[Tampa, FL] – Argentum is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Hero Awards, honoring extraordinary professionals in senior living whose dedication and actions have profoundly impacted the lives of residents, families, and their communities.
Each year, the Hero Awards shine a spotlight on the compassion, leadership, and excellence that define the senior living profession.
Hero Awards: Honoring Individual Excellence
The Hero Awards have been reimagined to spotlight individuals whose extraordinary work is shaping the future of senior living and making a profound impact on residents, staff, and local communities. This year, four dynamic award categories reflect the core values that drive excellence in the industry:
- Community Leadership Award – Recognizes an executive director who has demonstrated remarkable leadership in managing and fostering an engaged, supportive senior living environment.
- Emergency Response Leadership Award – Honors an individual who has shown extraordinary resilience and swift decision-making in protecting and supporting seniors during crises.
- Heart of Service Award – Celebrates a devoted team member whose long-term dedication and compassion have positively influenced residents, coworkers, and the community at large.
- Passion & Purpose Award – Highlights an employee whose innovative work, whether through a new service, program, or community connection, has made a lasting impact on resident experience and local engagement.
2025 Winners
This year’s winners exemplify the highest standards of service and commitment:
- Purpose & Passion Award: Kasey Larsen, Programming Director at Benchmark Senior Living, was honored for creating an innovative expressive arts therapy program that inspires joy, connection, and personal growth among residents. From building her own group weaving loom to launching intergenerational and graduate-level internship programs, Kasey’s creativity and leadership have transformed life enrichment at The Falls.
- Heart of Service Award: Rehana Tariq, Resident Assistant at Era Living, for her unwavering 33-year commitment to compassionate care that has shaped the very heart of her community. Revered by residents, families, and colleagues alike, Rehana leads with quiet strength, offering dignity, comfort, and mentorship that exemplifies caregiving as a true calling.
- Emergency Response Awards:
- Rhonda Rakes, Administrator at Yadkin Valley Senior Living, for her extraordinary bravery and leadership during Hurricane Helene, when she led a team through blocked roads and downed power lines to deliver critical supplies to an isolated sister community. Refusing to give up despite every obstacle, Rhonda stayed on-site to support exhausted staff and ensure residents were safe—an act of selfless heroism that likely prevented a far worse outcome.
- Betty Murrell, Community Driver at Atria Senior Living, for her extraordinary courage and composure during a fast-moving wildfire evacuation. As the only driver able to reach the threatened community, Betty worked tirelessly to evacuate residents through hurricane-force winds and dense smoke—twice—ensuring each person’s safety with strength, compassion, and unwavering bravery.
- Community Leadership Award: Traci Colvin, Executive Director at Anthem Memory Care, for her unwavering commitment to both resident well-being and team empowerment. From transforming the life of a resident with complex behavioral needs to mentoring staff with hands-on guidance and compassion, Traci’s leadership fosters a culture of trust, inclusion, and excellence that sets her community apart.
“These individuals are heroes in every sense of the word,” said James Balda, President and CEO of Argentum. “They represent the heart of our industry, and we are honored to recognize their outstanding contributions to senior living.”
The 2025 Hero Awards were presented during a special ceremony at the Senior Living Executive Conference, powered by HMP Global, celebrating the extraordinary people who make senior living communities vibrant, safe, and meaningful places to call home. Learn more about the contributions of this year’s winners.
About Argentum:
Argentum is the leading national association exclusively dedicated to supporting companies operating professionally managed, resident-centered senior living communities and the older adults and families they serve. Since 1990, Argentum has advocated for choice, independence, dignity, and quality of life for all older adults.
Argentum member companies operate senior living communities offering assisted living, independent living, continuing care, and memory care services. Along with its state partners, Argentum’s membership represents approximately 75 percent of the senior living industry—an industry with a national economic impact of nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars and responsible for providing over 1.6 million jobs. For more information, visit www.argentum.org.
About HMP Global:
For 40 years, the company has built trusted brands including Psych Congress, the premier source for mental health education, and the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC), the largest wound care meeting in the world. HMP Global partners with leading experts around the world to deliver more than 450 annual events, medical strategy and marketing for pharmaceutical and medical device customers through HMP Collective, and pharmaceutical market insight, engaging a global community of healthcare stakeholders that includes nearly 2 million clinicians across 600 medical specialties as well as managed care, behavioral health, senior living, emergency medical, and pharmaceutical commercialization professionals.
Media Contact:
Stephanie Robert
Vice President, Marketing, Content and Member Services
Argentum
[email protected]
