Hudie Langston, Administrator of Christian City Assisted Living Center was recently named 2017 Executive Director of the Year by the American College of Health Care Administrators during the Georgia Health Care Association and Georgia Center for Assisted Living’s summer convention.
 
Langston is well respected by both residents and staff at Christian City Assisted Living Center, which is operated by PruittHealth. “Hudie’s passion for providing quality residential care shows in his leadership,” said Len Romano, President and CEO of Christian City. “He has dedicated his career to taking care of vulnerable people. This award was well-deserved,” Romano said.
 
Langston was among the 20 graduates of GHCA’s first Georgia Leader Program class in 2015. Regarding the statewide award he received, he said, “I was totally surprised and appreciated the recognition in front of my peers.” Naming several Pruitt Health leaders who positively influenced his career over the past two decades: Melvin Moses, Kevin Metz, Suzanne Gerhardt, Loretta Barnes, and George Hunt, Langston said, “Their leadership, mentorship and advice helped me to reach this point in my career, and I’m grateful to each one of them.”
 
Born in Flint, Michigan, Hudie and his family moved to Nashville when he was three years old. They relocated to Georgia when he was 13. A graduate of Shamrock High in DeKalb County, Hudie excelled as a multi-sport athlete in basketball, football, track and cross country, receiving MVP awards in both basketball and track & field.
 
Hudie’s passion for athletics continued at Georgia Southern University where he majored in recreational therapy. “My first jobs were at Parkway Medical Center and Grady Health System in Atlanta,” Langston said. “One position was full-time and the other part-time. I worked the two jobs simultaneously, and both involved providing structured therapeutic recreational services for youth and adults with psychological disorders,” he said.
 
His next career step took Hudie to long term care for seniors at Ashton Woods Rehabilitation Center in Atlanta, which is now PruittHealth-Brookhaven. He oversaw the activities department and worked as a recreational therapist before being named Assistant Administrator. After serving in similar capacities at PruittHealth’s skilled nursing facilities in Lilburn and Austell, Hudie joined Georgia War Veterans Home in Milledgeville as Interim Administrator of the Richard B. Russell building before being named Associate Director for the campus. He then moved on to become the Administrator at PruittHealth-Franklin before being named Administrator of Christian City Assisted Living Center in 2017. “I thought I would be here for only nine days, but this opportunity turned into a long term position,” Langston said.
 
When asked about his leadership role, Langston responded, “Christian City is a God-centered campus with leadership support focused on helping staff members maximize their potential. Thus, we have a seasoned staff in the Assisted Living Center. When I am not on site, I have peace in knowing that our residents are under the excellent care of our cohesive team. The staff sincerely cares about the residents as well as one another. They are passionate about their jobs and willing to go the extra mile, always keeping residents’ best interest at heart,” he said. “It is a joy and privilege to work here and serve here, because I’m in an environment where I’m being fed spiritually. My job helps me with my continued growth as a Christian,” Langston commented.
 
Following the recent acts of violence in Charlottesville, CEO Len Romano spoke out about how love can make hate go away, saying, “I am hopeful that at Christian City we understand that God created us in His image and because of that we will treat everyone we meet as special and deserving of love.” Hudie responded saying, “Love is the most powerful spiritual gift. Let’s continue to spread it at Christian City and in our communities.”
 
Faith has been at the forefront of Hudie’s life. He was a member of Destiny Metropolitan Worship Church in Marietta for ten years where he served as the Host Team Coordinator and was named Volunteer of the Year in 2009. He is now a resident of Norcross and member of Victory World Church where he serves as Assistant Team Leader of the nursing home ministry that provides spiritual services for residents at Meadowbrook Health and Rehab. “Each Sunday, we facilitate a church service for the residents and do one-to-one visits,” he said. Hudie was named Volunteer of the Year in 2014.
 
From high school athletics to church volunteer and Administrator of the Year, Langston is no stranger to awards and accolades. When asked what’s next in his list of aspirations, he said, “These rewards are nice, but my real rewards come from God.” At age 45, he wants to focus more on family and take time to enjoy life. “I want to eliminate stressors as much as possible, be around like-minded people, have a sense of peace, and be a blessing to others,” Langston said with an award-winning smile.