Pat Schommer says elders have been an influential part of her life since she was a child. During her teens, she volunteered more than 3,000 hours at a community nursing home.

So it’s appropriate that Governor Mark Dayton appointed her to the Minnesota Board on Aging (MBA), which provides services to Minnesota seniors and their families, and proposes policy to address senior needs.

“I feel very privileged to be granted this opportunity” says Schommer, associate director of the School of Public Health’s Center on Aging/Minnesota Area Geriatric Education Center. “This role on the MBA extends my passion for serving older adults.”

Schommer earned a BS in healthcare administration and gerontology and a master’s in organizational leadership. She used her education to spark a 25-year career as a nursing home administrator, most notably as executive director of Stevens Square, a home specializing in hospice care. Schommer’s work in nursing home administration eventually led to her position at the School of Public Health, promoting interprofessional development and advancing quality care for older adults.

In addition to her work at SPH and now the MBA, Schommer serves with numerous eldercare entities, including the Leadership Council on Aging, the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Gerontological Society, the Minnesota Network of Hospice and Palliative Care and the Advisory Board for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Center for Health Administration and Aging Services Excellence.

Schommer’s Minnesota Board on Aging appointment extends to January 1, 2018.