News - May 20, 2025

For Immediate Release: May 20, 2025

Contact: Mary Maude Davis | 615.780.3373 | MaryMaude.Davis@FinnPartners.com

Goodwin Living™ Named a Top Employer for Interns in Virginia for Third Consecutive Year

(Alexandria, VA) – Goodwin Living™,  a faith-based, not-for-profit senior living and health care services organization in the National Capital Region, has once again been honored by the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP) as one of Virginia’s Top Employers for Interns. This marks the third consecutive year that Goodwin Living has received this prestigious recognition for its high-quality, mission-driven internship program.

Goodwin Living remains the only senior living organization in Northern Virginia to receive this designation, joining a select group of 215 employers across the Commonwealth who are shaping the next generation of leaders through immersive, supportive internship experiences.

“These businesses are models for other employers,” said Scott Fleming, director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. “They are using innovative methods to help students apply their learning, develop practical work-based skills, and strengthen Virginia’s efforts to prepare the future workforce.”

“My predecessor, Zoe Marcuse, and I are grateful that the internship program at Goodwin Living has received this recognition for a third time,” said Catie Ramos, Team Member Engagement and Outreach Manager. “This award acknowledges our commitment to encouraging the next generation of job seekers pursue purposeful work in senior living and healthcare services.”

The Goodwin Living internship program provides paid, non-clinical roles to high school and college students interested in learning about careers in senior living and healthcare. Since launching in March 2022, the internship program, sponsored by the Goodwin Living Foundation, has introduced 95 high school and college students to the many non-clinical careers in senior living at Goodwin Living. Interns are hosted by a variety of departments, from Marketing and Communications to Brain Health to Finance and more. The program offers four annual cohorts, with summer being the largest.

Many participants are immigrants or first-generation college students, and 15 interns have subsequently been hired by Goodwin Living.

“Interns bring fresh ideas and energy to our mission of uplifting the lives of older adults and those who care for them,” said Rob Liebreich, President & CEO of Goodwin Living. “It’s inspiring to see how many students grow personally and professionally during their time with us and how many continue to shape our organization well after their internship ends. We are proud to invest in the future of the senior living workforce, and we are deeply grateful to V-TOP for this continued recognition.”

Interns at Goodwin Living attend professional development workshops led by senior leaders and participate in hands-on projects. The program’s strong emphasis on community, mentorship and equity has drawn praise from past interns and education leaders alike. A hallmark of the program is its intentional pairing of each intern with a resident mentor from one of the Goodwin Living senior living campuses, building intergenerational relationships that offer connection, insight and encouragement.

“Past interns have described their internship experience as ‘empowering,’ ‘enriching’ and ‘informative,’” said Ramos. “Interns often share that their experience with us has changed their perspective on senior living.”

As part of Goodwin Living’s commitment to encourage and nurture young people in exploring career pathways, Goodwin Living published an Internship Playbook. This complimentary playbook is intended to help other organizations by providing a turn-key toolkit for creating a successful internship program. The Internship Playbook can be downloaded from the Goodwin Living website.

The V-TOP award is part of Virginia’s celebration of Intern Day, established by proclamation of Governor Glenn Youngkin, which honors employers and students contributing to work-based learning throughout the Commonwealth.

V-TOP is administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) in collaboration with the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Virginia Business Higher Education Council, and is supported by the General Assembly’s Commonwealth Innovative Internship Fund and Program.

To learn more about internships at Goodwin Living, visit: https://goodwinliving.org/careers/internships/.

# # #

About Goodwin Living™ (GoodwinLiving.org): Goodwin Living™ touches the lives of thousands of people every day through its range of senior living communities in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., specialized healthcare services, community partnerships and philanthropic endeavors. With a mission to support, honor and uplift the lives of others (specifically older adults and those who care for them), Goodwin Living leads the way in expanding the places and ways we can all thrive and find purpose as we age. Older adults will discover options that meet them where they want to be, and those options are managed and provided by team members who represent more than 65 countries. Goodwin Living has been a Washington Post Top Workplace every year since 2019 and was named the #2 Top Workplace for 2024. Get more information at GoodwinLiving.org or by following Goodwin Living on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.