Stephanie Handelson

Stephanie Handelson new CEO of Harmony Senior Services

Stephanie Handelson has joined Roanoke, VA-based Harmony Senior Services, an affiliate of Smith/Packett Med-Com, as CEO.

She will be based in Charleston, SC. Harmony has four communities in the state.

Handelson brings more than two decades of experience in the senior living profession to her new role, including time as president and chief operating officer at Benchmark Senior Living and 10 years Sunrise Senior Living, starting as an area manager and ending as a senior vice president. She also has several years of experience working in corporate planning.

Handelson is a board member of Argentum, an advisory board member of Senior Living 100 and a former operations advisory board member of the National Investment Center for Senior Housing & Care.

She completed her undergraduate degree at New York Institute of Technology and her MBA at Dowling College.

Chris Bird to lead LCS rental business

Chris Bird will be joining Des Moines, IA-based LCS in February to lead all aspects of the company’s rental division, including operations, occupancy development and new business growth.

“Chris brings 22 years of senior housing experience in the rental and [continuing care retirement community] spaces, a strong foundation in marketing and sales and is a respected voice with industry capital partners,” LCS President and CEO Joel Nelson said.

Most recently, BIrd was a division president at Brookdale Senior Living. Before joining Brookdale, he spent seven years working at what is now Sunrise Senior Living.

Robert Zitsman named executive director at University Village

Robert D. Zitsman has been named executive director for University Village, a continuing care retirement community in Thousand Oaks, CA.

In his new role, he has complete oversight of the community, including the planning, performance and review of all departments and operations. He also oversees the financial management of community to sustain its long-term economic health and viability.

Zitsman has 30 years of experience in the long-term care and senior living industry.

He joined University Village in 2017 as associate executive director for the community after serving as administrator of GlenBrook Health Center in Carlsbad, CA, for several years. While at GlenBrook, he was responsible for all aspects of operating the center’s 74-unit assisted living facility and 94-bed skilled nursing facility, which maintained a continuous Five-Star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for several years. Zitsman also worked as the administrator for Palomar Heights Post-Acute Rehab in Escondido, CA, and as the interim director of case management and social work for Sharp HealthCare/Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego.

Zitsman is a licensed nursing home administrator and a certified administrator for the residential care facility for the elderly. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from Wright State University in Dayton, OH, after graduating with an undergraduate degree in business administration from Ohio State University in Columbus.

Christina Price named sales director for Legend of Allentown

Christina Price has been named sales director for Legend of Allentown, a Legend Senior Living community that will offer assisted living and memory care when it opens early this year in Allentown, PA.

Price has 19 years of experience in the senior living industry, from independent living, personal care, Alzheimer’s care, skilled nursing, home health and hospice care. She is a graduate of DeSales University in Center Valley, PA.

Dr. Jerome Wilborn joins Landmark Connect as chief clinical officer

Jerome Wilborn, M.D., FCCP, has been named chief clinical officer at Huntington Beach, CA-based Landmark Connect, a company that provides primary care to residents of independent living communities, assisted living communities, continuing care retirement communities, skilled nursing facilities and other long-term care facilities.

Wilborn has more than 25 years of healthcare experience, having served as medical director and chief of staff in more than 25 SNFs, hospitals, Medicare Advantage programs and post-acute care organizations. He also led clinical governance as national medical director over the largest post-acute care practice in the United States, which had more than 800 providers in 33 cities and practiced in more than 2,000 nursing homes, according to Landmark Connect.

“We’re pleased that Dr. Wilborn has taken this leadership position at Landmark Connect,” said Jennifer Gilchrist, president of Landmark Connect. “We are in a period of intense growth, and his high-caliber experience in post-acute care will drive an even higher level of clinical excellence for our patients and facility partners.”

Christopher Honn named managing director for Regions Healthcare Group

Christopher Honn has joined the Regions Bank Healthcare Group as managing director for senior housing, with an emphasis on clients operating assisted living and memory care facilities.

Regions Bank is based in Birmingham, AL. Honn will be based in the company’s Chicago office.

Honn has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, with an extensive background providing debt solutions to clients in the senior housing and healthcare industries. He most recently was senior managing director for Berkadia Commercial Mortgage in Chicago. Before that, he served for more than 12 years as director of Fannie Mae’s seniors housing program, where he focused on debt financing.

Honn earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from Illinois State University. He previously served on the board of the American Seniors Housing Association.

Richfield Living welcomes two new board members

David Thornhill of Salem, VA, and Donnovan Young of Algonquin, IL, have joined the Salem, VA-based Richfield Living Board of Directors. The non-profit senior living community offers independent living, assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation and nursing care.

Thornhill, a graduate of Washington & Lee University, gained experience in expanding and leading businesses through a career in various industries, including oil field services, real estate and manufacturing. Currently, he oversees all operational aspects of Integrated Textile Solutions, a Salem, VA-based manufacturing and services company serving the military and first responders.

Young became acquainted with Richfield when he and his family needed to find a rehab facility for his mother. A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, he has experience in account management, contact centers and technology integration in the insurance industry.

Young’s strengths include improving workflow processes, creative problem-solving, cultivating key customer relationships,and leadership experience on numerous nonprofit and for profit organizations.

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