Leading With Heart: Deidre Kinsey’s Inspiring Journey to CEO of Brazos Presbyterian Homes, Inc.
While flipping through a college course catalog as a university student, Deidre Kinsey discovered her calling for senior living in the health care administration major. At the time, she was a physical therapy major and considered transitioning to speech therapy. But when she read about long-term care and gerontology her career path became crystal clear. “I shut the book and yelled up to my mother, ‘I know what I want to be when I grow up!’”
Deidre’s fondness for older adults began even earlier when she grew up in a Cleveland suburb and formed a close bond with her grandparents. “They were my favorite people. As a little girl, I would run around to all their retired neighbors, sit on their porches while they watered their flowers, and chit-chat with them.”
Her recent promotion to Chief Executive Officer of Brazos Presbyterian Homes, Inc. is the culmination of what she has always considered her life’s purpose. “I love what I do and the feeling of making a difference in the lives of others — it’s who I am,” she said. “My genuine passion for serving seniors and my job align perfectly.”
A New Chapter at Brazos Presbyterian Homes
After two years as Chief Operating Officer, Deidre now leads Brazos Presbyterian Homes’ three Life Plan Communities: Brazos Towers at Bayou Manor and The Hallmark in Houston, and Longhorn Village in Austin. Succeeding Sheryl Callahan, who’s been CEO since 2002, Deidre brings vast experience and an innovative approach to the not-for-profit organization.
In her new role, she aims to create a cohesive, multisite organization by leveraging each community’s strengths, combining resources and unifying policies. One of her priorities is building a strong pipeline of administrators and leaders, focusing on developing skills and sharing knowledge and best practices across all locations.
Deidre is excited to work with three “phenomenal” executive directors — Megan Lublin at Brazos Towers, Tim List at The Hallmark and Nichole Ulrich at Longhorn Village — leaders dedicated to building a positive and collaborative environment.
“Our residents are smart, successful and have high expectations,” she said. “We want to exceed those every day and elevate our senior living communities to a level of service and care not found anywhere else.”
Three Decades of Transformative Leadership
A standout across the senior living industry, Deidre is known for her mastery of operations, strategic planning and financial management. With not-for-profit and for-profit roles spanning from HR director and nursing administrator to assisted living executive and CEO, she’s driven financial turnarounds, streamlined operations, enhanced care quality and boosted resident satisfaction. Her accomplishments include reaching nearly 100% occupancy in independent living, securing Medicare’s 5-star rating for skilled nursing, and successfully leading communities through complex transitions and expansions.
While pursuing her bachelor’s degree in health care administration at Ohio University, she interned in the HR department at one of the first assisted Alzheimer’s units, which also offered skilled nursing and rehabilitation services, all while working as a certified nursing assistant to support herself. “I became a caregiver in my early 20s and learned a lot about patient care and people’s desire to control their destiny,” she said.
As CEO and Executive Director of Longhorn Village for 12 years, Deidre directed a financial turnaround, surpassed bond covenants and elevated independent living occupancy. Additionally, she transitioned the community to a self-managed model and introduced a corporate risk and compliance program while championing clinical and health programs to enhance resident and employee satisfaction.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she focused on staff well-being, even opening an on-site store for essentials like lunch meat and toilet paper. “One of my main concerns was caring for our team and helping them develop healthy coping skills so they could take care of our residents,” she said.
During her nearly two decades with Life Care Services®, Deidre served as a financial and compliance “fixer” for various senior living communities nationwide. A career highlight was her first executive director role in a small Oregon town, where the borderline bankruptcy in a court-appointed receivership of the second-largest employer made headlines. “At just 30 years old, I had to make tough decisions, but the residents were incredibly supportive,” she said.
Although Deidre loved and poured her heart into each community, her role often required her to move on after achieving turnarounds. Her unique skill set in helping struggling organizations provided her with a deep understanding of community dynamics and compassion, while her experience as a mom further shaped her empathy.
“I remember searching for childcare for my daughter, Sydney, and crying in the car, realizing how vulnerable people must feel when deciding what to do for their aging parents,” she said.
Never Stop Learning: A Core Belief
Throughout her personal and professional life, Deidre has embraced continuous growth. “Lifelong learning is essential at every stage of life,” she said. “You can achieve your best self by constantly challenging yourself; continuous learning is part of that process.”
While at Longhorn Village, she introduced a Lifelong Learning program, also known as Inquiring Minds, so intellectually curious residents could share life experiences and pursue continuing education courses. Before the pandemic, Deidre began a master’s program in Senior Living Hospitality through the University of Southern California’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology in collaboration with Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration. At the time, her daughter disliked middle school, and since Deidre also initially didn’t enjoy being a student, pursuing this advanced degree was a chance to demonstrate the value of education to her.
In her favorite class on current issues in aging services management, Deidre wrote a paper on using robots to support staffing needs in senior living. This led Longhorn Village to become one of the first senior living communities to purchase and use a robot — dubbed Levo by residents — to deliver food.
“Our residents loved seeing Levo in action,” she said. “The robot greatly supported our teenage service staff members during the pandemic. It boosted their confidence, provided much-needed assistance and demonstrated an innovative solution to a workforce issue.”
Charting a Course Through the Silver Tsunami
Traditionally slow to adopt new practices, the senior living industry is now at the forefront of innovation, Deidre said, a shift driven by the 4.1 million people who will reach retirement age this year. The USC program introduced Deidre to new concepts and challenged her thinking around the ongoing “silver tsunami” of adults aged 65 and older.
“It pushed us to address the next generation’s demands, especially with the looming labor shortage and evolving needs of baby boomers,” she said. “We must be creative and proactive to stay ahead of the curve.”
Deidre said, this also involves changing the outdated image of nursing homes as clinical and depressing, viewing aging differently and honoring older people more. Showcasing the vibrant lives of residents and the positive aspects of senior living through branding, social media and service delivery can help accomplish this.
She also advocates for attracting more people to the senior living field through educational organizations. Longhorn Village’s partnerships with the University of Texas at Austin to bring pharmacy and social work students into the fold is helping raise awareness and interest in senior living careers.
A Career Path Influenced By Many
Deidre prides herself on recognizing that there’s more than one route to success. “Sometimes you need to take different paths, but you can still end up where you aimed to be,” she said. “It’s a fun journey, though not always easy, and I’ve been inspired by many people along the way.”
Her strong work ethic was influenced by her parents — her father, a truck driver, and her mother, a factory worker. Starting in middle school, she was a camp counselor for the city’s park and recreation department, and she held various jobs in high school and college. During breaks, she sported a brown UPS uniform, jumping out of trucks to deliver holiday packages amid Ohio’s freezing winters. Each job taught her valuable structure, standards and management lessons, culminating in her senior living career.
Deidre’s first time at a nursing home was with her elementary school choir, where she met an older man who said his family abandoned him. She didn’t know if what he said was true or if he had dementia, but it touched her heart and influenced her. Every year, she handwrites a happy birthday note to all the residents so no one feels forgotten.
Thanks to her USC instructor and longtime mentor, Momentum Senior Living COO Jim Biggs, Deidre also loves passing on her knowledge and guiding future leaders. “Jim approached leadership as a coach, not just a manager. He never took credit for achievements, always celebrating others’ contributions,” Deidre said. “He inspired me to lead with humility, offer unwavering support and encourage creativity. I want my team to be their best selves, which ultimately makes our communities thrive.”
Surrounding herself with residents who are “living history books” also inspires her. Throughout Deidre’s career, she’s met remarkable seniors whose lives are rich with stories of courage and sacrifice — from POWs and Normandy stormers to survivors of Pearl Harbor and the Holocaust.
Recently, Deidre ran into a Longhorn Village villa resident who said, “I just want you to know I’m really happy here. I love it here.” Moments like these, when residents are thriving and living their best lives, fill Deidre’s cup. “I wish I could go back and count all the lives I’ve touched and how many people have touched my life in meaningful ways,” she said.
Having It All — From Motherhood to CEO
Years ago, when a colleague told Deidre she couldn’t have it all, she replied, “You want to make a bet?” Today, Deidre feels she does have it all. Balancing motherhood with a career that impacts lives is rewarding. Her most cherished title is mother to Sydney, which she says embodies her best life. “My journey has never been lonely. I’m a people person who’s been supported by my communities, business partners, friends and family,” she said.
Fresh from graduating from USC and earning a promotion, Deidre will relocate to Houston for her new role this fall. In the meantime, she’s enjoying time with her daughter before she heads off to college in North Carolina and cuddles with the latest family member, a mini Bernedoodle pup named Teddy.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to have found my calling — it keeps me driven to propel organizations forward,” she said. “I’m grateful for the journey ahead at Brazos Presbyterian Homes. It’s taken 30 years to reach this point, but being CEO of a multisite organization is exactly where I’ve wanted to be.”