Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina names new president and CEO, Rev. Dr. Franklin Fant
Rev. Dr. Franklin Fant will join Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina as president and CEO, effective June 1. His appointment comes after a national search by the board.
Fant currently is the PCSC director of foundation services and church relations. He has an undergraduate degree in financial management from Clemson University, a Ph.D. in finance from Florida State University, and an M.Div. from Columbia Theological Seminary, as well as the chartered financial analyst designation.
Fant will succeed Kathy Ligon, who announced her retirement In October. Ligon has served at PCSC for 33 years, 13 of them as CEO.
Catholic Eldercare CEO Dan Johnson to retire; Greg Baumberger named successor
Dan Johnson will retire this month as CEO of Minneapolis-based Catholic Eldercare after 11 years as CEO. Chief Operating Officer Greg Baumberger has been appointed to succeed him.
Baumberger brings more than 25 years of senior healthcare administration experience to his new role. He was Catholic Eldercare’s first COO. Before joining the organization in that role, he served in a variety of operational and other leadership roles with other senior healthcare systems, including Presbyterian Homes and Services, the Benedictine Health System and the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society.
President and CEO Art Blank to retire from MDI Hospital, which has retirement community
MDI Hospital President and CEO Art Blank will retire at the end of this year. He has served in the role in Bar Harbor, ME, since 1999.
Under Blank’s leadership, the hospital organization has established a nonprofit retirement community, Birch Bay Retirement Village; forged a teaching partnership with Penn Medicine; transitioned to a critical access hospital; and incorporated nine community health centers, including the community’s first full-service behavioral health center and a nonprofit dental center.
Previously, Blank was vice president of finance and chief financial officer for St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation in Bangor, ME. Prior to joining St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation, he spent five years in public accounting with Ernst and Whitney, and Berry, Dunn, McNeil.
Cogir Real Estate names chairman, president for new U.S. management team
Cogir Management USA has announced the addition of senior leadership in its U.S.- based senior housing team with two key positions.
David Eskenazy has been added as the chairman of the board, and Walter Jossart has been named as the president of Cogir USA. Both of the positions are newly created and mark the beginning of the launch of the U.S.-based management company for parent company Montreal based Cogir Real Estate.
Cogir Management USA was formed in late 2018 as a result of the formation of a joint venture with real estate investment trust Welltower in conjunction with the acquisition of 12 communities purchased from Brookdale Senior Living.
Eskenazy recently retired, having last served as president of Merrill Gardens, and he previously was the chief financial officer for Aegis Living. Prior to that, he spent 20 years with RC Hedreen, a Seattle-based hotel development company, and for 16 years was a member of the board of directors for Outerwall, parent company for Redbox and Coinstar, before its acquisition by Apollo. He currently serves on the board of directors for the California Assisted Living Association and is the incoming chairman of the Argentum-founded Senior Living Certification Commission.
Jossart has spent the past 10 years with Aegis Living, the past four of which have been as the CFO. Before that, he was investment adviser to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Cascade Investment.
Cogir Real Estate, founded 25 years ago, employs more than 3,500 team members. The operation encompasses more than 7 million square feet of real estate properties in hospitality, office, commercial and industrial sectors, and more than 20,000 residential units in Canada and the United States, including a network of 50 private residences for seniors.
Acts Retirement-Life Communities names Karen Christiansen president, Richard Winter CFO
Karen I. Christiansen was appointed to the position of president of Fort Washington, PA-nased Acts Retirement-Life Communities effective Jan. 1. Gerald T. Grant, who was appointed Acts president and CEO in 2017, will continue in his role as CEO.
Christiansen has been with Acts since 1996 and most recently served as executive vice president and chief financial officer.
Richard Winter has been promoted to the position of CFO. He previously was senior vice president, financial services. He joined Acts in 2002, starting in the information technology department before moving to the financial services department, where he served as corporate director and controller.
Kendal-Crosslands Communities names Lisa Marsilio CEO
Lisa Marsilio has been selected as the new CEO of Kendal-Crosslands Communities, Kennett Square, PA. Her first day at KCC will be Jan. 21.
From 2015 to 2019, Marsillo was chief operating officer of Caron Treatment Centers, a not-for-profit provider of addiction and behavioral healthcare for more than 60 years. Her experience also includes three years as CEO/executive director of a post-acute care network created to serve the University of Pennsylvania Health System and six years as a vice president and administrator with the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network in Allentown and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Marsilio also was an adjunct faculty member of the Wescoe School of Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA, for six years, teaching courses on healthcare delivery systems, regulatory compliance and marketing.
She has an undergraduate degree in business administration from Muhlenberg College and master’s degree in business administration from DeSales University in Center Valley, PA.
Marsilio succeeds Phil DeBaun, now CEO at Foulkeways at Gwyneed, a life care community in suburban Philadelphia.
Collington promotes Megan Barbour to COO
Megan Barbour has been promoted to chief operating officer of Collington, a Kendal Corp. not-for-profit life plan retirement community in Mitchellville, MD. Barbour has been administrator/director of operations at Collington since September 2018.
“This move means Megan will continue to lead our Health Services and Culinary teams, and now the Facilities team as well,” CEO Ann E. Gillespie said.
Barbour came to Collington from Greensburg, PA, where she was executive director for Redstone Highlands’ Presbyterian SeniorCare Greensburg campus. She also is the former nursing home administrator for Quality Life Service’s Henry Clay Villa community, human resources director for Quality Life Service’s Countryside Convalescent Home, and human resources specialist for Presbyterian Senior Care at Oakmont. She also was human resources director and completed her administrator-in-training program at Woodlands Retirement Community in Huntington, WV.
Barbour earned her undergraduate degree in journalism and mass communications and a master’s degree in human resources management at Marshall University.
Green Street Advisors appoints Jeffry Stuek Jr. CEO
Jeff Stuek Jr. has been appointed CEO of Green Street Advisors, the Newport Beach, CA-based provider of research, data and analytics to the commercial real estate industry in North America and Europe.
He succeeds Craig Leupold, who stepped down after 12 years as president and CEO and more than 26 years with Green Street. Leupold will continue to serve as a strategic adviser to Green Street.
Stuek brings to his new role more than 20 years of broad leadership experience in general management, sales, strategy and business development, capital markets, operations and finance.
He comes to Green Street from TravelClick, where he had worked for seven years. Most recently, he was president of TravelClick’s North American business. From 2015-2017, he was executive vice president of corporate development and emerging businesses. Before that, he led strategy, execution and product development as general manager of TravelClick’s global reservations solutions.
Before working at TravelClick, Stuek spent 10 years at Dun & Bradstreet in a variety of sales leadership, operational and general management roles, including president of D&B Canada. Before D&B, he held several roles in investment banking, private equity and corporate banking with Banc of America Securities and Centura Capital.
Stuek earned his MBA and undergraduate degrees from Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust names Michael Crear CFO
Michael Crear has been promoted to chief financial officer at Ladera Ranch, CA-based Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust, a public, non-traded real estate investment trust sponsored by SmartStop Asset Management.
He is responsible for the implementation of accounting and financial management policies and Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust’s Securities and Exchange Commission and regulatory reporting. Previously, he was vice president and controller of the REIT. In addition to his role as CFO, Crear will continue to serve as vice president of accounting for its sponsor, SmartStop Asset Management.
Before joining the SmartStop family of companies, Crear was vice president of finance and accounting for PADI Worldwide and held various positions with Alliance Healthcare Services, formerly listed on Nasdaq, including vice president of corporate finance. Crear also spent seven years with Deloitte and Touche.
Crear earned an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has been licensed as a certified public accountant in California.
Capitol Seniors Housing appoints Edie Empirio as principal – operations
Edie Empirio has been named principal – operations at Capitol Seniors Housing, a Washington, DC-based senior living investment and development firm. The position is newly created.
Empirio has more than two decades of senior living experience. She formerly was senior vice president of operations at Chelsea Senior Living and, at Sunrise Senior Living, was a coordinator and an executive director and area manager.
Empirio is a board member for the New Jersey Assisted Living Council and a member of the Healthcare Association of New Jersey. She was a board member for the National Center for Assisted Living from 2008 to 2012.
Empirio earned her undergraduate degree from William Patterson University. She also is a certified assisted living administrator.
Ventas appoints Carey S. Roberts as general counsel
Carey Shea Roberts will join real estate investment trust Ventas as executive vice president, general counsel and ethics and compliance officer during the first quarter.
She will lead the company’s legal, compliance and enterprise risk management functions, reporting to Debra A. Cafaro, Ventas chairman and CEO. Roberts succeeds T. Richard Riney, the company’s first general counsel, who recently retired.
Roberts joins Ventas from Assurant, where she was executive vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary. She previously was deputy general counsel, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. Before joining Marsh & McLennan, Roberts was a partner in the corporate practice of Covington & Burling, where she counseled companies in a wide range of industries, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and information technology.
She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and her law degree from the George Washington University Law School.
Senior Living Investment Brokerage hires Steve Gilleland as chief development officer
Steve Gilleland has joined Senior Living Investment Brokerage as chief development officer. He will focus on business development and client outreach and also will participate in company strategic planning.
Gilleland has 25 years of healthcare real estate experience — specifically in the long-term care and senior housing industry — from a lending and operations perspective.
He previously was managing director and head of the Healthcare Finance Group at CapitalSource for 16 years. Before joining CapitalSource, Gilleland was vice president of business development for Centennial Healthcare. Prior to his experience at Centennial Healthcare, he was director of marketing for Healthcare Capital Finance/ PRN Mortgage Capital for five years. From 1987 to 1993, Gilleland was a manager and senior accountant with the accounting firms of Price Waterhouse and Bennett/Thrasher.
LCS hires Charles Murphy as executive vice president/senior managing director of development and real estate
Charles Murphy has been hired as executive vice president / senior managing director of development and real estate at Des Moines, IA-based LCS. He will report to President and CEO Joel Nelson and is responsible for strategy and performance oversight of the LCS Development and LCS Real Estate companies for parent company LCS.
Murphy will join the organization in mid-February.
Murphy has developed, acquired and managed commercial real estate for more than 30 years for a range of property types, including hospitality, residential, land development, and healthcare within private equity, public and entrepreneurial platforms, according to LCS. His career includes leadership roles at the Walt Disney Co., Security Capital Group, GE Capital and Hammes Co. In these roles, his responsibilities included development, acquisition, finance and asset management.
Murphy has an undergraduate degree in economics and a Master of Science degree in real estate investment analysis, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Retirement Unlimited names Brian Grahame as EVP of clinical services
Brian Grahame has been promoted to executive vice president of clinical services for Roanoke, VA-based Retirement Unlimited. He will oversee clinical operations and compliance as well as the implementation of tactical efforts to continue to strengthen the foundation for future growth and expansion of RUI.
Retirement Unlimited is owned and operated by the Virginia families of Fralin and Waldon. Grahame started his career with the Fralin and Waldron companies in 2009 at RUI’s sister company, Medical Facilities of America. In 2016, he moved to RUI as the vice president of clinical services.
Health Dimensions Group names Sharon Thole SVP of operations
Sharon Thole has been appointed senior vice president of operations at Minneapolis-based senior living, long-term care and post-acute consulting and management firm Health Dimensions Group.
Thole will lead HDG’s operations leadership team and have senior executive oversight for 38 managed senior care communities in seven states. In this capacity, she will provide guidance to regional directors and site leadership as well as advise care community boards of directors and owners.
Additionally, Thole will be accountable for driving quality care and service through implementation of sustainable operational and clinical systems; promoting state and federal regulatory compliance; and overseeing the operational and financial performance of the organization’s managed communities.
She has almost two decades in the profession. Most recently Thole was the director of originations for financing of healthcare facilities and senior housing at Love Funding, a Washington D.C.-based HUD lender with a service portfolio of approximately $3.4 billion. Her previous experience also includes serving as chief operations officer of a multi-site, non-profit senior living organization with three continuing care retirement communities, a hospital-based transitional care unit, and home- and community-based hospice house.
Thole earned an undergraduate degree in healthcare administration and gerontology at Minnesota State University of Moorhead. In addition, she earned a license from Minnesota Board of Nursing Facility Administrators and South Dakota Board of Nursing Facility Administrators.
Ryan Companies hires Julie Ferguson as SVP, Senior Living
Julie Ferguson has been named senior vice president – senior living sector leader at Ryan Companies, Minneapolis. She will work with national and regional development, architecture, construction, asset management and capital market teams to lead, plan and execute the strategic vision for the senior living sector.
Ferguson joins Ryan Companies with more than 20 years of real estate development, acquisition and brokerage experience in senior housing, most recently serving as director at Titan Development. There, she was part of the team that formed and launched the Titan Development Real Estate Fund, raising $112 million in private equity investment for senior living, self-storage, multi-family and industrial projects. Ferguson also was responsible for deploying more than $49.4 million of capital from the fund in senior housing projects. Throughout her entire career, Julie has developed and acquired more than $655 million in senior living communities.
Ferguson earned her undergraduate degree in entrepreneurship and finance and her MBA at the University of Arizona.
Oakmont Senior Living names Mandy Curtis VP of health services
Mandy K. Curtis has been named vice president of health services at Windsor, CA-based Oakmont Senior Living. She will support the Oakmont team by ensuring that each resident receives the best quality of care and that it meets Oakmont’s standard of excellence.
Curtis has served across a spectrum of healthcare industries, including senior housing and home care, long-term care, skilled nursing and acute and critical care. Before joining Oakmont, she was corporate director of health services for Seasons Living, a multi-state owner and operator of senior housing communities.
Curtis earned a Master of Science degree in nursing leadership and management at Western Governors University. She also has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Texas Tech University.
Pathway to Living hires Mike Ulm as VP of culture and brand loyalty
Mike Ulm has been named vice president of culture and brand loyalty at Pathway to Living, a Chicago-based developer, owner-operator of senior housing communities and the senior housing arm of Chicago-based real estate investor and operator Waterton.
Ulm has more than 30 years of experience in senior housing. He recently ran an independent consultancy focused on improving staff effectiveness and aligning internal platforms with brand strategy, through which he worked with Pathway to help create the company’s current internal brand promise.
Ulm previously was senior director, internal brand, at Brookdale Senior Living for more than 25 years, working in various human resource, learning / training and marketing / branding positions.
Retirement Unlimited names Mohamed Tarawneh as VP of culinary experience and operations
Mohamed Tarawneh has been promoted to vice president of culinary experience and operations for for Roanoke, VA-based Retirement Unlimited. He will oversee the fine-dining experience for all RUI communities.
Tarawneh brings 15 years of culinary expertise to RUI. He started his RUI career at Heatherwood Community in 2012. In 2017, he was promoted to senior executive chef and in 2018 to corporate director of culinary experience. In 2020, he will be adding a wine club and other specialty programs to continue the culinary experience for residents.
Retirement Unlimited names Steve Winter VP of plant operations
Steve Winter has been promoted to vice president of plant operations for Roanoke, VA-based Retirement Unlimited. He is responsible for ensuring physical plant and environmental services for all RUI communities as well as collaborating and coordinating with new development and renovation initiatives.
Winter began his career in the U.S. Navy, serving as an operation specialist for 13 years. In 1999, he joined Bay Lake Community to assist in the opening of the new RUI community in Virginia Beach, VA. He was the environmental services director responsible for the maintenance and housekeeping departments. In 2005, Winter acquired the responsibility of director of dietary services in addition to his current role. In 2007, he was promoted to corporate director of plant services, with responsibility for conducting quarterly maintenance audits, preparing all RUI communities for HUD/REAC inspections as well as assisting with capital expenditures and renovations.
In 2016, under the leadership of Doris-Ellie Sullivan, president of RUI , Winter was promoted to corporate director of plant operations and assisted in an expansion plan including the build of five additional communities and renovations projects at all existing communities.
LandSouth Construction introduces new VP of development, Andy Ferguson
Andy Ferguson has accepted the position as vice president of development at LandSouth Construction, a Jacksonville, FL-based general contractor specializing in senior living, multifamily and mixed–use developments.
He brings more than 20 years of organization development and executive leadership experience to his new role, where his overarching responsibility is organization development. He will lead LandSouth’s risk management practice, business development, pre-construction, corporate communications and marketing efforts.
Prior positions include senior vice president with Team Focus Insurance and president of US Assure, where he was an executive in various roles for more than 15 years.
Ferguson most recently has consulted on organization development with organizations in the healthcare and construction industries. He joined LandSouth in early 2019 as an executive consultant.
Pathway to Living promotes Sue Schaefer to regional director of operations
Sue Schaefer has been promoted to regional director of operations at Pathway to Living, a Chicago-based developer, owner and operator of senior housing and the senior housing arm of Chicago-based real estate investor and operator Waterton.
She will oversee operations and the implementation of Pathway’s award-winning VIVA! lifestyle at Illinois’s northern-area senior living communities, including Azpira Place of Lake Zurich, Oak Hill Supportive Living in Round Lake Beach, Victory Centre of Vernon Hills, Victory Centre of Bartlett and Alexian Village in Elk Grove.
Schaefer had been executive director of Azpira Place of Lake Zurich since its opening in May 2017. She previously was executive director of Heritage Woods of Huntley.
Schaefer earned an undergraduate degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL.
Prestige Care names senior regional director of operations, regional directors of operations
Mia Mullins has been promoted to the position of senior regional director of operations at Prestige Care, which also has promoted Apryl Schneider and Karie Whitehead to regional directors of operations.
Mullins has worked at Prestige Care for 12 years. She started as an executive director, then moved to senior executive director role, then was promoted to a regional director of operations position.
Schneider has worked in the assisted living industry for more than 10 years, three of which have been with Prestige Care. She formerly was a senior executive director.
Whitehead started in operations support in 2009 and became an executive director in 2016 before becoming a senior executive director.
Buckner Retirement Services appoints Phil Elmore director of hospitality
Phil Elmore has joined Buckner Retirement Services as director of hospitality. He will oversee the facilitation, coaching and curriculum development of resident experience training for staff at all six of BRS’ communities across Texas. Also part of his new role will be to continue developing a workplace culture that promotes forward-thinking, compassionate employees dedicated to delivering great service to residents.
A 23-year veteran of the senior living industry, Elmore was president and CEO of Christian Care Centers from 2004 through 2018.
Elmore is a 20-year member of Leading Age Texas. He has a Master of Science degree from the University of Texas at Dallas and an undergraduate degree from Abilene Christian University.
Las Villas del Norte names Jolene Farish executive director
Jolene M. Farish has been named executive director of Las Villas del Norte, an Integral Senior Living community in Escondido, CA.
Her primary responsibilities include managing the community’s day-to-day operations, providing oversight to various teams and working with the management company, Integral Senior Living. In addition, she will supervise and oversee hiring all department leads and staff.
Farish earned her undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s degree in social work from San Diego State University. She began her career as a social worker and was director of resident and family services at a 122-bed assisted living community for the memory-impaired, later moving into the executive director then senior executive director position of an assisted living home.
F&F Realty welcomes Melissa Cosentino as executive director of The Grand at Twin Lakes
Melissa Cosentino, MSW, CDP, has joined The Grand at Twin Lakes, an independent living community in suburban Chicago owned and operated by F&F Realty, as executive director.
Previously, Cosentino was director of social services at Central Baptist Village, a life plan community in Norridge, IL. Before that, she was regional operations manager of Quincy, MA-based Connected Living, where she oversaw the staff of senior living communities in the Midwest across five states. Early in her career, she worked for Brookdale Senior Living in Chicago in marketing and sales.
Cosentino earned an undergraduate degree in health services management from Western Illinois University and a master’s degree in social work from Loyola University Chicago.
Applewood Place names Jessica Watkins executive director
Jessica Watkins has been appointed the new executive director of Applewood Place, a Juniper assisted living and memory care community in Lakewood, CO.
Watkins previously was an assistant executive director at The Argyle and director of health and wellness at two Brookdale Senior Living communities. Her journey into senior housing started 23 years ago when she became a certified nursing assistant. She then went to nursing school and has work in assisted living communities, skilled nursing facilities and hospitals ever since.
Sagewood names Gina Razdan director of assisted living – memory care
Gina Razdan has been named director of assisted living – memory care at Sagewood’s Acacia Health Center. Sagewood is a life plan community in Phoenix managed by Life Care Services.
Razdan brings more than 25 years of experience in various health care settings to her new role. She previously was the assistant director of nursing and the director of assisted living and wellness at the Terraces of Phoenix.
Razdan became a registered nurse through Scottsdale Community College and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Arizona State University. She also has her assisted living manager’s license.
Friendship promotes Chuck Flynn to administrator of Friendship Health & Rehab Center North
Chuck Flynn has been promoted to administrator of Friendship Health and Rehab Center North in Roanoke, VA.
He has been serving as the administrator for Friendship Assisted Living since April 2018. In that time, he helped oversee the renovation of the building’s lobby, made significant strides in census development, and has been co-leading Friendship’s culture change initiative.
A graduate of Radford University, Flynn joined the healthcare industry in 2015.
Seabrook names Michael Lloyd director of general services
Michael Lloyd has been named director of general services at Seabrook, an Erickson Living-developed and managed continuing care retirement community in Tinton Falls, NJ.
Lloyd will be responsible for providing leadership to Seabrook’s facilities, maintenance and housekeeping, security, communications, grounds, custom interiors, and transportation teams. He also will be supporting re-occupancy and development projects in the community in cooperation with Erickson Living’s development team and community partners, among other duties.
Lloyd brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in both hospitality and operations management to his role at Seabrook. Before joining Seabrook, he was the regional director of franchise operations for the Radisson Hotel Group. He also has held several other operations leadership roles with Wyndham Hotel Group and Hilton Hotels.
Lloyd has an undergraduate degree from Ball State University and is a master’s candidate at Farleigh Dickinson University.
Highland Springs names Varun Kakar as dining services director
Varun Kakar has been appointed director of dining services at Highland Springs, a Dallas continuing care retirement community developed and managed by Erickson Living.
Kakar brings 10 years of experience to the role. He spent seven years at Fox Run, a sister community in Novi, MI, where he began his dining career on the wait staff before earning a promotion to assistant general manager. He then worked for two years as General Manager at Maris Grove, an Erickson Living community in Glen Mills, PA.
Most recently, Kakar was a traveling general manager for the Erickson Living Dining Department, assisting in training and development at the community level.
Kakar has an undergraduate degree in business administration from Southern New Hampshire University.
Summit Hills promotes David Pattison to wellness director
David Pattison has been promoted to wellness director at Summit Hills, a continuing care retirement community in Spartanburg, SC, owned and operated by Senior Living Communities. He joined their community a year ago as a wellness associate.
Pattison has an undergraduate degree in exercise science from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, and a Master of Science degree in exercise science from the University of South Carolina. After obtaining his degrees, he was a personal trainer at a local YMCA before joining Summit Hills.
Osprey Village welcomes new care services administrator Kathryn Lowe
Kathryn Lowe has joined Osprey Village, a retirement community in Amelia Island, FL, owned and operated by Senior Living Communities, as care service administrator.
In 2002, Lowe started her career as an executive director of an assisted living community on Amelia Island. She joined Osprey Village in 2005 as assisted living administrator and marketing director. In 2008, she transitioned into the company’s home healthcare division, Live Long Well Care, as regional operations director.
In 2009, Lowe took on a new role vice president of Home Care Services, a private-duty home care company. Since 2013, Lowe has been serving the aging population in a variety of positions.
Cascades Verdae welcomes new lifestyle adviser Brittney Bolt
Brittney Bolt has been hired as a community lifestyle adviser at Cascades Verdae, a retirement community owned and operated by Senior Living Communities in Greenville, SC. Bolt will be a support system for prospective residents and loved ones who are beginning to look at retirement communities.
In 2008, Bolt graduated from Clemson University with an undergraduate degree in parks, recreation and tourism with a concentration in event planning. In 2012, she joined the Berkshire Hathaway C. Dan Joyner Co. Realtors – Spaulding Group as a real estate agent.
CareOne appoints Amina Ahmed, M.D., chief medical officer
Amina Ahmed, M.D., will become chief medical officer of CareOne, a Fort Lee, NJ-based family-owned and operated healthcare organization, effective April 1.
She will lead and develop clinical systems, infrastructure and protocols to support CareOne’s entire network of services, which include assisted living, memory care, long-term care, long-term acute-care hospital care, sub-acute care, home care, hospice and pharmacy services. Additionally, Ahmed will oversee the development of CareOne’s physician enterprise and clinical integrated network.
Ahmed is a board-certified internal medicine physician and most recently was the chief of hospitalist medicine and post-acute care for Summit Medical Group in Berkeley Heights, NJ.
Spectrum Retirement Communities names John Holcomb, M.D., medical adviser
John Bradley Holcomb, M.D., F.A.C.S. is now medical adviser for Denver-based Spectrum Retirement Communities.
He will be reviewing and providing recommendations on all resident care policies and procedures and providing insight and expertise on resident care, safety, injury prevention and emergency preparedness programs.
Holcomb, a trauma and acute care surgeon, is a retired U.S. Army colonel and has received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Trauma Resuscitation Science from the American Heart Association, the U.S. Special Operations Command Medal, and the Service Award from the American College of Surgery. In 2008, he joined the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston as a professor of surgery and in 2019 moved his clinical and research effort to the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Holcomb is a board member for Zibrio, the company behind SmartScale, designed to measure physical balance and prevent falls in older adults. Spectrum has entered into a relationship with Zibrio with the goal of reducing resident falls by 10% across the portfolio within one year.
Net Health appoints Josh Pickus CEO
Josh Pickus has been appointed CEO of Net Health, a Pittsburgh-based company offering cloud-based solutions for specialty healthcare providers, including therapy, wound care, employee health and occupational medicine, and hospice, in more than 14,000 facilities nationwide. Anthony Sanzo, who has been Net Health’s CEO since 2012, becomes executive chairman as part of the planned transition.
For the past six months, Pickus was Net Health’s president and chief integration officer following the acquisition of Optima Healthcare Solutions, where he was CEO. Before Optima, Pickus was the CEO in residence at Alpine Investors, a San Francisco-based private equity firm, and CEO of several Silicon Valley-based software companies, including Niku Corp.
Vitas Healthcare names Shirley Codada, M.D., regional medical director
Shirley Codada, M.D., an internal medicine physician who specializes in hospice and palliative care, has been named regional medical director for Vitas Healthcare’s programs serving northern Florida and Georgia.
Codada brings more than 20 years of experience to the position. She is board-certified in hospice and palliative medicine as well as internal medicine and is a fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
She began her hospice career in 2002 as an assistant medical director at North Broward Hospital District in Broward County, FL. Before joining Vitas, Codada was medical director of the Naples Community Hospital Palliative Care Program in Naples, FL. She is a past assistant professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, where she also was medical director for Emory-affiliated hospice programs in Atlanta. Codada also served five years as assistant member of the Moffitt Cancer Center/Supportive Medicine Department and assistant professor of oncologic sciences at University of South Florida Morsani School of Medicine in Tampa.
Codada earned her undergraduate degrees at Miami Dade College and Barry University in Miami and her medical degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia.
Loden Vision Centers appoints former Brookdale executive Matthew Pierre as new CEO
Matthew Pierre is the new CEO of Nashville, TN-based Loden Vision Centers, an ophthalmology company with five locations across the greater Nashville and surrounding areas.
Pierre previously worked at private equity firm Artemis Real Estate Partners and previously led the transformation office at Brookdale Senior Living, where he was responsible for the development and execution of initiatives to drive the strategic plan. He oversaw the merger integration of all acquisitions, including due diligence and merger integration.
Earlier in his career, Pierre worked within the strategy and operations practice at Deloitte Consulting.
Pierre has an MBA from the University of Wisconsin. He earned his undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University.
Friendship Health welcomes therapist Audrey Ward
Audrey Ward, PT, has joined the North campus team at Friendship Health, Roanoke, VA.
Ward has 32 years of experience in outpatient settings, specializing in orthopedics. She also has extensive training in the physical therapy management of osteoporosis.
She will continue to treat the general orthopedic population as she always has, but in addition, she is accepting patients referred to her specifically for her osteoporosis program as well.
