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2025 Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum

Sep 16-19, 2025, Grand View Lodge

Join us for our premier leadership event, happening September 16–19 at the stunning Grand View Lodge in Nisswa.

The LeadingAge Minnesota Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum is the top conference for aging services leaders in our region. It’s a chance to gain top-tier education, hear from national experts, and dive into strategic, innovative conversations that explore what’s next for the future of aging services. This conference is designed to help you step back from the daily grind, shift your focus to the big picture, and explore new ideas for progress and growth.

Held in a peaceful setting, the Annual Meeting provides the perfect environment to recharge, find inspiration, and engage in meaningful discussions with colleagues old and new. This year’s conference will feature a blend of insightful content, networking opportunities, and enjoyable moments to unwind.

For our newer members, you may be wondering, “Who attends the Annual Meeting? Is this event for me?” This exclusive conference is tailored for executive-level leaders, regional managers, and site leaders in aging services. You’ll meet business owners, CEOs, COOs, CFOs, HR directors, regional and site leaders, along with our Business Partner members and sponsors. It’s the perfect place for those looking for innovative, strategic solutions to drive their organizations forward and engage in valuable conversations with peers.

Grand View Lodge, located on the scenic Gull Lake, offers a wealth of amenities including two championship golf courses, the relaxing Glacial Waters Spa, exceptional dining, and some of the finest accommodations in Minnesota.

We can’t wait to see you in September!

Registration is now open!

Brochure

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Event Schedule

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Location

Grand View Lodge

23521 Nokomis Ave

Nisswa, Minnesota 56468

Directions

Session Schedule

New to Annual Meeting? We invite you to join other newer members over breakfast for a casual conversation and overview of the Annual Meeting experience – the sessions, activities, and networking opportunities available throughout the week. No pre-registration needed, but you must be a registered guest at Grand View Lodge on Tuesday evening or purchase a meal ticket when completing your conference registration with LeadingAge Minnesota.

Sponsored by Minnesota Exteriors Commercial

Wednesday Sessions

Welcome and Opening Keynote

Sep 17, 9:00am - 11:30am

Courage at Work: How to Take More Risks and Own Your Brilliance

An organization’s ability to reach its highest level of excellence comes down to one thing: its people — courageously owning their brilliance, in both typical and transitional times. But, when professionals consider rejection, judgement or failure as potential outcomes, they can find it difficult to act with courage — opting instead for safety and limited growth. In this leadership development program, participants learn a process for how to manage fear, activate personal courage, and take worthwhile risks, so they can foster courageous leadership and fuel organizational growth.

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

- Identify three key components in the development and activation of courage.

- Convert those components into a process that prepares them to evaluate risks from insight, instead of insecurity.

- Leverage that process when opportunities arise for them to step outside of their comfort zone and demonstrate their brilliance.

- Equip themselves with tools and strategies to courageously speak up — with divergent ideas, feedback, and opinions.

Wednesday Concurrent Sessions 1 - 2p.m.

#1 – Create a Courage-Ready Culture™

Sep 17, 1:00pm - 2:00pm

- Follow the courage process employees undergo to prepare themselves to own their brilliance at work.
- Identify key opportunities within that process to deliberately engage and support their teams in taking worthwhile risks.
- Apply key strategies to those opportunities that, when repeated, start to create a culture where employees are engaged, ready, willing and able to courageously speak up, step up and show up.

#2 – Strategies for Sourcing and Sustaining Quality Clinical Staff

Sep 17, 1:00pm - 2:00pm

#3 – Turning Data into Direction: Reimaging Sr. Care with Business Intelligence

Sep 17, 1:00pm - 2:00pm

- Understand the role of data and transparency in transforming senior care data into actionable insights.
- Identify key use cases where data driven business intelligence enhances decision-making.
- Using data/analytics to produce a more “balanced scorecard” that emphasizes organizational priorities well beyond the narrower approach of survey and financial results.

Wednesday Concurrent Sessions 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.

#4 – Navigating Federal Value-Based Care Programs

Sep 17, 2:15pm - 3:15pm

- Understand the structure and goals of federal value-based programs like the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) and Skilled Nursing Facility Quality (SNF QRP) programs.
- Examine how clinical outcomes, readmission rates, and quality reporting influence facility rankings, financial incentives, and penalties under these models.
- Discuss leadership's role in establishing an effective QAPI program to address quality issues that impact quality measures and reimbursement.

#5 – Talent Development Plans

Sep 17, 2:15pm - 3:15pm

#6 – Voices That Matter: Supporting Long-Term Care Residents in Advocacy

Sep 17, 2:15pm - 3:15pm

Thursday Sessions

Annual Business Meeting

Sep 18, 8:00am - 9:00am

Leader to Leader Panel: Courageous Thinking

Sep 18, 9:15am - 10:15am

Join an energizing and thought-provoking panel discussion where bold ideas meet real-world innovation. In this dynamic session, seasoned leaders in long-term care will come together to share how they are embracing courageous thinking to tackle the field’s most pressing and complex challenges. This session offers a front-row seat to the conversations shaping the next chapter of long-term care.

From workforce transformation and financial sustainability to culture change and technology integration, panelists will highlight the strategies and standout programs they’ve implemented to stay ahead of the curve. Expect candid dialogue, fresh perspectives, and actionable insights as these leaders reflect on what it takes to reimagine the future of aging services.

Thursday Concurrent Sessions 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

#7 – Advocacy and Public Relations in the Evolving Federal Landscape

Sep 18, 10:30am - 11:30am

#8 – Primary Care at the Doorstep: Onsite Models in Long-Term Care

Sep 18, 10:30am - 11:30am

- Explore various approaches to delivering primary care directly within long-term care communities.
- Understand how onsite primary care can improve resident outcomes, reduce hospitalizations, streamline medication management, and enhance interdisciplinary communication.
- Identify practical considerations necessary for successfully launching or collaborating with an onsite primary care provider.

#9 – Boosting Personal Productivity for Leaders: Leveraging Tech and Processes

Sep 18, 10:30am - 11:30am

- Identify technology tools and digital workflows that support executive productivity in long-term care leadership.
- Examine real-world strategies and outcomes from leaders who have streamlined operations using practical tech solutions.
- Develop a personalized plan to implement technology and process improvements aligned with your leadership responsibilities and organizational context.

Thursday Concurrent Sessions 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

#10 – Immigration Reform and the Future of the Long-Term Care Workforce

Sep 18, 1:00pm - 2:00pm

#11 – Working with your Managed Care Organization

Sep 18, 1:00pm - 2:00pm

- Understand the key elements of contract negotiation with Managed Care Organization (MCOs) to secure fair and compliant agreements.
- Develop strategies for building collaborative and transparent relationships with MCO representatives to improve communication and service coordination.
- Discuss operational best practices for ongoing monitoring and performance evaluation of MCO agreements.

#12 – Proactive Legal and Risk Strategies for Long-Term Care Defense

Sep 18, 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Thursday Concurrent Sessions 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.

#13 - Strategic Integration and Efficiency of AI in Long-Term Care Operations

Sep 18, 2:15pm - 3:15pm

#14 – From Rates to Reporting: Key FY 2026 Changes

Sep 18, 2:15pm - 3:15pm

Friday Sessions

Effective Leadership Communication in Times of Change

Sep 19, 9:00am - 11:00am

The session’s focus:

- The importance of building reputational equity well in advance of any crisis or challenging situation.
- A mindset centered on being reasonable and responsible, recognizing that organizations are not expected to be perfect, but to respond with integrity and clarity.
- How to create an actionable crisis/change communication plan, including identifying key messages, determining who needs to be informed, and preparing effective spokespeople.
- Communicating efficiently and effectively with media, staff, residents, families, and the public.
- Group work using real-world scenarios will allow participants to apply the concepts discussed and share strategies with the larger group for collaborative learning.

Key Learnings:

- Know how to quickly gather information and distil details into a concise and effective set of messages.
- Gather best practices for constructing a useable crisis communication plan.
- Create a culture of effective communication within your organization.

2025 Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum

Sep 16-19, 2025, Grand View Lodge

Session Schedule

Golf

Tuesday Sessions

Wednesday Breakfast

Wednesday Sessions

Wednesday Concurrent Sessions 1 - 2p.m.

Wednesday Concurrent Sessions 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.

Thursday Sessions

Thursday Concurrent Sessions 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Thursday Concurrent Sessions 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Thursday Concurrent Sessions 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.

Friday Sessions