Mary Zalaznik, who rose through the ranks at VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® from a secretary to a vice president of hospice operations, was named “Valiant Visionary” by the Broward County Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Zalaznik and other women who have made a positive impact on Broward County were honored recently at a CSW “Women Who Dared” luncheon. Keynote speaker for the event was Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), who represents Florida’s 20th district in South Florida.
“Mary was selected because she started as an executive secretary and continued to advance, ignoring the glass ceiling and preparing herself educationally,” explained Beth Lerner, CSW chairperson. “She is an example to the women in Broward County that you can rise above expectations if you have a vision.”
As vice president of hospice operations for VITAS, the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care, Zalaznik mentors senior management on clinical, compliance and operations issues for VITAS programs in Broward, Collier and Dade-Monroe counties, which, combined, care for more than 2,900 terminally ill patients and their families each day.
Zalaznik joined VITAS in 1984 as an executive secretary for the Broward County program. Over the years she has served as admissions coordinator and customer service manager in Broward County, director of customer service for the Southeast region, corporate director of admissions and intake, and general manager of all call centers nationally. She was promoted to vice president of hospice program resources in 2005, a position she held until her current appointment in 2008.
Zalaznik has twice been recognized by VITAS with national awards: in 1994 as Outstanding Admissions Coordinator and in 2001 for Excellence in Management. She is credited with the development of various staff position performance indicators and an improved management structure for the customer service department.
The Broward County Commission on the Status of Women serves in an advisory capacity to the Broward County Board of County Commissioners, the community and governmental and non-governmental subdivisions in Broward County, with respect to all matters pertaining to the status of women in Broward County. The CSW is dedicated to identifying and resolving economic, health, social and all other issues concerning women’s lives through education and advocacy in Broward County.