Infinity Rehab Director Accepted into the Washington LeadingAge Leadership Academy

Congratulations to Andrea Matrone, MA, CCC-SLP, Area Rehab Director on her recent acceptance into the Leadership Academy of the Washington LeadingAge chapter. Read her story below.
I was honored and excited when my supervisor discussed the option of me applying for the 2016 Leading Age Leadership Academy. Although extremely excited at the thought of being included in this amazing experience, it can also be overwhelming to think of being a part of this on top of our already hectic jobs and family life. However, after some thought and discussion, I knew I had the support of my family and Infinity Rehab and was encouraged to apply to this program.
The application process was fairly straight forward. I had to receive a signature of sponsorship from Infinity Rehab, which my supervisor gladly gave me. I also had to ask and receive a letter of recommendation for the application portfolio. Although, my supervisor was more than willing to complete this recommendation, she also encouraged me to ask of one of my customers, an administrator of one of my largest programs. I was hesitant, since I am still less than a year into my role as an Area Rehab Director and still developing relationships, however I did ask him, and he was more than willing to give me the recommendation (whew).
There was also an essay portion to the application. At first, the 3 questions asked seemed like no problem, however fitting it into one page was harder than I thought it would be.
In one page, I described the qualities I currently possess that make me a leader, described an accomplishment as a leader thus far in my career, and finally, if I were chosen for this academy, how would I take my development as a leader and use it for the greater good of continuing to be a leader in the community of aging services.
I am humbled to be a part of this amazing group of professional leaders providing quality care to our aging population in the state of Washington. I look forward to meeting and getting to know people from all background and education. I know I will learn and expand my horizons as a leader to my teams, as well as reciprocate some of my skills and experiences in therapy leadership to others.
Not only will I experience great professional development, I am confident I will be taken on a personal growth journey that will benefit both my personal and professional relationships over my lifetime. I look forward to sharing my experiences this year to all the wonderful therapists I work alongside every day.