Debbie Keller
– 2021 Osprey Village Supernova Winner –
The Supernova Award is the highest individual honor that our company gives and each year. One individual on the leadership team at Osprey Village is voted by their colleagues as the community’s Supernova based on an assortment of criteria. Each year during the Senior Living Communities Annual Meeting, the winner is revealed and given a customized crystal award at the company’s formal Supernova Awards Evening. The criteria for voting is based on upholding our company’s mission to be caring professionals dedicated to quality services. Additionally, this individual will consistently deliver excellent customer service (to Members, families, and colleagues), lead positively with integrity, take accountability, put the team before themselves, and embody the company’s vision to create communities where people live longer, healthier, and happier lives.
This year, we are proud to congratulate our Social Director, Debbie Keller, as the recipient of the 2021 Osprey Village Supernova Award. This honor was bestowed at the Senior Living Communities Annual Meeting on Thursday, August 5th at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation on Amelia Island, Florida. As the Social Director, Debbie oversees a team which consistently hosts meaningful, diverse and engaging social programs. Ensuring that Members come together for sweeping Signature Experiences, unique dining events, clubs/organizations and daily events creates friendship and a tight-knit community at Osprey Village.
“Debbie is an absolutely phenomenal asset to our community, fun, energized.. I can’t say enough great things about Debbie Keller.”
– Matthew Barger, Executive Director at Osprey Village
Debbie grew up in a small town in Ohio and one snowy day I was working the drive-thru at the bank and she turned to her co-workers and said, “There has got to be more to life than this. I want to work on a cruise ship!” They thought she was nuts but she persevered and finally lived her dream working with Royal Caribbean and traveling the Caribbean and Europe as a purser. She met her husband at sea and they dreamed of one day sailing to all the small islands that the cruise ship passed. They made that dream a reality and lived on 33ft. sailboat for one year exploring the Caribbean until a hurricane sent them back to the ‘real world’ where Debbie continued her hospitality career working at resorts and hotels in South Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina. Later she moved to Amelia Island to manage a local bed and breakfast, the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge. Her wanderlust found Debbie and her husband moving to Sigtuna, Sweden in hopes of getting international hotel experience. She had to learn the language first though! So, she went to school in the morning to learn Swedish and taught Business English in the evenings. During the afternoon she had an abundance of free time, so she volunteered with seniors and worked in home care. She truly loved these experiences. When she finally received a job at Sweden’s smallest 5-star hotel she realized that she wasn’t as gratified as she was working with seniors. After five long, dark, cold Swedish winters, she was ready to fulfill her next career move on her bucket list; working in the Caribbean again. Next stop was Pine Cay, a small private island in the Turks & Caicos with a 13 room resort and 37 private homes. She describes it as “paradise”. The Kellers traveled, lived and worked all over the world, but Amelia Island is the place that feels like home. Debbie had previously volunteered at Osprey Village before going to the Turks & Caicos. When she was ready to come back to the United States, it was the perfect timing that the Social Director position had recently become vacant at Osprey Village.
Interview with 2021 Director of the Year, Debbie Keller
What’s a quote or inspirational words that influence/impact you?
“Do what you love, love what you do.”
Congratulations on being chosen as a Supernova! How do you feel?
I am very fortunate to work with a great team that believes in me and supports my efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of others every day.
What’s your favorite part about your position?
I’m in charge of FUN! I love to make our members smile and give them something to look forward to every day.
What do you want people to know about working in a retirement community?
The residents are so appreciative of everything we do. I feel good every day when I drive home from work and look forward to coming back the next day.
Positions that are eligible to vote and win the Supernova Award include: HR Director, Business Manager, Assistant Business Manager, Care Services Administrator, Director of Nursing, Assistant Director of Nursing, Resident Care Director, Lifestyle Advisor, Lifestyle Advisor – Care Services, Move-In Coordinator, Social Director, Activity Director, Wellness Director, Director of Facility Services, Director of Dining Services, Executive Chef, Client Services Manager (Live Long Well Care).