Michelle Haefner, Bethesda, Named to 50 for Next 50
Recognizing Forward-Looking Influential Leaders Transforming Older Adult Services
Michelle Haefner, President and CEO at Bethesda has been named to LeadingAge Minnesota’s 50 for the Next 50. 50 for the Next 50 recognizes innovative and influential leaders who are charting the course for the next wave of older adult services that will empower Minnesotans to age well and live fully.
“50 for the Next 50 are pioneers, challenging the status quo to transform and enhance the experience of aging” said Gayle Kvenvold, President and CEO, LeadingAge Minnesota. “These leaders are making forward-looking innovations in service delivery, elevating the profession of caregiving and best preparing Minnesota for the future needs of its aging population. We are energized by what lies ahead with the mix of these experienced and next generation leaders at the helm.”
The 50 for the Next 50 represent a broad array of professionals who work on behalf of older adults in senior living, adult day services, home care and skilled nursing as well as organizations that support long term services and support throughout Minnesota.
Haefner was unanimously nominated for this award by Bethesda’s Board of Directors and Bethesda’s team of employees. They noted that her leadership and vision has been instrumental in the enhancement of residential services and the momentous growth of community based services for seniors throughout West Central Minnesota. Her ardent focus towards nurturing relationships with families, community organizations, faith communities and her staff to ensure residents, tenants and clients are engaged and their holistic needs are met in whatever setting they call home.
Recently, Haefner has worked diligently with Bethesda’s Board of Directors, and their expansive team, to continue their significant building project through the renovation of a new Town Center in the heart of their care campus. This newly designed space will create destination areas designed to bring the experience of the outside community inside the walls of the campus. This project follows the historic campus merger of Bethesda’s skilled nursing facilities into one comprehensive campus, which was completed in 2016.
Haefner’s passion for enriching the lives of seniors and advocating for independence in every setting of life has been a driving force behind changing the narrative of aging services in rural Minnesota.
The 50 for Next 50 were recognized as part of LeadingAge Minnesota’s 50th Anniversary. Founded in 1967, LeadingAge Minnesota is the state’s largest association of organizations serving older adults. Together with more than 50,000 caregivers, our members provide quality, compassionate services and support to nearly 70,000 older adults every day in all the places they call home.