WOMAN TO WATCH

FEATURE womantowatch

keisha ellis

LKNW RECOGNIZES A WOMAN DOING EXCEPTIONAL WORK IN THE LAKE NORMAN COMMUNITY, A LEADER WHO IS PAVING THE WAY TO CHANGING OUR ATTITUDES AND INSPIRING CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE.

KEISHA ELLIS

CADENCE HUNTERSVILLE

on LESSONS RECEIVED: When my grandmother died, it felt like I lost both my mother and grandmother at the same time … she inspired me and truly taught me how to navigate life. She only had an 8th grade education and had to make the decision to help support her family financially. Despite that, she still managed to teach me things that an education doesn’t always impart—such as to carry myself with respect and dignity … and to strive each day to be better than the day before. She showed tough love and taught me that life will throw some curve balls that sometimes hit you and cause you to fall, but the key is to get back up and keep striving no matter what.

on FAMILY GRATITUDE: Thankfully I have a very supportive family and they understand the industry. I make sure that I never miss activities that involve my kids because you can never get that time back … and being a mother is my #1 job! I am also married to a very amazing man named Mike. If you try to come up with a list that demonstrates the most perfect life partner, he will exceed it. He knows what I need before I do, and he pushes me to be a better version of myself.

on ANSWERING THE CALL: I truly believe my career chose me and I followed. A friend introduced me to assisted living, and after being in sales for a year, I was promoted to operations and became an Assisted Living Administrator. With a master’s in psychology, I never thought about being a part of assisted living but after I got a glimpse into the industry, I was open to the idea. My willingness to try something different led me to a career that I absolutely love. I want to change how families feel about choosing assisted living. It’s so difficult to make the decision to put complete faith and trust into someone else’s hands, and I want them to see that our team takes great pride in caring for their family … like they are our own!

on FAITH, STRENGTH, AND HOPE: I was a teenage mother, and I promised myself early on that I would not let that hinder me from achieving my goals. I always wanted to show my children that nothing that I faced would cause their needs or wants to be sacrificed. I want to be a constant example to them that they can accomplish whatever they desire. When I was pursuing my master’s degree, I was working a full-time job, coaching high school cheerleading, directing my church youth choir, and my son was playing AAU basketball. I was so determined to obtain that degree that I literally would sleep two hours, take online courses, and complete assignments while the kids were asleep. My husband was on the road a lot at the time, so it was just me and the kids, but we made it happen and everyone cheered me on as I crossed that finish line and got my degree. w

Keisha Ellis is the Executive Director at Cadence Huntersville located at 250 Commerce Centre Drive in Huntersville. You can reach Keisha and her team at 704.875.6100 or visit today at www.cadencesl.com.