Regina Umanskiy has held various roles in the senior living industry throughout her 20-year career. “As a registered nurse by trade, my passion has always been helping and caring for those in need, so it was a natural progression to enter the world of senior living healthcare,” she said. “Now, as the president & CEO of a mission-driven, faith-based organization, I feel that my journey has come full circle.”
Franciscan Ministries of Chicago is a mission-driven, nonprofit senior living organization offering independent living, assisted living, memory care, post-acute rehabilitation and skilled nursing services.
“This journey throughout my career was not an intentional one, but merely a path that I walked with others to ensure that I was part of making a difference for our senior population so that they would be able to continue to thrive throughout their retirement years,” said Umanskiy.
Under Umanskiy’s leadership, six of the communities within the organization have been recognized as part of the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Senior ratings for 2023-2024 in the categories of Best Independent Living, Best Assisted Living and Best Memory Care. Addolorata Villa and the Village at Victory Lakes received recognition as the nation’s best independent living and memory care communities.
In the last three years, the company experienced growth through developing partnerships with for-profit and nonprofit organizations to offer development, consulting and management services through the branch called Franciscan Advisory Services. Additionally, as part of the growth of the memory care service offering, the organization has finalized the addition of a new $19 million person-centered memory care neighborhood.
Since Umanskiy’s tenure, Franciscan Ministries of Chicago has achieved an operating income of $3.2 million favorable to the budget compared to FY22, reduced agency spend by $5.3 million YoY and decreased worker compensation claims by 40 percent.
“While companies talk about reinvention as the wave of the future, we are focusing on our legacy to reignite the spirit of our ministry, repositioning it for growth,” said Umanskiy.
As a leader, Umanskiy said she challenges herself to learn one new thing a day. “This challenge helps me to continuously reignite my passion for the business because there is always something new to learn and implement,” she said. “We are surrounded by changes in economic or political spheres, new regulations, new opportunities for partnerships or technology – and the best part is that we continuously meet new people: associates, business partners, residents and their families.”
For her passion and commitment to bettering the lives of the senior community, Umanskiy has been named a titan.
