Meet Our Latest ACE Leadership Program Grads!

The 10th cohort of VNSNY’s Achieving a Culture of Excellence (ACE) Leadership Program was slated to begin in March of last year—just as New York, and the majority of the world, was shutting down due to the pandemic. But the program and its participants were quick to adapt: After delaying for a few months to focus on the needs of VNSNY’s patients and staff, ACE kicked off in July 2020, entirely remote and ready to tackle the new world of COVID-19.

“This year’s ACE participants came together in the midst of unprecedented challenges and stress, both in their personal and professional lives,” says ACE program director and VNSNY Organizational Development Specialist Amanda Weiner. “I believe that 2020 has changed every one of us, and I was so proud to see how the participants supported one another, stretched and pushed themselves, and showed up for VNSNY.”

The group’s ACE commencement ceremony was held via live stream on March 4th. It featured remarks from Dan Savitt, President and CEO; Marian Haas, SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer; and Andrew Wise, VP, Talent Management & Organizational Development. To view a recording of the ceremony, click on the screen below.

Including this year’s 29 graduates, 250 VNSNY staff members, representing every area of the organization, have now completed the ACE program. The program, which began in 2004, is highly competitive and participants must be nominated by senior leadership based on their leadership qualities and desire to grow at VNSNY.

“The ACE program is unique,” says participant Paula Farquharson, Hospice Team Manager. “It’s geared toward up-and-coming leaders of our organization who already possess certain qualities and skill sets [that will be] beneficial for positively growing and promoting our organization.” To help these future leaders develop their leadership competencies and strengthen their understanding of VNSNY’s goals and organizational systems, ACE provides six to nine months of in-depth workshops. In these sessions, participants explore strategic leadership, delegation, executive presence, communication, lean leadership, change management, organizational and marketplace acumen, and self-awareness.

“ACE was like a lightning round of brilliant advice from subject matter experts in growth and leadership,” says graduate Valerio Bruscianelli, Clinical Support Operations Manager of VNSNY Care360° Solutions. “Learning from my peers and our senior leaders was like an abbreviated work rotation program across all of VNSNY.”

In addition, participants were matched with a leadership coach for one-on-one sessions designed to help them meet their personal goals, such as education, time management, and boundary setting. This coaching element was enhanced for the course’s latest virtual version, and the curriculum of the program was also reimagined to reflect the up-to-date concerns and research in the healthcare leadership space, as well as the social awakening of 2020. New workshops included “Building Leadership Resilience,” which provided strategies for times of crisis and recovery, and “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workforce,” which focused on effective cross-cultural communication and understanding. The latter, designed specifically for VNSNY’s ACE program, aims to create “a culture of empathy, cohesiveness, and integrity,” according to Andrew Wise.

Long-standing workshops were revised, too. One example is a workshop that helps participants improve their communication and presentation skills. “Obviously, this year we focused on how you show up and communicate in a remote world,” Amanda says of the workshop.

“We learned to shift our skill set and grow with what was happening throughout the world,” notes ACE participant Debra Thomas, Associate Director, Children’s Services, Community Mental Health Services. “Virtual communication became everything.”

The social and support aspect of the program — an unwritten but invaluable takeaway — thankfully survived the switch to virtual, as well. In fact, participants communicated weekly throughout the first three months of the pandemic, building connections even in advance of the program’s kickoff. In late May, they began meeting in informal sessions that served as a safe place to unpack what the pandemic has meant for them, both as professionals and human beings.

“Many of the participants have never met each other in person, but even so they were able to build strong relationships and trust,” says Amanda. “What resulted was personal and professional growth for all of us, and a support network we will take with us forever.”

That network includes previous ACE participants, for connecting the current cohort with VNSNY’s ACE alumni is an essential part of the program. “The ACE alums who joined us on Zoom were so passionate about their experience, and every single one said the relationships they built with their peers was the most valuable part of ACE,” Valerio says.

“Attending during a pandemic, I was skeptical. I felt that ACE 2020 would somehow be cheated,” adds Debra. “My experience has been the total opposite. ACE 2020 helped me redevelop my skills as a leader, as I provide virtual encouragement to staff and telehealth to the community we serve.”

Paula agrees. “Thanks to what I’ve learned, I will continue to positively affect my team and organization by being supportive, transparent, and approachable,” she says. “ACE is a very powerful program.”

Here are VNSNY’s 2020–2021 ACE Leadership Program Graduates! Kudos, Grads!

Karema Abdel-Gleil, Legal

Alejandro Acosta, Development

Carrvella Baker, Human Resources

Valarie Brockington, CHHA Home Care Services

Valerio Bruscianelli, VNSNY Care360° Solutions

Habeebah Baksh, Revenue Cycle Department

Melissa Cambio, Hospice Volunteer Program Services

Lauren Campbell, Security and Safety

Monica Cayemitte, CHHA Home Care Services

Richard Chow, Partners in Care

Shiara D’Costa, CHOICE SelectHealth

Mario DeIudicibus, Finance

Paula Farquharson, Hospice

Georgann Gilbert, CHOICE MLTC

Samantha Greenberg, CHOICE Finance

Chelsea Hall, Community Mental Health Services

Allison Hancu, Partners in Care

Madhu Karri, Information Technology

Geraldine Kauffman, Compliance

Esmeralda Kila-Lapa, Quality Care Management

Elizabeth Kislik, Strategy, Performance, and Innovation

Jennifer Lo, Business Development

Chantal Louisma, CHOICE Quality Management

Harivony Rakotoarivelo, CHOICE Business Intelligence and Analytics (BIA)

Robert Rauschenbach, CHOICE Enterprise Contact Center

Daisy Rivera, ESPIRIT Medical Care

Gregg Sarra, CHOICE Product

Debra Thomas, Community Mental Health Services

Milena Zaprianova, Hospice