What are the makings of someone in a prominent position? The short answer is, there is no singular path. As a young man struggling to find his way, Kevin Brown admits he had poor study habits in high school, preferring to goof off; that was until he worked a few manual labor summer jobs, which was good incentive to “work smarter, not harder.” Brown realized that a good education was necessary to broaden his scope of career opportunities. He didn’t know what he wanted to be, but he did know that he wanted to help people. His father recommended that he look at Physical Therapy, which was a good fit for him as he could become certified and start a career within a few short years after high school.

He was accepted into Roane State Community College, where he applied himself earning a 3.96 GPA. He applied for the very competitive Physical Therapy program, which had more than 400 applicants for the 20 available spots but didn’t make it the first time. He took additional classes, maintaining a high GPA, and was placed as an alternate on his second attempt, and then called up to join the class!

He finished Roane State with a degree as a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA). He hoped to work as a PTA in sports medicine and was very industrious in pursuing a position, hand-delivering numerous resumes, but no one was hiring. That year, 1998, the government changed how they billed and paid for therapy, throwing the field into a tailspin. He attended a student conference and learned of openings for Physical Therapy Technicians, which required no additional education. Applying for that position got him in front of the right person to get hired as a PTA.

After spending 16 years as a PTA, he felt the Lord was calling him into leadership. Although Brown felt his role as a PTA was a ministry to his patients, in leadership he felt like he could minister to patients and employees. To advance he knew he had to further his education, so he took a good look at his budget and his options. As he was contemplating his choices, he was working in home health and a patient had her radio on during their session. He heard a commercial about a scholarship opportunity for King University. The application included a written essay, which he completed. Although he did not win the full scholarship, he was a finalist and as such was offered a half-price scholarship, which, as God would have it, happened to be exactly what his budget allowed!

In 16 months, he earned his Healthcare Administrator’s degree. In the state of Tennessee, there are six paths to becoming a nursing home administrator, Brown’s was to earn his degree combined with a 400-hour internship served in a licensed long-term care nursing facility. Once he completed his internship, he accepted a position as a nursing home administrator. He has served as an administrator in both a Skilled Nursing Facility (Nursing Home) and Assisted Living Facility. He notes that Assisted Living is very different than Skilled Care and is happy to be back in this role overseeing the care of our elderly in a nursing home.

Brown’s career path gave him first a clinical understanding of a resident’s needs, then training for the administrative functions of the job. For Brown it’s not just about the numbers, it’s striking a balance between achieving the numbers necessary to keep the services available and providing the care that the residents need in an environment that also meets the employees’ needs. Brown says he loves what he does, he enjoys the opportunity to spend time with employees and residents, although it is quite a balancing act.

Having been at Willow Ridge for just over a year now, Brown enjoys working for Genesis Healthcare (the parent company of Willow Ridge) and with the terrific staff already in place. It’s close to his home in Halls, and he’s looking forward to getting to know the community better when this pandemic is behind us.

Brown feels that for him, success is serving the Lord. The motto that guides him each day is Jesus’ words: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 (NKJV)