Her warm and disarming personality seems a perfect fit for Michele Thomas’ relatively new position as executive vice president of Osborn Home Care, a business unit of the venerable Rye-based Osborn Retirement Community.
Home care, in a nutshell, has become a popular, growing segment of the health care market; an alternative to independent or assisted living communities. Of course, there is more to this aging-in-place phenomenon, just as there’s more to Thomas than her engaging demeanor.
One senior staffer, who has gotten to know her well during the 13 months she’s been at The Osborn, says, “She’s a home health care professional who knows how to grow our 20-year-old, well-established home care agency, among the largest private home care agencies in New York state, as well as our newest home care operation in Connecticut, into something special. She’s been working tirelessly to maximize the opportunity.”
One thing is certain: the Ohio-born executive didn’t give up her successful career on Florida’s West Coast in order to take advantage of the Northeast’s weather. “That’s for sure,” she laughs. “The weather here wasn’t exactly an incentive to join The Osborn, but I did manage to bring some Florida weather up north several days ago.”
I told her we all owe her for her largesse.
Turning serious, Thomas makes it clear that the opportunity she’s been handed is huge.
“We’re currently employing 340 home health aides and of those, just over 150 were vetted and hired in 2015. We’re growing and have great momentum in Connecticut and Westchester, but we’ll never sacrifice quality,” she explains.
That she feels the weight of her responsibilities is uncontestable. “I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to our clients, making sure we’re sending quality personnel to them, the kind I’d send to help my own parents. And, as far as our own people are concerned, I recognize that the onus is on me to make sure we’re all working together to improve our services on a daily basis.”
The more Thomas talks, the clearer it becomes that her job has become something of a love affair.
I asked her what she would have done differently earlier in her career if she knew then what she knows now. Her answer is worth noting, and worth remembering.
“Ignore the talk and the naysayers. Don’t worry if they like you; worry only about you liking you. Work harder at things that matter and spend less time on managing the process; sometimes things just have to get done, so do them.”
Next, I wondered aloud how her success—she was previously the president of Florida-based Home Health Services—has impacted her life.
Thoughtfully and carefully, she says, “Over the years, I’ve become a confident woman with direction and purpose, a passionate advocate for the needs of older adults. I’ve learned to be selective and do what I know is right. During my career, I’ve had as many as 400 employees reporting to me, either directly or indirectly. I feel a great joy when I get home knowing that, together, we made a significant difference today.”
Thomas admits that relocation has been difficult for her and her family. She says, “I have two wonderful children and a caring and supportive husband. We are adventure-seekers and we enjoy everything the New York area has to offer, from Broadway to apple-picking. Every opportunity to be together is a joy.”
And speaking of a joy, after interviewing her, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch for me to suggest that Thomas’s presence has become something of a joy to everyone at The Osborn.
