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!
Session Schedule
Golf
No description available
Tuesday Sessions
Sponsored by Northland Securities
Open to all Annual Meeting participants
Open to all Annual Meeting participants
Wednesday Breakfast
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
Sponsored by Minnesota Exteriors Commercial
Wednesday Sessions
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.
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.
Calling all puzzle enthusiasts! Put your puzzling skills to the test as teams work to complete their 300-piece puzzles. Prizes will be awarded to first and second place teams. Complimentary snacks and beverages will be provided.
8 – 8:30 p.m. Gather and build a team. Grab a drink and a snack before the main event starts!
8:30 – 10 p.m. Speed puzzling contest starts promptly at 8:30 p.m.
Sponsored by Colliers Securities | Colliers Mortgage
8 – 8:30 p.m. Gather and build a team. Grab a drink and a snack before the main event starts!
8:30 – 10 p.m. Speed puzzling contest starts promptly at 8:30 p.m.
Sponsored by Colliers Securities | Colliers Mortgage
Wednesday Concurrent Sessions 1 - 2p.m.
- 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.
- 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.
- Identify effective strategies for clinical staff recruitment.
- Examine approaches to clinical staff retention, focused on both early career and veteran nurses.
- Discuss best practices for professional development and ongoing training to engage clinical staff.
- Examine approaches to clinical staff retention, focused on both early career and veteran nurses.
- Discuss best practices for professional development and ongoing training to engage clinical staff.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
• Identify the components of a comprehensive nurse staffing strategy.
• Outline best practices to enhance the well-being, professional growth, and job satisfaction of
nursing staff to improve retention and performance.
• Discuss succession planning for nursing leadership positions from identifying potential leaders to
providing development opportunities and ensuring a smooth transition of roles.
• Outline best practices to enhance the well-being, professional growth, and job satisfaction of
nursing staff to improve retention and performance.
• Discuss succession planning for nursing leadership positions from identifying potential leaders to
providing development opportunities and ensuring a smooth transition of roles.
• Identify the range of services available to care for older adults where they call home.
• Describe the current landscape of care, where have we come from and what is the “future”.
• Discuss legislative and administrative developments from 2024 and possible future changes.
• Describe the current landscape of care, where have we come from and what is the “future”.
• Discuss legislative and administrative developments from 2024 and possible future changes.
Thursday Sessions
The Annual Business Meeting is an important function of the Association and membership. Please plan to attend for the election of officers and other important association business.
Hear from this year’s panel of leaders as they explore a wide range of topics including, but not limited to short- and long-term sustainability, organizational positioning, community engagement and partnerships, and growing emerging leaders.
The current workforce and economic constraints pose significant challenges to providing care to
older adults where and when they need it. By leveraging technology, we can create a more
flexible and responsive care model that better meets the needs of older adults.
• Examine the state of post-acute and long-term care within the healthcare continuum.
• Identify the opportunities and challenges of home health care from a technology and
workforce perspective.
• Discuss how long-term care organizations can begin considering technology solutions
and planning for the future of care.
older adults where and when they need it. By leveraging technology, we can create a more
flexible and responsive care model that better meets the needs of older adults.
• Examine the state of post-acute and long-term care within the healthcare continuum.
• Identify the opportunities and challenges of home health care from a technology and
workforce perspective.
• Discuss how long-term care organizations can begin considering technology solutions
and planning for the future of care.
Join us for a fun night of trivia hosted by Trivia Mafia. Compete with others testing your knowledge on
various trivia questions. Be prepared to use your noodle, not your Google. The trivia team that ends up
with the highest score is the winner, reaping bragging rights and a prize. Complimentary snacks and
beverages will be provided.
8 – 8:30 p.m. Gather and build a 3-to-5-person team. Grab a drink and a snack before the main event
starts!
8:30 – 10:30 p.m. Trivia starts promptly at 8:30 p.m.
Sponsored by Elim Preferred Services
various trivia questions. Be prepared to use your noodle, not your Google. The trivia team that ends up
with the highest score is the winner, reaping bragging rights and a prize. Complimentary snacks and
beverages will be provided.
8 – 8:30 p.m. Gather and build a 3-to-5-person team. Grab a drink and a snack before the main event
starts!
8:30 – 10:30 p.m. Trivia starts promptly at 8:30 p.m.
Sponsored by Elim Preferred Services
Thursday Concurrent Sessions 1 - 2 p.m.
• Distinguish between "work as imagined" (how processes are designed and documented) and
"work as done" (how processes are performed in real-world settings).
• Develop effective communication strategies and feedback loops that encourage staff to share
their challenges related to "work as done."
• Apply adaptive quality improvement techniques that bridge the gap ensuring that policies,
training, and resources align with the practical needs and constraints of staff.
"work as done" (how processes are performed in real-world settings).
• Develop effective communication strategies and feedback loops that encourage staff to share
their challenges related to "work as done."
• Apply adaptive quality improvement techniques that bridge the gap ensuring that policies,
training, and resources align with the practical needs and constraints of staff.
• Summarize the benefits and drawbacks of organic growth versus growth via agency
acquisitions.
• Identify possible partnership and joint venture structures for alternative service lines.
• Outline how to effectively integrate additional service lines to complement existing
offerings
acquisitions.
• Identify possible partnership and joint venture structures for alternative service lines.
• Outline how to effectively integrate additional service lines to complement existing
offerings
• Discover technology solutions that are making a significant impact in supporting staff and
improving resident care.
• Identify practical strategies for assessing readiness for new technologies and evaluating options.
• Discuss best practices for leading successful implementation of new technology solutions and
ensuring long-term success.
improving resident care.
• Identify practical strategies for assessing readiness for new technologies and evaluating options.
• Discuss best practices for leading successful implementation of new technology solutions and
ensuring long-term success.
Thursday Concurrent Sessions 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
• Identify the financial implications of new federal and state policies for nursing homes.
• Evaluate the costs included in increased staffing and wage levels that will impact your
organization.
• Discuss the components of a comprehensive financial plan to budget for these expenses.
• Evaluate the costs included in increased staffing and wage levels that will impact your
organization.
• Discuss the components of a comprehensive financial plan to budget for these expenses.
• Identify various payer mix strategies and their importance in the financial stability of Assisted
Living settings.
• Discuss best practices for using resident information and assessments to optimize your case mix.
• Develop strategies to align service offerings and resident mix with your financial goals.
Living settings.
• Discuss best practices for using resident information and assessments to optimize your case mix.
• Develop strategies to align service offerings and resident mix with your financial goals.
• Identify the benefits of offering home and community-based services (HCBS) for older adults.
• Discus challenges and opportunities providers face in adding new options to their service lines.
• Outline effective approaches for expanding HCBS delivery, including the integration of
technology and potential funding sources to serve the diverse needs of older adults and their caregivers.
• Discus challenges and opportunities providers face in adding new options to their service lines.
• Outline effective approaches for expanding HCBS delivery, including the integration of
technology and potential funding sources to serve the diverse needs of older adults and their caregivers.
Friday Sessions
Mission-Critical Leadership: How Smart Managers Lead Well in All Directions
Sep 20, 9:00am - 11:45am
Most leadership development focuses on a single direction within the organizational hierarchy:
downstream to subordinates. While it is important to be a good boss, leadership is much more than
that. The best leaders learn to lead well in all directions. They lead upward to superiors and across
among peers throughout the organization, as well as equipping their teams to do the same. And it all
starts with self-leadership. This often overlooked or misunderstood leadership principle is essential to
build a thriving and productive culture.
In this highly interactive workshop participants will:
• Discover self-leadership practices and strategies to develop in yourself.
• Examine how to effectively expand your influence beyond your direct reports to lead up and
across in your organization.
• Map out strategies to broaden your leadership impact and share your learning with your team
using a coaching worksheet.
Books will be available for sale after the presentation. All participants will be provided a down
downstream to subordinates. While it is important to be a good boss, leadership is much more than
that. The best leaders learn to lead well in all directions. They lead upward to superiors and across
among peers throughout the organization, as well as equipping their teams to do the same. And it all
starts with self-leadership. This often overlooked or misunderstood leadership principle is essential to
build a thriving and productive culture.
In this highly interactive workshop participants will:
• Discover self-leadership practices and strategies to develop in yourself.
• Examine how to effectively expand your influence beyond your direct reports to lead up and
across in your organization.
• Map out strategies to broaden your leadership impact and share your learning with your team
using a coaching worksheet.
Books will be available for sale after the presentation. All participants will be provided a down