Holy Spirit's new director brings range of long-term care experience

By RENEE WEBB
Content and Design Coordinator

The new executive director of Holy Spirit Retirement Home in Sioux City brings a vast array of long-term care work experience to the position.

Jacque Kreber began her duties as executive director on April 7. Most recently she served as the executive director of Hospice of Siouxland from 2022 through the agency’s recent acquisition by St. Croix Hospice, but the majority of her career has been in long-term care.

“I am excited to be here and be part of it,” she said. “Being Catholic and this being a Catholic Christian organization – knowing what its foundation is – made me excited to step back in to long-term care.” 

Her wide range of positions through the year has given her a broad perspective.

“I was a CNA (certified nurse aid) since 1999 in nursing homes,” said the member of the Holy Angels Pastorate made up of the Catholic parishes in Elk Point, Jefferson and Dakota Dunes, South Dakota. In 2012, she became the social services director while also working some on the floor as a nurse at a care facility in South Dakota. “During that time, I was working on getting my nursing home administrator’s license.” 

By 2013, she was promoted to assisted living director. Eventually, the corporation Kreber worked for named her executive director. While serving in that capacity, she became regional director of another five facilities until 2017. From 2018 to 2022 she served as executive director of Whispering Creek Senior Living.

A native of Stanton, Nebraska, Kreber resides in Jefferson, South Dakota, with her husband and three children.

She initially earned a diploma in practical nursing (licensed practical nurse/LPN) from Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City in 2009. She later completed her bachelor’s degree in general studies with an emphasis in public affairs and community services from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2011. By 2014, she obtained her nursing home administrator license.

Kreber acknowledged that after the acquisition of Hospice of Siouxland, she was discerning her career path and didn’t really think she would go back to long term care. A former co-worker let her know about the opening at Holy Spirit.

“It just felt right to apply,” she said. “It has always felt right – I needed to step back into what I’ve always done.”

Previously, her time in the long-term nursing care had been with corporations which was a different type of environment.

“Hospice of Siouxland was the first time I had worked for a nonprofit and it was really neat to be able to pray. We had the chapel and would pray before meetings,” she noted.

Although religious backgrounds were respected in all of her previous places of employment, it wasn’t the mindset.

“When your mindset is of the Christian values, and here it’s the Catholic values, it changes how you lead. It changes how you take care of your staff and your residents,” said Kreber, adding that the mission and philosophies are rooted deeper. “It’s nice to be able to tie what you do everything day – 40 to 50 hours a week – into your religion because it makes a difference in how you view things.”

Through the religious sisters who work at Holy Spirit, the on-campus chapel that offers daily Mass and other aspects of the retirement community, the executive director said the Catholic environment is apparent.

“It’s calm here,” she said. 

Regardless of the type of care facility she has worked in, Kreber said at this stage in people’s lives spiritual offerings are extremely important. 

On the job now for less than three weeks, Kreber said in her first month she is trying to assimilate herself to the retirement community, discover how they operate and obtain feedback from the employees so she can determine what they need from her.

“I am learning their processes. I am listening to their concerns. If anything is going to be changed, it will be the team’s vision. A lot of time, your front-line staff has great vision if you allow them the space to be able to say it,” said Kreber. “Whether it’s a change of a bath schedule or the way we do meal, they are the ones who do it every single day.”

She commended the core team who has been in place through the various leaders at Holy Spirit, noting that such things as employee retention and resident census have improved rather than plateaued or dipped.

The executive director mentioned that the landscape of long-term care is changing. With that in mind, she pointed out they must always stay mindful of not only current needs but those of the future.

“You have to continue to move forward in order to take care of our aging population,” she said.

Holy Spirit Retirement Home offers a full range of services – nursing home skilled care, nursing home long-term care, assisted living, independent living and memory care.

HOME