Kirk Thomas served as the Chief Administrative Officer for Geisinger Western Region before he retired, capping off a career of 39 years in healthcare. In the midst of what he calls a “what’s next phase,” he is investing his time in ministry work—including a brand‑new term on Valley View’s board of directors. We sat down with him to talk about his new role and how he sees connection and purpose lived out at Valley View.

What drew you to serve on the Valley View Board of Directors, and how does our mission resonate with your personal values?

I saw the mission of Valley View of showing God’s love for others, and as Christians, we are all called to serve one another. That’s how I approached my whole career – I looked at healthcare as a calling. That’s what it’s all about – helping those less fortunate than ourselves and taking care of people as they go through different phases of life.
Over the years, I had many interactions with Valley View and always had high regard for the work that it does in the community.

In your view, how does Valley View’s commitment to service extend beyond our campus and into the greater community?

The residents are the community. Many of them are local, as are your employees. So, in a sense, you are taking care of and employing our greater community – and neither of those responsibilities can be taken lightly. In turn, the employees are going out and economically supporting our greater community; they are engaged with various service organizations and churches. They can stay local and live the lives that they are called to live. We are impacting people’s lives for the better.

In what ways do you believe our faith foundation shapes our approach to care?

It is a faith‑based approach, first of all.

It’s not about us. It is about service, about taking care of people and sharing God’s love with them. That’s the bottom line. There has to be a profit to keep the doors open so we can do a service, but yet, much like in my former career, you know, we … serve the less fortunate.

What’s your own personal WHY, and how does board service allow you to contribute to meaningful change?

I remember the first time that I read “The Purpose Driven Life,” and it starts out “It’s not about you.” It’s not about me. I’m here for something hopefully bigger than me. My life and my career have been focused on serving others. I never looked at leadership about being top down. I approached it as a servant leader, supporting others. My job was to remove barriers so that people could take care of patients. In this case [at Valley View], if we take good care of our residents through our employees, everything falls into place. I truly believe that. Your finances fall into place, your culture changes. When Nicole reached out and asked me to join the board, I was honored and excited. It’s humbling.

Why does support and partnership matter so much for Valley View?

Valley View can’t serve its mission alone. It needs the community’s support. Volunteers, employees; it needs generous giving. There are some residents who come who can pay their own way, but there are many that just don’t have the means or their funds run out. I think it is so important for the community to know that there is a segment of the population who could not be there without the community. Giving is not impacting a big organization; it is impacting an individual.

This article is part of our Spring/Summer 2026 Newsletter. You can read the rest of this issue here.