The NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award is a great honor given to only the most deserving individuals by the Boy Scouts of America. This prestigious award is only given to those who have earned their Eagle Scout badge and have made significant contributions to their community throughout their career. Douglas Motter, President of Homestead Village received the 2025 Outstanding Eagle Scout Award at annual PA Dutch Council of Scouts dinner on August 6, 2025. Congratulations to Doug on this achievement, and thanks for all you have done to improve care and services for older adults.
Douglas Motter, President, Homestead Village, Receives Outstanding Eagle Award
In high school, Douglas Motter’s Eagle Scout Service project, like a number of his earlier service projects in scouting, took place in a nursing home setting. His time in the Boy Scouts allowed him to become familiar with the depressing and deplorable conditions in nursing homes in the 1970s. At the time, he thought he would never want to visit a nursing home again. After completing college, Doug began the pursuit of a nursing home administrator license when he was asked by a good friend to work as Assistant Controller of the Baptist Home of Massachusetts; that invitation launched his career in health care administration.
When he made the decision, it was for one reason—he wanted to make a positive difference in the lives of residents and staff in nursing homes. He earned his license working as an administrator-in-training at a large injury-related rehabilitation center in Boston and then began his practice as a nursing home administrator. In 1990, He joined Presbyterian Senior Living (PSL) as Executive Director of one of their larger Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Indiana, PA. Concurrent with that he became an instructor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania teaching the newly created and required courses to become a nursing home administrator. In 1993, He went back to school to earn an MBA from the University of Pittsburg while working full-time as an Executive Director and licensed nursing home administrator. In 1997, he moved to a retirement community in Oxford, PA and relocated his family to Quarryville, PA.
In 1999, Doug became President of Homestead Village Retirement Community. Under Doug’s leadership, Homestead has grown from 186 homes on 30 acres to 375 homes on 90 acres. Homestead is currently adding 73 additional apartments to bring the total to 448 homes. He has transformed the nursing care center into small houses, and created small memory support homes for residents with Alzheimer’s. He also developed a floating personal care program to allow residents to age gracefully in their own apartments. Under his direction, campus additions have added numerous amenities and services to further the mission of the community to support ongoing health, wellness, and personal connection for each resident.
Through Doug’s participative leadership style, the community’s growth has also strengthened the financial position of the organization. He changed the bylaws to allow residents to serve on the board of directors, bringing a resident perspective to governance. Doug’s open door policy also includes frequent “coffee with the President” meetings, and friendly discussions about how to make Homestead a wonderful place. Resident and employee satisfaction has increased. As a non-profit charitable organization, Homestead is committed to never asking a resident to who has exhausted their financial resources to leave, and Doug has played a significant role in fundraising efforts for the endowment for charitable care.
Doug is a life-long learner who has shared with our regional community his vision and leadership for continuing care facilities by teaching nursing home administration at Millersville University, York College, and HACC. One of his first efforts as president of Homestead was to pursue excellence through accreditation by CARF, an oversight organization that measures quality and commitment to the highest standards in health care. Doug later became a surveyor for CARF and has conducted many surveys throughout the United States and Canada. He also has provided leadership in the Lancaster Area Senior Services (LASS) group over the years, serving as President of the association. He also is passionate about health, and is driving many of the wellness programs at Homestead Village; both for staff and residents. His initiatives include a brain health awareness program, book discussions, and expanding the dining services menus to feature healthier options.
All of this was triggered by a Scout’s experiences in nursing homes and an Eagle Scout Project!
Congratulations, Doug!
Slide showing photos of Douglas Motter, Eagle Award Winner.