Good Shepherd Board Appoints New Administrator

Bishop Mark E. Brennan and the Board of Directors of the Welty Home for the Aged, Inc. have selected Morgan Murphy as Administrator of Good Shepherd Nursing Home. Mrs. Murphy is Good Shepherd’s assistant administrator and regulatory and compliance officer.  The appointment was announced by Elizabeth Gates, a member of the Good Sheperd board and chair of the search committee.

Mrs. Murphy will succeed Donald R. Kirsch, who has served as Good Shepherd administrator for 45 years. The two will work together for the next six months to ensure a smooth transition; Mrs. Murphy will assume her new post on March 1.

The new administrator is a Wheeling native who is a graduate of Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a specialty in health services for long-term care at West Liberty University. She also earned a master’s degree in health care administration from Ohio University and is a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator.

She thanked Bishop Mark Brennan and the Welty Board of Directors for the opportunity to serve as the next Manager/Administrator of the Welty Home for the Aged, Inc. “I am extremely honored to be given this opportunity,” she said.

Mrs. Gates and a committee of six Good Shepherd board members, Good Shepherd’s nursing director and its admissions director focused on the job description and determined what they were looking for in an administrator.  “We want to continue the fine tradition of care and the culture of Good Shepherd,” she said.

The search committee met with the nursing home’s human resources director to create a job description that specified professional criteria, certifications, and experience, and posted it in-house, online, and in statewide publications. The search committee considered all applications and eventually conducted intensive in-person interviews with several candidates.

“Morgan Murphy has the confidence of the Board of Directors to meet the challenges associated with caring for the aged with empathy and professionalism, and to manage the facilities of the Welty organization,” Mrs. Gates said. “Her education and experience have provided her with the foundation required for this post.”

Mrs. Murphy has been a familiar face at Good Shepherd since she was a child. She often accompanied her father, Don Kirsch, as he visited with residents and families and remembers being part of a group of piano students who performed music recitals for residents. “I spent much of my childhood accompanying my dad to various events at Good Shepherd Nursing Home and because of that, I have always felt that this is an extension of my family,” she said. “I’ve worked within the Welty Corporation for over ten years, and I would not be who I am today without this organization.”

Mr. Kirsch said Mrs. Murphy is well prepared to become Good Shepherd’s administrator.  “Randy Forzano, my colleague of 38 years, and I have spent Morgan’s entire adult life preparing her for this type of opportunity not if, but when and where it became available,” he said. “Now that the opportunity has arrived with the Welty Corporation, I know that I can speak for Randy when I say that Morgan is the right person, with the right skill set, at the right time to carry the legacy of Clara Welty forward into the next generation.  All corporations should be so fortunate.”

Mrs. Murphy’s job preparation began in her teenage years, when she helped with resident activities at Good Shepherd and worked evenings and summers as a receptionist. Before joining the Good Shepherd staff as regulatory and compliance director in 2017, she completed a yearlong administrator-in-training program at Good Shepherd, then was named manager of skilled rehabilitation and long-term care facility at East Ohio Regional Hospital. She later served as a physician Integration Specialist at the Ohio Valley Health Services & Education Corporation.

“I was fortunate to be surrounded by great mentors, in particular my dad. There is no denying the love and dedication he has for the Welty organization, and I am proud to have learned from the best and thankful that I share the same level of passion in caring for the elderly,” Mrs. Murphy said.

“With the knowledge he and others have shared with me over the years, I am confident that I am prepared for this role. I am excited to continue this journey and enhance the corporation’s high level of care and services provided to so many in our community.”

Good Shepherd Nursing Home is part of a continuum of senior living options offered by the non-profit Welty Corporation to deliver the features that discerning seniors need and want. In addition to Good Shepherd, the Welty Corporation operates the Welty Home, which consists of 52 assisted living suites for seniors who need some help in managing daily living tasks. Welty Corporation also maintains 121 comfortable, maintenance-free apartments for seniors in the Clara Welty Apartments at 1276 National Road, Bertha Welty Apartments at 1315 National Road, Welty TownHomes at 1287 National Road, and Braddock Apartments at 153 Edgington Lane. These properties are designed for people who want to live independently but appreciate the added measures of comfort and security of apartment living. For information call 304.242.1093 or visit www.weltyhome.org.