Her Story
About Lauren
Lauren Schlicht serves as Regional Director of Sales and Marketing at AA Healthcare Inc., where she leads admissions and marketing strategy across four skilled nursing and short- and long-term care facilities in the northern Chicago suburbs. Her days often begin with census reviews, coaching her admissions directors and liaisons on converting hospital referrals while personally supporting families, physicians, social workers, and case managers through some of the most difficult transitions in their loved ones' care. Over the course of her career, she has built a reputation for bringing a hospitality-driven mindset into a clinical setting, helping stabilize operations while keeping patient experience at the center of every decision.
Lauren's path to senior leadership began well before she entered the workforce. While earning her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, she worked as a CNA at Fairhaven Senior Services and volunteered at a nursing home as a high schooler, laying the groundwork for a career devoted to senior care. From there, she moved through progressively senior roles spanning admissions, marketing, and sales, including leadership positions opening assisted living and memory care communities and working with healthcare startups, before returning to skilled nursing to focus on operational stability and team development. Rising in an industry long dominated by men, she has advanced largely on the strength of her results, frequently reaching new levels of leadership before fully recognizing the path she was building.
Outside of her professional accomplishments, Lauren considers motherhood her most defining role, and she makes it a priority to spend unhurried time with her six-year-old daughter, often out on the lake with family. That same sense of groundedness carries into her leadership style: she is known for empowering her teams through active listening and by ensuring they have the resources and support needed to navigate high-pressure situations. Balancing strength in the boardroom with warmth at home, she has become a respected voice and role model for women building careers in healthcare.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lauren
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to sheer merit and dedication. I've worked in a historically male-dominated industry, and I've had to navigate real, systemic challenges along the way. My path wasn't built on ambition alone — it came from a quiet, relentless drive to excel at every challenge in front of me, often achieving milestones before I even realized I was building toward executive leadership.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Never lose your voice, and never stop believing in yourself. Make sure you listen to your own goals and go after them. As women in healthcare, we're primarily surrounded by men who dominate the industry, so it's important to walk in confident in what you're doing and what you're saying. Surround yourself with people who are hungry for change in the best possible way, and make sure you know that you are heard.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in my field is working within a healthcare industry that has historically been male-dominated, which requires overcoming systemic barriers with persistence and grace. On the operational side, a key focus for me has been stabilizing skilled nursing operations and bringing hospitality principles into healthcare — finding ways to improve the patient and family experience within a traditionally clinical environment.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Patient care and empowering my team are central to how I lead — I believe in active listening and making sure the people I work with have the resources they need, especially in crisis situations. Outside of work, being a mother is my most important role. I find my balance and joy spending quality time on the lake with my family and cherishing every moment with my daughter. Staying grounded in my personal life is part of what allows me to lead with strength professionally.
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