Sean M. Kelly has succeeded the retiring John Diffey as Kendal Corp.’s president and CEO, effective Jan. 1. Diffey will remain in a part-time capacity while Kelly builds elements of the company’s new leadership team in the corporate office.

“Sean and I are committed to working closely together to orchestrate a smooth transition during this particularly healthy stage in the Kendal System’s history,” Diffey said.

Kelly has served as the Philadelphia-area company’s director for new business development since 2008. In that position, he has led organizational efforts aimed at fostering new opportunities for growth while supporting planning and development initiatives for existing Kendal continuing care retirement / life plan communities. Kelly joined Kendal in 2008 after 11 years with Connecticut-based Retirement Living Services, a development, finance, marketing and operations consultant to senior housing and service providers throughout the United States.

Diffey was Kendal’s CEO for more than two decades. During his tenure, the company grew significantly and now is among the 10 largest not-for-profit senior living organizations in the country. It has a total of 12 CCRCs in Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the Washington, D.C., area and also operates Kendal at Home, based in Cleveland.

Kendal also is seeking a corporate chief financial officer and will be recruiting a director for marketing and public relations and a director for outreach successor after the June retirements of leaders in those positions.