The Oregon Caregiver FALL/WINTER 2023 www.ohca.com 8 FEATURE » FEATURE, CONT. reminds you of why you do what you do. I get to spend a lot of time with our floor staff too, which is another opportunity to make connections. In a small town, there’s so much intertwining of our staff and different personal connections,” said Pray. “Honestly, in some ways, I feel that I have the easiest job in the building because I have so many wonderful team members that I just get to support and love them through their jobs and that makes my job very easy.” Pray’s self-sufficient staff is a testament to her leadership. She was selected as this year’s OHCA Administrator of the Year in a skilled nursing setting. One striking aspect of Pray’s leadership style is her confidence and ability to support her team effectively. She acknowledges the importance of building a strong team, emphasizing strengths, and creating an atmosphere where team members can thrive. “On a day-to-day basis, I’m trying to do a good job just doing the best that I can, but I honestly, for other people to think that I am doing a great job, it’s very humbling and I feel very honored,” she said. “I put a lot of work into getting the right people in the right positions and looking at strengths and playing on those strengths.” The COVID-19 pandemic opened Pray’s eyes to the flexibility of her team. Job descriptions and duties had to morph and staff members had to absorb different positions to keep the facility afloat, which helped Pray identify different strengths in her staff. “I’ve identified people within our organization who were CNAs and I thought, ‘Oh, there’s some potential,’ just like my mentor did to me. I said, ‘we’re going to grow you, and now you’re my business office director,’ or ‘you may be a laundry aid now, but now you’re a recruitment and an onboarding specialist because you have a way with people and you’re so welcoming.’ I like picking and pulling these people that come into the organization and putting them in the right spot,” she said. Tara Pray, administrator at the Oregon Veterans’ Home, with her family. “I tell my female staff, ‘You can do it all. Don’t be intimidated by feeling like you have to make the sacrifices that previous generations have had in order to have a thriving career. You can have both and you don’t have to miss out on either,’” said Pray. “There was a time where I thought I wanted to have another baby, but I was also getting ready to receive this promotion. I didn’t know which to pick, but my mentor said, ‘we’re going to pick both.’ I had the baby, and I took the promotion, and we made it work.” – Tara Pray, Administrator, Oregon Veterans’ Home
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