Robyn Stone, DrPH

LeadingAge’s Robyn Stone to receive Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Productive Aging

Robyn I. Stone, DrPH, executive director of the LeadingAge Center for Applied Research and senior vice president of research, will receive the Gerontological Society of America’s 2016 Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Productive Aging at GSA’s annual meeting in November in New Orleans.

The honor, given annually, recognizes individuals who are in the middle of their careers and are actively engaged in the conception and development of programs that translate research into practical application or policy.

Stone is being recognized in part for her work in leading the first systematic data collection and analysis of family caregiving, analyzing financing mechanisms for long-term services and supports related to insurance arrangements, and evaluating the performance and design of programs that provide housing with services for low-income older adults.

Stone has held research and policy positions in the federal government and the private sector. She served as the deputy assistant secretary for disability, aging and LTC policy and as acting assistant secretary for aging in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the administration of President Bill Clinton. She also was a senior researcher at the National Center for Health Services Research (now known as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) as well as at Project Hope’s Center for Health Affairs. Additionally, Stone was on the staff of the 1989 Bipartisan Commission on Comprehensive Health Care and the 1993 Clinton administration’s Task Force on Health Care Reform.

She oversaw the three-state Cash and Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation in the 1990s that provided the evidence and framework for consumer direction programs nationwide. She was responsible for the formation of the Better Jobs, Better Care national initiative — five state-based coalitions and eight research projects focused on improving the education, job quality, and compensation of direct care workers. The research findings from this initiative directly influenced policy development and practice at state and local levels regarding long-term care workforce training, compensation, and job design.

Stone is a GSA fellow, which is the highest class of membership within the society, and is a past chairwoman of GSA’s Social Research, Policy and Practice Section. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2015.

Rod Bailey joins Beatitudes Campus as senior vice president

Rod Bailey, M.S.W., Ph.D., has joined Beatitudes Campus in Phoenix as senior vice president of sales and marketing.

He comes to the life plan community with more than 25 years of experience in healthcare administration along with expertise in organizational management. In his new role, Bailey is part of the executive management team and will lead sales and marketing efforts while addressing key strategic priorities for Beatitudes Campus.

Bailey has held leadership positions in several continuing care retirement communities in Arizona; most recently, he was senior vice president at Glencroft Retirement Community. He is a long-time Arizonan, is board president for the Area Agency on Aging Elder Friends and is a board member of the LeadingAge Arizona Foundation. He is a past board member of LeadingAge Arizona.

Bailey is a certified retirement housing professional and a certificated assisted living manager as well as a licensed nursing facility administrator. He earned his doctoral degree in healthcare administration from Lael College and Graduate School; his master’s in social work degree with an emphasis on policy, planning and administration from the University of Illinois–Champaign; and an undergraduate degree in business administration and social welfare from Olivet Nazarene University.

Denise Gannon named VP of post-acute services at Lutheran Homes Society

Denise Gannon has been named vice president of post-acute services at the Toledo, OH-based Lutheran Homes Society. In this position, she will be responsible for the organization’s assisted living, skilled nursing, long-term-care, home health and therapy operations throughout Northwest Ohio.

Gannon comes to LHS from the Eliza Jennings Senior Care Network in Cleveland, where she had worked since 1996. A registered nurse by training, she held a variety of clinical and operational positions during her tenure with Eliza Jennings. Most recently, she served as the chief operating officer.

Gannon is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, has served on the LeadingAge Ohio Board of Directors and is still active in the organization, currently serving as a coach in its Leadership Academy. She is an alumna of the national LeadingAge Leadership Academy and has worked as a consultant on person-centered care and dementia.

LHS provides housing, medical care and community services to almost 3,400 individuals throughout Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.

Lindsey Daugherty named regional operations director at Carillon

Lindsey Daugherty has been named regional director of operations at Raleigh, NC-based Carillon Assisted Living. She brings 19 years of experience in senior living operations, marketing, quality care, employee relations and retention and financial management that she gained at Elmcroft Senior Living.

Daugherty has been active in numerous local Alzheimer’s Association activities in Ohio. She also is involved with Argentum and one of its state partners, the North Carolina Assisted Living Association.

An Ohio native, Daugherty attended high school in California and attended the University of California State Riverside before returning to Ohio to earn her nursing license, real estate license, personal training certification and business degree. She also is an ordained pastor and has officiated at several weddings.

Carillon operates 21 licensed assisted living communities in North Carolina.

Welltower announces two promotions

Toledo, OH-based real estate investment trust Welltower has promoted two employees, one to executive vice president for business development and the other to general counsel and corporate secretary.

Mercedes Kerr has been promoted from senior vice president of marketing to executive vice president for business development. In this role, she will identify, build and manage relationships with seniors housing operators, health systems, real estate developers and financial institutions to expand Welltower’s healthcare property portfolio.

Kerr will continue to represent the REIT on the executive committee of the American Seniors Housing Association, the board of counselors for the University of Southern California Davis School of Gerontology and the board of the California Assisted Living Association.

In addition to leading Welltower’s business development team, Kerr also directs many of Welltower’s strategic business relationships. For example, she manages the company’s partnership with Hines, a privately owned global real estate investment firm through which Welltower is developing a 15-story assisted living and memory care community in midtown Manhattan.

Before joining Welltower in 2008, Kerr was vice president of acquisitions at HCP Inc. and before that was a member of the consulting division of Ernst & Young LLP, previously known as E&Y Kenneth Leventhal. She began her career in real estate development in her native Mexico, where she had earned her undergraduate degree. She also has a master’s degree in real estate development from the University of Southern California.

Also at Welltower, Matthew McQueen, J.D., who was senior vice president, legal, has been promoted to senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary.

In this expanded role, he will report to Jeffrey H. Miller, executive vice president and chief operating officer. The role of corporate secretary was vacated in July as a result of Erin C. Ibele’s retirement.

McQueen joined Welltower in April 2015 from Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago, where he was a partner in the corporate and securities group. In his 11 years at Sidley, he led a practice in mergers and acquisitions, working on domestic and global transactions for public and private companies in transactions ranging from several million to billions of dollars; corporate governance; public and private securities offerings; and joint ventures. While at Sidley, McQueen represented Welltower in several transactions, including the company’s acquisition of Genesis HealthCare, Sunrise Senior Living, HealthLease and several joint ventures, including Revera and Senior Resource Group.

McQueen holds an undergraduate degree in English and history from Indiana University. He earned his law degree from the University of Michigan.

Dave Quirk wins LeadingAge Florida Volunteer of the Year Award

David Quirk was named LeadingAge Florida’s Volunteer of the Year July 26 at the organization’s annual convention in Boca Raton, FL. The award recognizes a volunteer whose work enhances the quality of life for residents; preserves the dignity, well-being and independence of residents; and demonstrates the mission of the member community in several ways.

Quirk, a retired Naval officer, has been a resident of Penney Retirement Community since 2008 (he is pictured with Penney President/CEO Teresa Scott). According to Penney, he:

  • Helps fellow residents organize their finances and calculate their income taxes;
  • Volunteers for the Honor Flight for Veterans and helps residents apply for military benefits they might otherwise not receive;
  • Works with the Green Cove Springs state attorney’s office as a hearing officer in the first-offender division programs for children and adults;
  • Serves as the procurement and supply coordinator for Personal Energy Transportation, a nonprofit housed at Penney that builds and donates hand-powered carts to people who live in developing countries and have lost the use of their legs; and
  • Serves on the board of directors for the Orange Park Community Theatre and Penney Retirement Community.

Suzanne Ryan named senior placement adviser for Hand in Hand Elder Care

Suzanne Ryan has been named senior placement adviser at Hand in Hand Elder Care in New York City.

Ryan joins Hand in Hand Elder Care with more than 15 years of healthcare and senior living experience. In her new position, she will focus on providing placing older adults in the Long Island region as the company expands into new communities.