Paying tribute to the inspirational women of PPH

To continue its celebration of Women’s History Month, PPH held “A Conversation with PPH Women Leadership” on Monday, March 11. The event, hosted by PPH Residents’ Association President Dr. Elaine C. Grose, featured four women leaders of PPH: Interim President & CEO Dr. Nancy Koury King, Vice President of Human Resources Daphne Floyd, Vice President of Marketing & Communications Shannon Grieb, and Vice President of Health Services Jennifer Honeyford.

Dr. Elaine Grose asked panelists about their roles in advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion — the 2024 theme of Women’s History Month — and encouraged them to speak on how they’ve influenced other women and the women who have influenced them.

An opportunity to succeed

Daphne Floyd spoke on PPH’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion amongst its employees. Many of PPH’s best hires over the years were those who had certain physical challenges, special needs, or whose first language was not English, but just needed to be put in the right place to succeed.

“We have given many people an opportunity, and that’s what has helped make PPH the place it is today,” Daphne said, noting people of different backgrounds have come together to work towards PPH’s mission providing a caring senior living community that affords its residents the opportunity to achieve their highest possible quality of life.

Daphne draws inspiration from her mother, a PPH resident named Isabel.

“My mom balanced work life and family life and found a way to raise five kids as a working mom with a strong but traditional father,” Daphne explained. “She made each one of us feel like they were her favorite child. She endured, juggled and still managed to maintain a household. She’s a role model for other women, and I still strive to be the women she is to me, to my family.”

‘I feel so proud of her’

Before Shannon Grieb began working at PPH in 2019, she worked in communities with little to no diversity.

“It was a pleasant surprise when I first visited PPH to find so much diversity amongst our residents,” she said, noting that PPH has become even more diverse over the past five years. “When I’m touring prospective residents of different backgrounds, I can confidently tell them that they’ll be comfortable here.”

As a gay woman, Shannon has certainly faced challenges, but she’s persevered and never shies away from who she is, which was greatly appreciated by one audience member.

“I just want to say, I feel so proud of her [Shannon],” stated a PPH resident who worked in healthcare for many years. “I couldn’t imagine myself standing up and saying that I was a gay woman — it just didn’t happen as you were really putting your career on the line.”

Don’t doubt motivated women

When Jenn Honeyford, who grew up in Easton, Pa., accepted a position at PPH shortly after graduating college, she faced some skepticism from family — moving from Easton to Philadelphia would be a big change.

“No one wanted to see me leave; no one thought I’d make it in the city,” she said.

That doubt ended up leading to her own motivation, which is something she says she’s encountered many times over her career.

“You think I can’t? Watch me!” she said. “It’s fueled my desire when people express doubts.”

One way she stays true to herself is ensuring that everyone — staff and residents — are seen, and that all perspectives are heard and taken into consideration.

“I want to understand, because I’m not always going to be right,” she said. “It’s important to come up with a mutual understanding.”

‘It’s important to talk about DEI’

When it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion, Dr. Nancy King has never shied away. Nancy, who is from Richmond, Va. — the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War — says that some articles she’s written and videos she’s filmed have not always been popular, but that there’s an importance in broaching uncomfortable topics.

“It’s important to actually talk about DEI, which is hard for some people,” she said.

Her efforts did not go unnoticed; most notably, a coworker of hers expressed much gratitude for her dedication.

“‘Nobody has ever done that here; I’ll never forget you for that,’ he said to me with tears in his eyes and he hugged me. To me personally, that work wasn’t a big deal; but it truly was a big deal [to others]. It opened the door to other people talking about their circumstances.”

Paying tribute and drawing inspiration

After the conversation portion, Dr. Elaine Grose encouraged audience members to also share stories of the women who made — or continue to make — an impact on their life. From ensuring that an African American woman house cleaner was properly compensated, to divorcing an abusive husband despite separation being frowned upon, the conversation covered many stories and examples of strong, inspirational women.

One resident, Anna, paid tribute to her mother, who faced neighborhood criticism for wearing slacks on the bus en route to her job in an airplane factory. In the 1940s, it wasn’t socially acceptable for a woman to wear slacks in public — she was expected to wear a dress and change into slacks once she arrived to work.

She faced backlash, but “she stayed on that bus every day with her slacks,” said Anna.

Marlene spoke on her grandmother’s compassion; she helped raise two boys from a struggling family who lived nearby. Marlene expressed admiration for her grandmother’s gentleness towards others, and her adaptability throughout her life.

“If plan A didn’t work, she found a plan B or C. That taught me so much. I owe my life to her, and I’ll always be grateful,” she said.