Michelle Missler
Service coordinators have played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting residents in affordable housing communities across the country. They’ve led the charge to facilitate the distribution of food and medicine, implemented new health standards at properties, helped seniors access the internet to connect with resources and family, and combated resident isolation.
“Service coordinators have been unfortunately, but fortunately, training for an event like COVID-19 their entire careers,” says Michelle Missler, president and CEO of the American Association of Service Coordinators (AASC). “What has changed is there is an exclamation point at the end of what service coordination means now.”
By the end of February, AASC members had organized approximately 1,000 vaccination clinics at affordable housing properties nationwide and immunized 35,378 low-income residents, reported the association.
The main role of service coordinators is to assess and support residents, often seniors and individuals with special needs, in getting the services they need, according to Missler, who took over AASC this year after serving as vice president in 2020.
With 3,700 members, the Ohio-based association supports service coordinators across the country through education and advocacy and is a national resource for service-enriched housing. Missler hopes to expand the group’s research efforts and build new partnerships.
“There’s a tremendous opportunity for us to create system-to-system partnerships across the health care space and with other entities,” she says.
A licensed social worker, Missler began her career as a service coordinator at a senior housing development owned by National Church Residences. By the time she left the nonprofit organization, she was director of its support services program, leading more than 600 service coordinators. She also served as vice president of strategic partnerships at the Healthcare Collaborative of Greater Columbus, Ohio, and was director of the Franklin County Office on Aging before joining AASC.
She’s active in Vistage Worldwide, a leadership development and peer advisory organization, and through her local chapter regularly meets with nonprofit CEOs. The mother of two young boys, Missler has competed in seven mini-triathlons in recent years.
