Gail Wilcox
Gail Wilcox is a dedicated long-term care administrator with a deep commitment to serving aging populations through compassionate, high-quality care. As Administrator of Cordell Nursing and Rehab, a non-profit Medicare- and Medicaid-approved facility in rural Oklahoma, she oversees operations supporting approximately 65 residents and 75 staff members, including a specialized dementia and Alzheimer’s unit. Licensed in the state of Oklahoma, Wilcox is known for fostering a resident-centered environment grounded in respect, dignity, and community, ensuring that each individual receives attentive care in a supportive setting.
Wilcox’s career reflects a diverse background in healthcare advocacy, higher education, and organizational leadership. Prior to her current role, she served as an Ombudsman Supervisor with the South West Oklahoma Development Authority, where she advocated for residents across eight counties, addressing concerns and improving quality of life in long-term care and assisted living facilities. Her earlier work in higher education includes leadership roles at Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal College and Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where she served as an administrative and admissions officer, adjunct faculty member, and executive assistant. Her contributions included student advising, program development, IT systems management, and budget oversight, earning her recognition as Employee of the Year.
Academically accomplished, Wilcox holds a Master of Science in Management from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, a Master’s Certificate in American Indian Studies from Montana State University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Her professional journey is rooted in a lifelong respect for and connection to older generations, inspiring her transition into long-term care leadership. With a reputation for problem-solving, integrity, and positivity, Wilcox continues to advocate for vulnerable populations while building environments where residents feel valued, cared for, and empowered.
• Long Term Care Administrator
• Assisted Living Administrator Training
• Person Center Counseling Certificate
• Southwestern Oklahoma State University
• Oklahoma Native Students for Higher Education Outstanding Role Model
• Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges
• Great Plains Soccer Association
• Native American Student Association
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to not giving up, always striving for the next level, and always striving to be the best. I know that sounds really cheesy, but that's all you can do. Each day is different, so you just hang on and do your best. I've faced roadblocks in my life, like caring for my parents, which I loved tremendously, but I never gave up. I always kept moving forward to the next role in my life.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
To be an administrator, there's a lot of facets involved. You have to run an organization, which includes staffing, motivation, and finances. You have to have a mindset that you're gonna do the best you can do, you're gonna treat your staff with love, and you're gonna take every day as it comes. Never think because you have a leader role in any organization that you can just be dictatorial. In my books, a leader is a servant to the people around you. You have to know when to care and how to care, especially when dealing with new diseases that creep into our home. And you have to know how to juggle a lot of different things to make it all work, like having a fair cost for people to live in your facility while still being able to feed them, take care of them, and do all of those things that they need support in.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Our health field is faced with all kinds of diseases, and sometimes those diseases creep into our home, our nursing home. So knowing when to care and knowing how to care about those new diseases is a challenge. Another challenge is saying goodbye, because the residents become our family. I can't tell you how close you get to those residents. Some of them don't have family, some of them have outlived their family, and some of them have been forgotten by their families, so we become the family. Healthcare is very expensive, whether you're in a hospital or a nursing home, it's very expensive. So you have to have a fair cost for people to live in your facility in which you can feed them, take care of them, and do all of those things that they need support in. It's juggling a lot of different things to make it all work.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important value to me is caring for the aging population. I can't stress how important it is to take care of aging people because they are forgotten so many times and think they're not worthy. But they saved us, they fought in the wars, and they've done a lot for us. We can't forget them because we learn from them. For instance, my great-grandmother hid in bunkers and raised 12 children by herself after her husband left her. She used to hide in the bunkers when the Indians came on an attack. They've done a lot to pave the way for us, so we should never, ever discount them because they are very independent and very strong to have survived what they survived in their previous years. Now they're here for us to care for them, and they deserve every bit of care that we can give them. Taking care of the aging is my life. My parents always taught me how to love the aging population, and I grew up being around aging people and loving them. In my books, a leader is a servant to the people around you, and you have to treat your staff with love.