This AIT Assistance Fund was established by the 2020-2021 ACHCA Board of Directors in recognition of Rudy Michalek's hard work and efforts as Interim ACHCA President. This fund will provide financial assistance to new graduates involved in unpaid AIT training programs. Beyond the initial funding, Rudy and Chris Michalek will provide a multi-year commitment to funding this program.

Purpose: The purpose of this grant is to sponsor three (3) recipients annually.

Background: ACHCA believes that the quality of care and life in a Long-Term Care facility begins with an AIT's quality education. Therefore, ACHCA strongly encourages graduates and early career employed individuals without Administrator licenses to apply for the Rudy and Chris Michalek AIT Assistance Fund.

Three (3) individuals will be selected as grant recipients and will receive a $1000 stipend to cover their living expenses and/or ACHCA membership.

Selection Criteria

1. The recipients must show financial need and will awarded a grant based upon the applicant demonstrating a true interest and desire to continue their professional development and achieve an Administrator's license.
2. The committee shall review the applications and references and select three (3) recipients each year from across the country to receive the grant stipend.
3. Applicants must have met the requirements to take the AIT program and have a licensed administrator preceptor to mentor them.
4. Membership in ACHCA is required.

The grant is awarded in the amount of $1,000 for eligible expenses.

About Rudy Michalek

Rudy Michalek is President of Premier Care Management which provides consultant and management services throughout the senior continuum of care. He has been a member of ACHCA for over 40 years. He has served as ACHCA Director At-Large and on the ACHCA Board of Directors. He was a member and Chair of ACHCA Bylaws Committee and a member of the Finance Committee. Mr. Michalek served three years as Treasurer of the Texas Chapter & a position vacated only due to him moving to Florida. Mr. Michalek's health industry experience spans more than 48 years, working at all levels from Assistant Administrator to President. His vast professional experience includes operations, finances, and quality assurance programming.

He is the recipient of the 2013 and 2018 ACHCA Chair Award and the 2023 ACHCA Mentor Award with each commendation recognizing his commitment to high professional standards, leadership in long term care, and the advancement of ACHCA. Beyond his career awards, in addition, in 2017, he was installed to the Benedictine University Athletic Hall of Fame for his in accomplished records in track and field.

The Rudy and Chris Michalek AIT Assistance Scholarship Period Will Close: July 15 of each year.

Questions? Contact us at [email protected].

2026 Rudy and Chris Michalek AIT Assistance Fund Recipient

Grace Yarger
Kent State University · The Village of St. Edward in Fairlawn, Ohio

Grace Yarger is a senior in the Long-Term Care Administration program at Kent State University, minoring in Gerontology, and is currently completing her Administrator in Training residency at The Village of St. Edward in Fairlawn, Ohio. Her work is focused on dementia care and person-centered care, with particular attention to communities where limited staffing and resources affect the care residents receive. This focus comes from six years of work in senior living and home care, where she has seen how staffing, communication, and leadership decisions shape residents' daily lives, which led her to pursue administration. Grace serves as President of the Gerontology Club at Kent State and as Secretary for the Ohio Association of Gerontology Education. She is working toward becoming a licensed nursing home administrator and leading a memory care community where staff have the training and structure to provide consistent, individualized care.

What this support means to her:

"Receiving the Rudy and Chris Michalek AIT Assistance Fund is meaningful to me, both as support during my residency and as recognition from an organization dedicated to long-term care administration profession. Because my residency is full-time and unpaid, I am incredibly grateful for this award and the stability it provides as I complete my training. I look forward to staying connected with ACHCA as I prepare for licensure and begin my career in long-term care administrator."