By Mark Abromaitis
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Maureen Heckler is the “mayor” of sorts for Maris Grove. As the community’s executive director, she spends much of her day behind the scenes, working on budgets, resident and employee matters, and logistics.

But it’s the time she spends with the people who live there that she finds the most valuable and the most rewarding.

“Meeting and talking with people is the highlight of my day,” says Heckler, who has been with the community since it opened over a year ago. “They shape every decision I make,” she says. “I always prefer to look before I leap, so I love to talk to everyone and get their input and use it to shape my decisions. I always try to do what’s in their best interest.”

Walking the beat
Heckler can often be seen walking around campus or sharing a cup of coffee with a resident. “I like to see and hear things firsthand,” she says. “And that means being a bit hands on. That means getting to know all the residents and all of our employees on a first name basis.”

“She’s always smiling,” Maris Grove resident Kathleen Maculaitis says. “She’s really a cool lady. She knows everyone by name and always makes an effort to say hello and see how we are doing. It’s one of the reasons why it’s so nice to live here.”

Giving residents a voice
Heckler says that she encourages all of her residents to get involved with projects, clubs, and organizations on campus. “Involvement is what makes a campus a community,” she says. One of her favorite groups is the community’s Resident Advisory Council (RAC). The collection of residents, elected by their peers, meet with her to share ideas for bettering the community.

Frank Bicking, a member of RAC, meets with Heckler every week. Bicking says, “She’s energetic and makes everything here transparent. She lets us know what’s going on so there are no surprises. She’s always upbeat, and everybody likes her. She’s really an amazing woman.” But more impressive, Bicking says, “She even remembers our birthdays.”