The upcoming NAHC Private Duty Winter Leadership Summit is packed with experts and thought leaders sharing best practices and discussing some of the biggest opportunities within the private duty industry today. A highlight of the day will be a session focused on innovation, presented by Pat Drea, Senior Vice President for Home Care and Private Duty Solutions at Axxess,z and Sherry McGowan is co-owner of Visiting Angels of Crystal Lake and Barrington, Illinois, and Madison, Wisconsin.
“How to Promote a Culture of Innovation”

Innovation often starts with industry leaders, but several best practices can be identified from within your organization and implemented in order to foster growth and creativity.
Empowering employees to bring forth their ideas creates a culture that encourages an innovative environment.
In this session, we will discuss how to provide a platform to recognize innovative and exceptional programs in your organization.
- List necessary steps to create a best practices awards program.
- Explain how to encourage staff to examine their successes and formalize ideas to present.
- Outline how to measure program results to ensure a positive ROI
“Pat Drea and Sherry McGowan are two dynamic and well-respected leaders of the private duty home care community. We are thrilled to have them present at the Summit and share their insights and experience around truly building a culture of innovation. The current public health emergency has highlighted not only the integral importance of private duty home care, but also the importance of innovation in our work as the care landscape continues to evolve.”
-E. Bartolucci, Executive Director Private Duty Home Care at NAHC
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Patricia Drea is the Senior Vice President for Home Care and Private Duty Solutions at Axxess, the leading technology innovator for care at home. She helps lead the team responsible for developing software solutions for home care and private duty providers. Patricia served on the NAHC Private Duty Home Care Advisory Board from 2005 to 2016, including as the board chair in 2014. She has also been actively involved in committees for the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. Prior to joining Axxess, Patricia served as the Chief Operating Officer at Visiting Angels Living Assistance, where she supported 650 offices across North America.
Sherry McGowan is co-owner of Visiting Angels of Crystal Lake and Barrington, Illinois, and Madison, Wisconsin. She has spent her career creatively helping others to transition from one change to another through various entrepreneurial and leadership roles, coaching, mentoring and encouraging a variety of demographics. Her work has included engagement with youth, married couples, the homeless and seniors. Sherry has experience using a Best Practices paradigm, and hopes to encourage other business owners looking for ways to grow their leadership and their home care organization.