In this episode of Health Futures: Taking Stock in You, host Bob Roth welcomes his longtime friend and healthcare leader Dave Totaro for a thoughtful conversation about relationships, reinvention, advocacy, and the power of timing.
Together, they reflect on Dave’s remarkable career journey, from his early days in marketing and corporate leadership to his influential role in home care advocacy, and discuss how relationships, trust, and a willingness to embrace opportunity helped shape every chapter along the way.
🎧 For the full episode, CLICK HERE
Audacy | Apple | Spotify
A Life Shaped by Relationships and Opportunity
Dave Totaro’s story begins just outside Philadelphia, where he grew up with his identical twin brother, Sam. Their bond has remained strong over the years, even through periods of competition and distance, and Dave reflects on how that relationship helped shape his understanding of connection, identity, and family.
From there, his path led him to Dickinson College, then to the Wharton School, and eventually into a career that would span marketing, healthcare, government affairs, and advocacy.
One of the most defining moments of Dave’s life came early on, when a random moment during Army Reserve training introduced him to Mark Baiada. Standing side by side in line at Fort Knox, the two struck up a conversation that would become a lifelong friendship and professional relationship.
That chance meeting became one of the clearest examples in Dave’s life of how timing, luck, and relationships can shape everything that follows.
A Career Built Across Many Chapters
Throughout the episode, Dave shares how his professional life never followed a single straight line. Instead, it unfolded across industries and cities, with each chapter building on the last.
He held senior marketing roles in financial services and at Caesars Entertainment, where he served as the company’s first chief marketing officer and helped shape major projects during Las Vegas’ explosive growth era. He also worked at Avon and in the pharmaceutical industry before eventually finding his way into healthcare.
Rather than seeing those shifts as detours, Dave describes them as proof that meaningful careers can evolve over time.
He encourages younger professionals not to feel pressured to map out every step too early, but instead to stay open to opportunities as they arise. His own career reflects that philosophy, showing how skills can transfer across industries when paired with curiosity, adaptability, and strong relationships.
Returning Full Circle at BAYADA
A major focus of the conversation is Dave’s long tenure at BAYADA, where he joined in 2009 as the company’s first chief marketing officer.
For Dave, returning to work alongside Mark Baiada was more than a career move. It was a full-circle moment rooted in trust, shared values, and years of staying connected.
He played a key role in helping lead the company’s brand evolution from BAYADA Nurses to BAYADA Home Health Care, reflecting the broader scope of services the organization had grown to provide.
But not long after joining, Dave stepped into an even larger mission: building out BAYADA’s advocacy and government affairs efforts at a time when the company recognized that one of its most important stakeholders was the government.
That realization became the foundation for a major strategic shift.
Why Advocacy Matters in Home Care
Bob and Dave spend much of the episode discussing the importance of advocacy in the home care industry and why having a seat at the table matters so much.
Dave explains that when he began building BAYADA’s government affairs function, the company was investing heavily in something that would take time to show results. It required leadership support, patience, and confidence that relationships built over time would eventually create meaningful impact.
That investment paid off.
Over the years, BAYADA developed a three-pronged advocacy model built around direct lobbying, grassroots engagement, and public awareness. Dave helped create an ambassador program that equipped employees across the company to become informed advocates in their own communities and with lawmakers in their home districts.
Later, that work expanded even further with the addition of a dedicated social media and public relations effort inside government affairs, helping raise awareness not only about BAYADA, but about the broader value and needs of home care.
The conversation makes clear that advocacy is not simply about policy. It is about protecting access, elevating the needs of older adults and families, and ensuring the home care industry is represented in the decisions that shape its future.
Building Hearts for Home Care
One of Dave’s proudest accomplishments is helping launch Hearts for Home Care, a national advocacy network designed to engage more people in supporting home care issues.
What began as an idea to broaden awareness has grown into a national movement, with thousands of members across all 50 states. The goal was to create a stronger collective voice, not just among providers, but among families, caregivers, and others who understand the importance of care at home.
For Dave, Hearts for Home Care represents the power of combining mission with organization. It also reflects a central theme of the episode: real change happens when people come together around a shared purpose.
Leadership, Legacy, and What Comes Next
As Dave reflects on winding down his time at BAYADA, he speaks with gratitude about the leaders, mentors, and colleagues who shaped his experience in the home care field.
He credits Mark BAYADA as one of the most influential people in his life and says the experience taught him not only how to lead, but how to listen, build trust, and stay committed to something bigger than himself.
At the same time, Dave makes clear that this is not the end of the road.
He has now joined Liberty Partners Group, where he is continuing his work in public affairs and advocacy, particularly as Medicare and Medicaid issues remain front and center in the years ahead. He is also consulting with CareEasy, an AI-enhanced platform designed to better match caregivers with those who need care.
Even in this next chapter, the throughline remains the same: relationships, strategy, communication, and a desire to help move the industry forward.
A Conversation About More Than Career
What makes this episode especially compelling is that it is not just about professional milestones. It is also about what gives a life meaning.
In a rapid-fire closing segment, Dave shares the values that still guide him today: compassion, reliability, accessibility, curiosity, and gratitude. He reflects on the importance of speaking up, staying connected, and enjoying every single day.
The conversation feels personal, honest, and grounded in mutual respect, which makes sense given the long friendship between Bob and Dave. Their shared background in marketing, leadership, and home care gives the episode both warmth and depth.
Continuing the Work of Advocacy and Care
This episode of Health Futures offers a powerful look at a career shaped by courage, adaptability, and connection. Dave Totaro’s story is a reminder that no experience is wasted, that relationships matter, and that meaningful work often grows from the people we meet and the opportunities we choose to pursue.
It is also a timely conversation for anyone in healthcare, home care, or advocacy who is thinking about leadership, legacy, and the future of care.
🎧 Listen to the full conversation to hear how Dave Totaro’s journey through marketing, advocacy, and home care continues to shape the industry and the people within it.
📌 Learn more about Health Futures: Taking Stock in You
📌 Learn more about Cypress HomeCare Solutions or call (602) 264-8009
📝 This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical or legal advice.
