For more than 20 years, Lee Ann has had the privilege to work with Florida’s senior living care and services community, developing extensive expertise in rules, laws, and policy affecting assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Through daily consultations, Lee Ann has assisted staff directors and leadership through the investigatory survey process, emphasizing regulatory clarity and resident focus. In working with communities, Lee Ann has guided successful communications with regulatory stakeholders and has advanced provider’s policy, training, and compliance efforts.  In her role as a Lobbyist for 15 years, Lee Ann worked with senior living leaders and the Legislature to shape policy supportive of quality of care and organizational sustainability.  

Lee Ann’s emergency preparedness background includes a lead role in the development of the National Nursing Home Incident Command System and related FEMA-compliant tools and resources for both skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. She has trained nationally on Emergency Operations Planning for senior care and service providers and has worked at Florida’s State Emergency Operations Center to support providers during emergency events.  Lee Ann enjoys speaking with senior living and long-term care audiences on trending policy issues and sharing national emergency preparedness concepts for health care provider groups.

Lee Ann holds a degree in Information Studies from Florida State University and has worked as a certified nursing assistant as part of her continued personal learning. Her experience on the front line as a CNA in a hospital’s long-term care unit provided a unique and valuable foundation for her professional work in long-term care policy, education, and training.  An appointee to the Florida Department of Health’s CNA Council for 4 years, she also served as liaison to the Florida Board of Nursing becoming familiar with scope of practice issues and administrative law processes.