MERCEDES KERR BRINGS UNIQUE
PERSPECTIVE TO THE TOP RUNG OF THE C-SUITE
BY PATRICK CONNOLE
setting policy and standards for seniors housing and care. Born in Mexico, Kerr completed her undergraduate degree with honors
M
from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara and later earned a Mas- ter of Real Estate Development degree from the University of Southern California. She has been on the fast track to success over her career but has also
taken the proverbial off -ramp to take time to raise her then young children. Kerr’s path is her own. She owns it. And, she wants other females in
the senior living profession, and those from diverse backgrounds, to own their own stories as well. She shared her thoughts on what her story could do to enlighten other
potential women leaders at a recent Argentum Women in Leadership Zoom call, noting fi rst and foremost the personality traits she possesses that helped her ascend in a business world still dominated by men.
Women Everywhere, but Not in C-Suite First, though, Kerr wants to look at the numbers when it comes to females in the workforce. Her rise actually comes at a time of an improving envi- ronment for women in leadership by some measurements among Fortune 500 performers. Citing her own research, she said in 2021 some 30% of board seats in the largest companies in the country were held by women, up from 26.5% the year prior. But, still, in 2022, only 8% of the Fortune 500 had women as CEO’s. “Now, in looking at the top 150 senior housing companies as published
every year by Argentum, in 2022 only 28 women were CEO’s, around 19%,” Kerr said. In a profession where 80% of the workers are female, less than 20% make it to the top.
ercedes Kerr is impressive. In 2019, she became president of a senior living organization – Belmont Village – after being the business development lead at Welltower, Inc., for more than a decade, and has served on boards dedicated to
28 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023
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