living in August 2020. In this role, she is responsible for all aspects of community operations, including facilities management, healthcare services, culinary services, sales, and marketing.
As chief operating officer, Connelly led the company-wide operational COVID response while working closely with statewide organizations, including serving on the Long-Term Care COVID Forum in Oregon and the Montana governor’s COVID Advisory Task Force. In 2021, she led community teams to regain six of the eight percent occupancy lost during the pandemic, while concurrently achieving and exceeding lease-up targets for three communities that opened at the start of the pandemic.
Connelly holds a master’s degree in quantitative management – health analytics from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. She also has a Bachelor of Science in nursing from North Dakota State University. Connelly serves on the Oregon Health Care Association Quality and Compliance Council, and she received a Special Services Award from Oregon Health Care Association in 2021.
McKnight’s Women of Distinction
“These inductees really stand out for the impact they have made on long-term care in general and on colleagues, residents, and clients in particular,” McKnight’s Editorial Director John O’Connor said.
Nominations were judged by an external panel of industry experts. All winners are being honored at an awards celebration on May 12, 2022, in Chicago, followed by an education forum where Connelly is a panelist speaker discussing the workforce challenges facing the nation. To see the full list of inductees, and for more information about the program, visit
www.mcknightswomenofdistinction.com.
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News is a business news brand serving leaders in the institutional long-term care field, focusing especially on the higher-needs skilled nursing setting. Collectively, readers are charged with providing quality eldercare services for more than 1.5 million residents each year.
The Springs Living
Based in McMinnville, Oregon,
The Springs Living owns and operates 18 senior living communities in Oregon and Montana, offering independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. Two additional communities are under development in Happy Valley, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington.
