By Emily Robertson
Growing up, Darla Waymon says she was always the first at the scene of an accident on the playground, helping and observing the school nurse as she assisted a hurt student. Even then, she knew she wanted to work in a field where she could help others and so healthcare seemed like the perfect fit. Now, as a director of a local nursing home, Waymon lives out her passion of helping people live well every day.
Originally from Henderson, Kentucky, Waymon was part of Health Occupation Students of America in high school and obtained her Certified Nursing Assistant license. She began working at a local nursing home in Henderson during her senior year of high school. Waymon moved to Bowling Green in 2007 to attend WKU for her Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration. After graduating in 2012, she went on to get her Master’s in Healthcare Administration in 2014. During her graduate program, she completed an internship at a local nursing home, where she worked in an interim position after graduating. Waymon then moved to a sister facility for a full time position as business office manager and then a social worker. In 2019, after passing her national board tests, she became a licensed nursing home administrator and in 2020 she began managing a local nursing home.
“I started off as a certified nursing assistant and I am now the Senior Center Executive Director at a local nursing home,” Waymon says. “Growing into this position has been the biggest blessing and accomplishment ever. I can’t take all of the credit though; I will always give the team their praise. It takes a village, along with a lot of teamwork to have great outcomes.”
Waymon says she does have future goals for her career, despite her accomplishments thus far. She hopes to become the Regional Vice President for her company and then eventually she would like to teach at a university.
Her biggest supporters as she works diligently to grow in her career is her family members including her husband, David Waymon, whom she met through the co-ed business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi at WKU. The two began dating in 2008 and were married in 2014 in Evansville, Indiana. Waymon also adopted her nephew when he was 16 months old, and he is now 12 years old. He is the reason she works so hard and gives her so much joy. Her and her husband are also in the process of adopting to add to their family of three.
“In my spare time, I volunteer with my sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, as a graduate advisor and vice president,” Waymon says. “I was initiated into my sorority in 2012 a WKU. I am very active in the organization and enjoy giving back to the community.”
Waymon says there are many people throughout her life who have encouraged her to keep working hard towards her goals, but her very first influence was her own mom, Rebekah Thomas.
“She is my rock, my reason, my why,” Waymon says. “She was a single parent who pushed me every day to be better in all that I do. My mom went to college, but did not finish, so when I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, I dedicated it to her. It was our degree.”
Waymon says that a local couple, Angela and Gerald Stephens, took her in as their own when she moved here and she calls them her local parents. They helped guide Waymon and her husband to build their first home and encouraged them about life decisions. Lastly, Waymon says that her boss, Jennifer Soldevilla, has been a huge contributor to her success.
“We met when I was an intern, I have worked under her leadership since 2014,” Waymon says. “Although she is my boss, she is also a sister I never had. She has taught me more about the healthcare industry than I could have ever imagined. I have always admired her leadership and willingness to take me under her wing and grow me.”
Now, as Waymon works toward a third degree, a master’s in business administration, she is excited about the future and so thankful for the team she works with and the residents she works for.
“I love the residents and the families,” Waymon says. “I also love growing my employees. Our center’s motto is ‘it takes a village.’ None of us can do our job without the other.”