RALEIGH, N.C.—North Carolina Assisted Living Association (NCALA) president and CEO Frances Messer has been awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest award for state service granted by the state’s Office of the Governor.
Messer has a long history in health care service, beginning from her roots in the mountains of North Carolina, where she learned the ethics of hard work and service by watching the example her parents set. She became a care aide and then put herself through nursing school. Once a nurse, she worked at the local hospital and one of the nursing homes in her area.
Deciding her heart was in the senior care field, she then became a director of nursing and a licensed nursing home administrator, owning and operating a nursing home. She is a Certified Director of Assisted Living (CDAL).
“As a nursing home administrator, Ms. Messer was dedicated to her residents, their families, and her staff. She made a difference in someone’s life every day,” said Jane A. Baker, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators.
“I have consistently known Frances to tirelessly advocate for the betterment of North Carolinians who can no longer fully care for themselves. She is a model peer and advocate,” said Adam Sholar, president and CEO of the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association.
“Frances has been a teacher and a mentor to many working in and around long-term care. She has demonstrated a true servant’s heart and a commitment to the highest standards of quality, ethics, and compassion in her work with North Carolina’s vulnerable seniors and the providers who care for them,” said Kenneth Burgess, long term care/health care attorney.
Prior to coming to NCALA, Messer was a state surveyor and trainer for North Carolina’s Division of Health Service Regulation for many years.
About NCALA
Founded in 1994, North Carolina Assisted Living Association is the North Carolina State Partner of Argentum, the leading national association exclusively dedicated to supporting companies operating professionally managed, resident-centered senior living communities and the older adults and families they serve. Since being formed, Argentum and NCALA have advocated for choice, independence, dignity, and quality of life for all older adults.
