Presbyterian Homes & Services Receives $12 Million Gift

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Jodi Boyne

Presbyterian Homes & Services (PHS) received a $12 million gift to establish and endow the Hugh K. and Margaret S. Schilling Leadership Institute, which aims to advance development of a highly competent workforce to meet needs related to the unprecedented aging of our population. 

The institute is named for its benefactors, Hugh K. Schilling and Margaret S. Schilling, who have had a long-term association with PHS. Schilling’s relationship with PHS crosses four decades, including serving as Board Chair and chairing the Executive Committee, Finance Committee and Strategic Growth Committee.   

Schilling and his wife Margaret (Peggy), who died in February 2017, began their relationship with PHS as children of residents. Their mothers, Ruth Schilling and Emogene Simmons, lived at Johanna Shores, the location of the first Presbyterian Home. 

“Our mothers received wonderful care, as did Peggy when we lived at Waverly Gardens [a PHS community located in North Oaks, MN]. After Peggy’s passing, I moved to Johanna Shores. In some ways, our connection with Presbyterian Homes & Services has come full circle,” Schilling said.

“We are grateful for Hugh’s commitment to endow the Hugh K. and Margaret S. Schilling Leadership Institute. Hugh has always emphasized the importance of effective leadership and employee development at every level. This gift will have a significant impact on improving the lives of older adults by investing in the people who care for them,” said Dan Lindh, President and CEO of PHS. 

Schilling, who serves as Chairman of the Board of Horton Holding Inc. in Roseville, is clear about the vision for this new Leadership Institute. “Getting leadership right is so important because without leadership any organization will not reach its full potential,” he said. 

The objective of the Leadership Institute is to develop high-capacity, biblically-grounded leaders who embody and extend the mission of PHS. Selected PHS employees participate in a cohort that combines intensive instruction, leadership coaching and hands-on learning. These leaders can, in turn, develop the potential of every PHS employee to strengthen the eldercare workforce and to help the state, region and nation think more deeply about aging issues. 

“I would like the Leadership Institute to provide PHS and its residents the quality of care that it is noted for and to be able to expand for the coming years as PHS continues to grow,” Schilling said.