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Welltower EVP Mercedes Kerr named president of Belmont Village Senior Living
Mercedes Kerr, executive vice president of business and relationship management at Toledo, OH-based real estate investment trust Welltower, will assume the role of president of Houston-based Belmont Village Senior Living on Sept. 3, Welltower announced Monday. Kerr will leave Welltower on July 1.
Kerr joined Welltower in 2008 and has been in her current position since 2016. During her tenure, she has been largely responsible for identifying, building and managing relationships with seniors housing operators, health systems, real estate developers and financial institutions to expand the company’s real estate portfolio, Welltower said.
“I look forward to the opportunity to continue our collaboration as she takes on her new role at Belmont Village,” Welltower Chairman and CEO Tom DeRosa said in a statement. Belmont Village, which has 29 properties in seven states and Mexico City and two more opening this year, is one of the REIT’s operating partners.
Before joining Welltower in 2008, Kerr was vice president of acquisitions at HCP, and before that she was a member of the consulting division of Ernst & Young; the division previously was known as E&Y Kenneth Leventhal. Kerr began her career in real estate development in her native Mexico.
She graduated from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara in Mexico and obtained a Master of Real Estate Development degree from the University of Southern California.
Sodalis Senior Living hires Kelly Schwennesen as vice president of sales
Kelly Schwennesen has joined New Braunfels, TX-based Sodalis Senior Living as vice president of sales and marketing.
Schwennesen will oversee Sodalis’ existing and upcoming expansions. In addition, she’ll explore the latest trends in the market while working to maintain the company’s culture. Her responsibilities include the strategic planning and direction for all sales and marketing services, including the development of training for all sales teams.
Schwennesen has 14 years of sales experience in the medical and senior living industries. She previously was associated with companies such as Emeritus and Civitas Senior Living as a regional sales director.
Benchmark appoints Missy Ebner as regional director of resident care
Missy Ebner, RN, C-AL, is now using her 32 years of nursing experience to serve seniors in Benchmark Senior Living communities. As regional director of resident care, she oversees care at Benchmark independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing communities throughout the Northeast.
Before joining Benchmark, Ebner was regional director of health and wellness for Milestone Retirement Communities. She also has worked in a regional care capacity for Juniper Communities, Enlivant, Sunrise Senior Living and Emeritus Senior Living.
In 2007, Ebner helped establish Helen’s Hope, a Philadelphia-based non-profit organization that provides financial relief to those fighting cancer. The organization was established in memory of her sister-in-law, Helen, who lost her battle with breast cancer at the age of 38. Today, Ebner is a board member.
Ebner graduated from Excelsior College as a registered nursing.
Solstice Senior Living adds David Lors as regional director of sales and marketing
David Lors has been hired as the regional director of sales and marketing within Solstice Senior Living’s east region. He will spearhead initiatives for 10 of Solstice’s 32 communities in Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Missouri and New York.
Carlsbad, CA-based Solstice is a national joint venture of Integral Senior Living and real estate investment trust NorthStar Healthcare Income.
Lors previously was senior regional director of sales for senior living communities in Virginia and Ohio. With more than 15 years of experience in the senior living industry, he has led sales and marketing efforts in more than nine states and two countries.
The Village at Mapleshade names Linda Craun-Lugar executive director
Linda Craun-Lugar has been named executive director at The Village at Mapleshade, an assisted living community west of Plano, TX.
Lugar’s responsibilities include overseeing the community’s day-to-day operations and team management, hiring all department heads and care staff, and coordinating with the management company, Integral Senior Living.
Before joining The Village, Luger spent three years as executive director at Sunrise Senior Living in Sterling, VA. She has more than 20 years of experience in the senior living industry.
Outside of work, Luger is involved with the Alzheimer’s Association and is on the board of directors of Texas Assisted Living Association.
Benchmark hires Allyson Sweeney as executive director of the Atrium at Rocky Hill
Allyson Sweeney has been named executive director of The Atrium at Rocky Hill, a Benchmark Senior Living memory care community in Rocky Hill, CT.
The appointment marks a return to Benchmark for Sweeney, who spent part of her career at Benchmark, advancing to become associate executive director for The Arbors at Shelburne memory care community in Shelburne, VT. Subsequently, she was executive director of The Residence at Shelburne Bay in Shelburne, VT.
In 2015, Argentum presented Sweeney with its Hero Award for showing leadership and initiative and working to improve the quality of life for residents. She also was an ambassador to the Alzheimer’s Association of Vermont, during which time she traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby on Capitol Hill on behalf of those living with Alzheimer’s disease.
A social worker by background, Sweeney received her undergraduate degree in social work from Siena College. She completed her undergraduate internship at a nursing home.
Sweeney also has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Vermont.
Legacy Midtown Park names John Falldine executive director
John Falldine has been appointed executive director of The Legacy Midtown Park, a Legacy Senior Communities rental continuing care retirement community under development in Dallas.
Falldine joins The Legacy Senior Communities with more than 20 years of experience in a variety of roles across the senior living industry. He most recently worked as a consultant.
Previously, Falldine was executive director for Edgemere in Dallas for 10 years and The Buckingham in Houston for three years. Both are owned and operated by Senior Quality Lifestyles Corp. Early in his career, Falldine also held various director-level roles in operations and management.
Although new to the Legacy Senior Communities organization, he previously worked with the development team on The Legacy Willow Bend during his time with Greystone Communities.
Sedgebrook welcomes new finance director, Alex Cappello
Alex Cappello has been named finance director of Sedgebrook, a life plan community in Lincolnshire, IL. He will succeed Barbara Smolenski, who is retiring in July after eight years in the position.
Cappello most recently worked at Exelon Corp.
Friendship Village Kalamazoo promotes two
Diana Duncan has been promoted to director of sales and marketing, and Ashley Jamison has been promoted to director of Woodside resident care, at Friendship Village Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, MI, managed by Life Care Services.
For the past three years, Duncan has been director of marketing for Friendship Village’s Woodside assisted living and memory care community.
Before joining Friendship Village, Duncan spent seven years implementing a volunteer wellness and activities program for Ganton Senior Communities, Battle Creek, MI. There, the Reflections Memory Care community achieved gold-level status from the Michigan Center for Assisted Living. She is a veteran of the U.S. Army.
Duncan volunteers with the Alzheimer’s Association, serving on the board for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She also chairs the Kalamazoo Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
Jamieson joined Friendship Village in October 2008 as an LPN at Woodside, where she worked for five years. In 2013, she became the office supervisor in the independent living community. In 2015, she returned to Woodside as assistant director of Woodside resident care.
Jamieson obtained her associates degree in nursing at Lake Superior State University in 2008.
Senior Living Communities names new social director, HR assistant at communities
Tammara Sweeney has been promoted to social director at Senior Living Communities’ The Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, and Justin English has been named human resources assistant at The Stratford, Carmel, IN.
Sweeney comes from a sister community, Wellmore of Tega Cay, where she was a life enrichment leader within memory care.
She has an undergraduate degree in exercise science and has completed internships in the wellness and activities fields.
English pursued his undergraduate degree in human resource management and public affairs at Indiana University. He has previous experience in the industry.
Charles E. Smith Life Communities announces new board leader, Eric Meyers
Eric G. Meyers, founding member at Meyers, Hurvitz, and Abrahams, LLC of Greater Washington, D.C., has been installed as chair of the Charles E. Smith Life Communities Board of Governors, Rockville, MD.
Meyers’ expertise extends from estate planning to real estate transactions. He founded and operated the Capital Financial Group, a multi-faceted financial services firm, for almost four decades.
Meyers is the former Maryland state captain for legislative affairs for the American Association of Life Underwriting, as well as a member of the National Association of Independent Financial Advisors.
Others installed to two-year terms:
- Jeffrey S. Puretz, chair-elect;
- Alan M. Freeman, immediate past chair;
- Harry A. Harrison, vice chair, Finance Committee/Treasurer;
- Natalie S. West, secretary;
- Irving P. Cohen, vice chair, Audit Committee;
- Jacqueline M. Rams, vice chair, Resource Development Committee;
- Donald M. Kaplan, vice chair, Strategic Planning Committee;
- Paula H. Robinson, vice chair, Quality of Care Committee;
- Scott N. Brody, vice chair, Trustees Committee; and
- Aaron M. Rulnick, chair, Cohen-Rosen House and Landow House Board, Revitz House Board and Ring House Board.
LeadingAge PA welcomes Jon Hudak as manager of data analytics
Jon Hudak has joined LeadingAge PA as manager of data analytics. In this new role, he will work with both the education and research team and the government affairs team to provide research, data-mining, data analytics and reporting on information to assist members.
Hudak comes to LeadingAge PA with a background in data analytics and investigative analysis at several government and legal organizations. He is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University.
Ziegler adds Angelique A. David to board of directors
Angelique A. David has been added to the board of directors at Chicago-based national specialty investment bank Ziegler.
David joined Ziegler in 2007 as assistant general counsel and added the title general counsel in 2010 and chief operating officer in 2016.
As an executive managing director, chief operating officer and general counsel, she oversees all of the day-to-day functions of the business, which include the areas of legal, compliance, IT, human resources, marketing, accounting, research, and office services. She is responsible for all legal and regulatory affairs, ethics and compliance programs, as well as all corporate governance, human capital, marketing and IT activities.
David is chair of the board of the Bond Dealers of America and a director on the executive committee of the Chicago State Foundation Board.
GlynnDevins names Lisa Legeer SVP of research and healthcare consulting
Lisa Legeer has been named senior vice president of research and healthcare consulting at senior living marketing services firm GlynnDevins, Kansas City, MO.
Legeer will oversee market research and healthcare consulting for the agency. Her role encompasses custom qualitative and quantitative consumer research, market demand and feasibility assessments, and resident and employee satisfaction.
Legeer has more than two decades of healthcare and senior living experience. Before joining GlynnDevins, she was a principal at Dixon Hughes Goodman, a Charlotte, NC-based public accounting firm. There, she worked with senior living and post-acute providers, hospitals and health systems to develop and implement strategies to transition healthcare delivery from fee-for-service to risk- and performance-based payment models.
Legeer earned her undergraduate degree in rhetoric and communication studies from the University of Virginia. She serves on the board of trustees for the National Benevolent Association, a faith-based organization that helps provide affordable housing, children and family services, advocacy for older adults, and more for the underprivileged.
Meyer Design promotes Shannon Remaley to principal
Shannon Remaley, NCIDQ, LEED GA, has been promoted from project manager and director of Living Studio interiors to principal at Ardmore, PA-based Meyer Design.
Remaley leads the strategic direction and vision for the interiors and furniture, fixtures and equipment group in Meyer’s nationally recognized Living Studio, focused on the senior living, active adult and multi-family markets.
Remaley has been with Meyer for more than six years, having previously worked at STV Architects and DesignPoint.
She is a graduate of Drexel University, where she earned her undergraduate degree in interior design with a minor in dance. She obtained her National Council for Interior Design Qualification certification in 2005.
Send personnel news to Senior Editor Lois A. Bowers. Please include a high-quality color photo.
