Growing as a Leader
Israel Cordonero Menicucci recently reached an exciting milestone in his professional journey, graduating from LeadingAge North Carolina’s prestigious Leadership Academy. He celebrated the achievement alongside peers from across the state at the organization’s annual conference in Asheville earlier this month.
Israel serves as Facilities Services Director at Taylor Glen in Concord, where he plays an important role in supporting both residents and team members. He was the only ThriveMore team member selected for this year’s class of the yearlong leadership program, which is designed to strengthen emerging leaders in the life plan community field.
Throughout the program, Israel participated in regular visits to continuing care retirement communities across North Carolina, gaining exposure to different operational models and approaches to serving residents.
“Well, the experience was like a year long program,” he said. “and we visit different locations, CCRCs, so we have a bigger picture, and the way how they function.”
These site visits helped him better understand how organizations differ, including financial models and strategies that shape how services are delivered. In addition to touring communities, participants also explored the policy and advocacy side of aging services, bringing them to the state legislature.
“They are really involved in how the laws are changing,” Israel said of the organization. “I had the opportunity to go with Leading Age to see how is the process.”
The Leadership Academy also emphasized personal growth through group sessions, readings and discussions focused on leadership development. Israel said the program challenged participants to think differently about vulnerability, feedback and communication.
“It does help, it helps you to build more confidence,” he said. “Because, believe it or not, when you are vulnerable to receive feedback and you don’t take it personal, and that helps you to develop that skill.”
He has already begun putting those lessons into practice at Taylor Glen, focusing on building trust, creating open communication and giving his team space to think and respond.
One thing he said he’s started doing is giving people time to answer instead of jumping in after he asks a question. That approach, along with asking thoughtful follow-up questions, has helped him connect better with his team.
In addition to participating in the program, Israel presented his research project at the LeadingAge North Carolina conference. His work focused on developing clinical team members through a mentorship program, an initiative aimed at strengthening team development and long-term growth.
Leaders at Taylor Glen have already seen the impact of his participation in the academy.
“Israel definitely went above and beyond with with meeting the staff and taking it to a personal level to really feel like, what would make them feel appreciated?” said Administrator Ryan Jernigan. “So through that, I'm just proud of Israel by maintaining that connection and wanting to better the community and the industry as a whole.”
Executive Director April Weddington also praised his growth and leadership.
“Israel has made a big impact to our teammates and residents at Taylor Glen,” she said. “He is such a wonderful leader as we see him grow, and it’s wonderful for him to bring new ideas to our orientation process.”
The LeadingAge North Carolina Leadership Academy has a strong track record of developing leaders across the life plan community field. Several ThriveMore team members have completed the program in recent years, including Brookridge Executive Director Tatum Myers, Taylor Glen ED April Weddington and Ardenwoods Community Life Services Director Kari Schrader. Others are alumni of the national LeadingAge Leadership Academy, including President and CEO Reed VanderSlik, COO Jessica McCollum and Ardenwoods ED Sarah Marr.
Looking ahead, ThriveMore’s connection to the program will continue, with Jessica Nathan, Administrator at Brookridge, selected for the next Leadership Academy class.
