By Analiz G. Schremmer
Buckner International

(AUSTIN, Texas) — The Texas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (TAHSA) named Doyle Antle, Buckner Villas Administrator in Austin, administrator of the year.

Antle has worked at Buckner Villas for 11 years, first as director of nursing and eventually as administrator beginning in 2002. He said that his team of staff is one of the best parts of his job.
“Working here is like being with your family every day,” he said. “Besides that, I just love dealing with seniors and working with long-term care. It is rewarding. It is positive. You can leave and know you did a good job that day. Whenever you have met the needs of someone, it is rewarding.

“And as administrator, I get the chance interact a lot with the residents. I just now finished making room-to-room rounds and talking with families to make sure we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.”

Shirley Favors, HR manager at Buckner Villas who headed the nomination, said the following in the nomination report:

“In Doyle's presence, one is unaware of the multitude of concerns and issues that have crossed his desk. He gives his undivided attention as he receives your information and formulates solutions, ideas or just lends an ear. Unraveling the myriad of questions, proposals and suggestions while funneling them into a form that makes sense and still focusing on the mission and vision of the company is one of his many talents.”

Pearl Merritt, president of Buckner Retirement Services, Inc., said Antle has shown a lot of growth as a leader in long-term care.

“He has prepared his staff for the expansion and repositioning of his community. His team is exceptional and focused on success and we are so proud of his work.”

Antle is on a first-name basis with the Buckner Villas residents and sometimes gives them his cell phone number in case they need to contact him on evenings or weekends.

“It allows us to solve problems and it helps those problems to not get out of hand,” Antle said. “They are leaving me messages, calling my cell phone and they become family that way.”

But he added that he wanted to give credit to Buckner for any personal success.

“You are only as successful as the organization that supports you,” he said. “Here in Austin, Buckner has really supported us through technology advancement and equipment and it makes our ability to provide care very effective. So it isn’t really about whether I got administrator of the year. It was actually Buckner who did that, because Buckner provides what we need to be successful.”