Editor’s Note: McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care are profiling the McKnight’s 2024 Women of Distinction honorees daily from July 1 to Aug. 13. For additional McKnight’s Women of Distinction content, visit this page.

Sharon Wilson’s path to becoming a chief clinical officer at Cassia was unorthodox, but her determination to serve others never wavered throughout the journey. 

After completing her undergraduate degree in theology in 1980, she first worked as a Catholic worker in New York City serving the homeless and those suffering from mental illness, after which she worked with severely mentally handicapped adults in Philadelphia at both Special People in the Northeast and Jeanes Hospital. Those experiences inspired her to get a nursing degree at the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated in 1988. 

She has been at Cassia for 34 years and oversees the clinical operations and compliance program for more than 50 sites serving older adults in five states in a variety of aging services programs, including skilled nursing, assisted living, hospice and adult day centers. Her steady presence has helped the organization navigate mergers, provide innovative care and develop the next generation of nurses.

“Although she has been with the company for 34 years, Sharon has never wanted to be in the limelight — always casting the focus on others,” her nominators said. “Passionate about developing others and sharing her skills, she is constantly focused on collaboration and growth. Perpetually positive and driven by an internal ‘can-do’ attitude, Sharon has never met a problem she couldn’t tackle with gusto! Sharon has a profound ability to work through many facets of the spectrum of nursing and healthcare, from those on the streets to those in homes. She can synthesize all aspects, bringing about unity with integrity.” 

More about Wilson: 

  • In 2024, Wilson will be traveling to Kenya with LeadingAge Minnesota, and state Rep. Mohamud Noor to establish a partnership for Kenyan registered nurses to work in Minnesota senior living communities. 
  • Her activist mother and educator father kickstarted her interest in social justice issues. 
  • She advanced her career at Augustana Care with additional nursing degrees and moved into administration as an infection control nurse, director of quality improvement and chief compliance officer before the organization merged with Elim Care to become Cassia Care. 

The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care. Healthcare Services Group was the Platinum sponsor of this year’s McKnight’s Women of Distinction Awards and Forum. PointClickCare was the Gold sponsor, and PharMerica was the Silver sponsor. Other sponsors included Curana Health, DirecTV for Business, Easyshifts, Hireology, Reliant Rehabilitation, ShiftKey and Sentrics.

Visit this web page to see lists of honorees from 2024 and previous years.