Recipients of the Case Manager of the Year Award

The Case Management Society of America is proud to announce the

2023 Case Manager of the Year,  Samantha Walker, DNP, MSN, CCM

The 2023 Case Manager of the Year has spent almost three decades providing case management and managed care expertise for seniors in long-term care settings. She’s self-described as a lifelong learner who’s never too old to learn something new. With a deep-rooted love for helping people, Dr. Samantha Walker shares that case management means giving to others to enhance their quality of life, while helping meet their needs in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Sam is the current president of the Central Indiana CMSA Chapter, a National Board Director, National Board Committee Liaison and is an active participant on several committees. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Indiana State University where she was an honors student and completed a teaching fellowship. Sam’s doctoral work at Indiana State utilized therapeutic robotic pet cats to improve the lives of seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s and reside in a skilled nursing facility. An article about this research titled “Robotic Companion Pets and Seniors with Dementia in Nursing Homes” was published in March/April 2022 issue of Professional Case Management Journal.

Sam’s career milestones include earning four nursing degrees over a span of three decades, being elected President of the Central Indiana Chapter of CMSA and making a daily impact on the lives of seniors.

In 2019 and 2020, Sam developed case management and managed care practices for 35 skilled nursing facilities across two states. She developed a multidisciplinary team to address issues, concerns, policies, and procedures related to the care received by residents. Sam collaborated with many disciplines and provided mentoring services to team members. The result was a better resident experience and increased job satisfaction for the team members involved with patient care.

Sam has been a speaker, poster presenter, and moderator for several local, national, and international conferences. Her volunteer work includes local non-profits working to help enhance daycare services for working parents, local food pantries, Donate for Life and Girl Scouts of America.

When asked about Dr. Walker, colleague Elizabeth Imes said “Samantha personally taught me to take on case management with empathy, seeing residents for who they are and what they were going through not just a metric or a needed outcome. She consistently developed new and innovative approaches to break down barriers for residents. Samantha educated me with passion and taught me the philosophies and guiding principles needed for case management. Samantha’s diligence to her work and positive communication made her a key asset to our facility. It did not matter if it was first thing in the morning or late into evening hours, Samantha was always available and eager to develop solutions together.”

Sam is a mother of two, grandmother of two and a cat mom of two. She enjoys traveling, staying active outdoors, and spending time with family and friends. Please join us in congratulating the 2023 Case Manager of the Year, Dr. Samantha Walker.

Previous Recipients

2001 – Kathleen Moreo

2001 – Michael Demoratz

2000 – Margaret Chu

2000 – Jackie Birmingham

1999 – Deborah Smith

1999 – Catherine Mullahy

1998 – Gerri Lamb

1998 – Mary Gambosh

1997 – Carrie Marion

1997 – Renee Krul

1997 – Judy Harris

1996 – Karen Gagnon

1996 – Sherry Aliotta

1995 – Sandra Lowery

1995 – Karen Chambers

1994 – Glenda Evans-Shaw

1994 – Sharon Dickerson

1993 – Marlys Severson

1993 – Jeanne Boling