Opening Doors

Ever since he was a kid, Alexi Wilcox wanted to do something big. Big like Roy Donahue “Don” Peebles, the real estate entrepreneur, author, and political activist that Black Enterprise named one of the “Business Trailblazers and Titans of Black America.” And big like Tyler Perry, the actor, playwright, filmmaker, and comedian that Forbes has listed as one of the highest-paid men in entertainment.

Alexi defines big as taking bold steps and not letting the world dictate how he thinks, acquiring the skills to help himself and others, and doing what’s right for the community while paving the way for others to do the same. Idols like Donahue and Perry inspired the Gainesville native and one of three children who lost his mother when he was 11 and moved around a lot in his early years (he attended seven elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools). But the credit for overcoming adversity goes entirely to Alexi, the 29-yearold previous executive director of the local Park Meadows Health and Rehabilitation Center, a 154-bed skilled nursing facility.

After his mother passed and without a relationship with his father at the time, Alexi moved in with his grandparents while his brothers went to live with other family members. Alexi’s grandparents expected him to work hard in school and stay out of trouble, and they allowed him to chart his course after he graduated from Gainesville High School in 2008. Alexi went right into a summer program at Santa Fe, where he became a student leader and earned his Associate of Arts degree. He then spent a year and a half working on his bachelor’s degree at the University of Central Florida (UCF) before returning home due to financial issues.

After he regrouped, he went to Florida A&M University and graduated with a degree in healthcare administration. Currently, Alexi is back at UCF, where he is pursuing his Executive Master of Health Administration degree — and working full-time at a sub-acute skilled nursing facility.

Alexi manages a multi-million-dollar budget and oversees a team of 225 employees, ranging from nurses and therapists to professionals in food and nutrition, environmental services, and administration. He spends a portion of his time in public relations, visiting at hospitals and attending community events, but what he finds most rewarding is connecting with his clientele.

“You don’t know their life until you sit with them,” he said. “I visit with them a few times a week, and I grow from their stories and use their experiences to create a better system.” One way Alexi works to improve life at his facility is by investing in his employees. “I believe in getting the right people on the bus and finding OPENING DOORS Story by: Jacki Donaldson

their seats later,” he said. “I focus on people, product, and then profit. I don’t always look for the most experienced person; I look for personality and passion because you can’t be in healthcare and not have passion and drive.”

Alexi also works to enhance the quality of life for his clientele. His greatest accomplishment to date is opening the doors to Park Meadows’ previously locked memory care unit as studies show that keeping patients confined leads to behavioral problems. “Opening the doors was the best thing I could have done so far in my short career,” Alexi said. “People are out and about, they seem happier, and they are more involved in activities. Another accomplishment was improving the overall operations at Park Meadows.

Giving back to the Gainesville community is also important to Alexi, who is a partner in Black Men United, an organization that sponsors annual backpack drives, youth seminars, and networking for the employed and unemployed. He also brings the

community inside his workplace. This year, he offered free back-to-school haircuts at Park Meadows for struggling families.

He is also affiliated with American College of Healthcare Leaders (ACHE), Florida Healthcare Association (FHCA), and National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE).

Alexi aims to one day become a CEO or COO for a healthcare organization. He also strives to maintain a healthy work-life balance. When he is not busy caring for others, he enjoys cooking and traveling, and he also cherishes time with his village, which now includes his father, with whom he has

been building a relationship for the past several years. Alexi values the wisdom he has gleaned from everyone who helped to raise him — his mother, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and his father. “I took a piece from everyone,” he said.

Alexi does not claim to have figured out everything during his almost three decades of life. “I am not perfect,” he said. “But I try to manage my imperfection well.” And he is bold in what he asks from God. “I ask what He wants me to learn and not to let me come out without the tools to help myself and others,” Alexi said. “Because that would be a waste.”