People in the news, Jan. 30

Kendra Urdzik tapped to lead Judson Services as Cynthia Dunn announces June 1 retirement

Judson Services President and CEO Cynthia H. Dunn has announced her plans to retire effective June 1, and Judson’s chief collaborative health officer and vice president of health services, Kendra J. Urdzik, has been named her successor

Dunn has been with the Cleveland-based not-for-profit organization for four decades, serving in various positions. She was named president and CEO in 1992.

Founded in 1906, Judson Services now includes communities Judson Park and Judson Manor in Cleveland as well as South Franklin Circle in Chagrin Falls, OH, and Judson at Home, a membership program that supports individuals who wish to remain in their own home but want access to Judson’s campuses, programs and services.

Under Dunn’s leadership, Judson began its artist-in-residence program in collaboration with the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Art and Ursuline College. Through the program, master’s-level music and art students live among residents at Judson Manor and Judson Park, creating an intergenerational living experience. Also begun was the Phelps Collaborative for Older Adult and Family Engagement, a research and clinical partnership between Judson and the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University that seeks to develop better ways to help older adults and their families make good healthcare decisions, and lower costs.

Dunn confirmed her timeline for retirement at a joint meeting of the Judson Services Board and its four subsidiary boards on Jan. 22. She had been working with the Judson Services Executive Committee on leadership development and succession planning over the past several years.

Her successor, Urdzik (pictured), joined Judson in 2000 as an administrator-in-training, eventually serving in various roles in human resources, as vice president of Judson Home Care and as director of health services. She was named vice president of health services and CCHO in 2015, a new position in which she sets strategic quality goals, measurable outcomes and innovative approaches to care.

Urdzik is a licensed nursing home administrator, earned her MBA in healthcare from Baldwin Wallace University and recently graduated from the Leadership Academy of LeadingAge.

William J. Fiocchetta announces retirement as president and CEO of The Mercy Community

William J. Fiocchetta, president and CEO of The Mercy Community, a life plan community in West Hartford, CT, will retire effective July 1. He has served in the not-for-profit organization’s stewardship role since 2005.

Trinity Health Senior Communities is Mercy Community’s parent corporation and is conducting a national search for Fiocchetta’s successor.

Fiocchetta has worked in the senior living field for more than 40 years, holding other executive positions including nine years as chief operating officer and administrator of Church Homes in Hartford and nine years in executive positions at Sun Healthcare Group in Albuquerque, NM.

Under his leadership, he guided the organization when Catholic Health East consolidated with Trinity Health in 2013 and managed the 2016 integration of Waterville, ME’s Mount Saint Joseph Residence and Rehabilitation into the Mercy Community Health portfolio.

In his role as the organization’s fundraiser-in-chief, Fiocchetta has supervised the capital campaigns for the remodeling of the Archbishop John F. Whealon Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy, the creation of Saint Mary Home’s “Secret Garden” (a tie-in with the community’s arts therapy initiatives), a palliative care center, the restoration of the bell towers at Saint Mary Home, the Maureen M. Reardon, RSM, Ph.D. Labyrinth, and upgrades to the interiors of both the McAuley and the Frances Warde Towers Apartments at Saint Mary Home.

Kim Lewis appointed chief operating officer at Harbor Retirement Associates

Kim Lewis has been promoted to chief operating officer of Vero Beach, FL-based Harbor Retirement Associates after serving five years as vice president of operations.

In her new role, Lewis will oversee HRA operations, leadership talent acquisition, operational strategies and innovation. She also will partner with the development team in ensuring that new development communities effectively support operations while retaining a hospitality focus, according to Harbor Retirement Associates President and CEO Sarabeth Hanson.

Lewis has more than 20 years of experience in senior living operations management. Before joining HRA, she worked at The Care Bridge Corp./SLC for eight years. Prior to that, she spent 12 years at Brookdale Senior Living.

During her career in senior living, Lewis has held positions of increasing responsibility, including home health administrator, assisted living administrator, executive director, district director, regional director and vice president. She is a licensed assisted living administrator, certified dementia instructor, former Florida Department of Elder Affairs core training speaker and a member of the Florida Senior Living Association.

HRA operates 29 communities in seven states, with more communities under development.

Linda Kolakowski named to expanded VP role at Jefferson’s Ferry

Linda Kolakowski has been promoted to vice president of resident life at Jefferson’s Ferry, a life plan community in South Setauket, NY. The role is an expansion of the role of vice president of independent living operations that she has served in for 10 years.

In her former role, Kolakowski had responsibility for numerous departments, including security, reception, concierge, programs and services, fitness and transportation. Her new role also will include health, wellness and engagement.

Kolakowski began gaining experience in senior living by volunteering. Her affinity for working with elders led to a position at a Sunrise Senior Living memory care unit with roles of increasing responsibility.

She joined Jefferson’s Ferry in 2007 as director of programs and services, developing an activities program for independent living residents. She was promoted to VP of independent living operations in 2011 and was recognized among notable Long Islanders “Around 50” by Long Island Business News in 2014.

A certified aging services professional, Kolakowski is a member of the CCRC Cabinet of LeadingAge New York. She graduated from the LeadingAge Leadership Academy program in 2015 and is a member LeadingAge and the GPLI-Geriatric Professionals of Long Island.

Ruby Dhillon joins Integrity Housing as vice president of development

Ruby Dhillon, JD, has joined Irvine, CA-based Integrity Housing as vice president of development.

Dhillon will spearhead the growing company’s efforts to source and evaluate new development opportunities and assist with the financing side of closings.

Dhillon earned her undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Southern California and her JD from American College of Law. Immediately prior to joining Integrity, she served as the vice president of Southwest development at Newport Partners, an entity focused on constructing low income housing tax credit properties throughout the Southwestern United States. She also previously as vice president of originations at Alliant Capital, an equity firm, and the rental programs administrator for the Arizona Department of Housing.

Rob Winningham, Ph.D., named director of Masterpiece Academy

Rob Winningham, Ph.D., has been named named director of Masterpiece Academy of Masterpiece Living.

Under his direction, the academy will continue to offer research and programming updates, develop and manage research projects, continuing education curriculum and training on successful aging concepts for organizations and individuals.

Winningham has 25 years of experience researching human memory and has primarily focused on older adults and ways to enhance their mental functioning and quality of life.

He is the interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and chairman of the behavioral sciences division at Western Oregon University, where he also is a professor in both the psychological sciences and gerontology departments.

Winningham received his doctorate in neuroscience from Baylor University.

Kayla Cline named executive director of Dominion Senior Living of Athens

Kayla Cline has been hired as executive director of Dominion Senior Living of Athens in Tennessee.

She will lead the assisted living and memory care community in all areas, including working with the community to develop partnerships and building bonds with residents and family members.

Cline has more than five years of experience working in the senior living industry, having held various positions, including caregiver, business office director, marketing director and, most recently, executive director at a senior living community in North Carolina.

In her new position, Cline also will serve as the principal, role model for Dominion Senior Living of Athens. Through this program, executive directors are empowered and given opportunities in profit-sharing, decision-making and flexibility. (Read McKnight’s Senior Living’s interview with Dominion Director of Operations Michael Holtzclaw about this program here.)

Jessica Ceballos appointed facilities manager at Eagle Trace

Jessica Ceballos has been named facilities manager at Eagle’s Trace, an Erickson Living continuing care retirement community in Houston.

Ceballos brings more than 12 years of interior design experience to her new position, in which she will meet with future and current residents to provide them with an array of style options and amenities to enhance their respective floor plans and coordinate those services.

Previously, Ceballos worked for Frontier Custom Builders as a new home designer and Elizabeth Cole LLC as a project manager in the merchandising department. She earned an undergraduate degree in fine arts, majoring in interior design from the Art Institute of Houston. She was a member of the American Society of Interior Designers while with Elizabeth Cole LLC.

Maria Littleworth named sales counselor at Devonshire at PGA National

Maria Littleworth has been named sales counselor at Devonshire at PGA National, an Erickson Living continuing care retirement community in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

Littleworth joins Devonshire at PGA National with more than six years of experience in the senior living industry. Before Devonshire, she worked at La Posada, a Kisco Senior Living community in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

Peter Bruce appointed director of community relations of Bridges by Epoch at Andover

Peter Bruce has been named director of community relations of Bridges by Epoch at Andover, a Massachusetts Epoch Senior Living memory care and assisted living community slated to open this summer. Bruce will focus on building relationships and offering guidance to families considering memory care assisted living.

Bruce has worked with a variety of hospitals and rehabilitation organizations in the Greater Boston area to assist families and healthcare providers in finding the best solutions for seniors’ health needs. Before Epoch, he was director of sales for a senior living operator with communities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Bruce also has served as director of community relations for a Northeast-based senior living provider and as the community health coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. He holds a master’s degree in counseling from Salem State University as well as a certificate of advanced graduate studies in leadership.

Cheryl Ortega named memory care navigator at Sun Health

Cheryl Ortega has joined Sun Health, Surprize, AZ, as a memory care navigator. The program is part of Sun Health Community Wellness.

In her new role, Ortega will help patients/residents, family members and caregivers navigate the emotional, psychological and physical effects of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. She will prepare individualized plans of care tailored to each person’s needs and serve as a liaison between those with dementia/their families and physicians and ancillary community service providers.

Ortega is Sun Health’s second memory care navigator; the first one was hired in 2013.

Ortega has amassed almost three decades of experience, including working as a social services director at Plaza Del Rio Care Center in Peoria, AZ, as a social worker at Banner Boswell Rehab Center in Sun City, AZ, and a human services specialist for Arizona Adult Protective Services.

The navigator program is provided at no cost to participants thanks to funding from Sun Health Foundation donors.

Sun Health operates three life plan communities.

Two join WesleyLife Board of Directors

Kip Albertson and Christina Taylor, M.D., have joined WesleyLife’s Board of Directors. They will help guide the 70-year-old Johnston, IA, organization’s growth and development strategy.

Albertson is senior vice president, chief financial officer and strategy officer of Des Moines-based Bankers Trust. He has 40 years of senior accounting and financial experience, including eight years in public accounting and eight years as vice president and controller in the retail, distribution and manufacturing industries.

He earned bachelor’s degrees in business administration with majors in accounting and finance from the University of Iowa and also is a certified public accountant.

Taylor is chief quality officer for The Iowa Clinic. In addition to practicing internal medicine, she directs population health efforts at the largest physician-owned multi-specialty group in Central Iowa. Her dual role includes educating healthcare providers as well as educating and caring for her own patients.

In addition, Taylor serves as chair of the Department of Medicine for Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines and is a member of the Quality and Clinical Integration Council for Unity Point. She is part of the University of Iowa Des Moines’ internal medicine residency program, teaching staff and directing the women’s health rotation.

She earned her medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency at several hospitals in Des Moines.

Lifespace Communities welcomes two to board

Venita E. Fields (left), a partner at Pelham S2K Managers, and Joyce Hrinya, founder and managing partner at A&R Strategy Partners, have joined Des Moines, IA-based Lifespace Communities‘ Board of Directors. The not-for-profit company operates 12 senior living communities in seven states.

Fields brings 35 years of experience in the financial services industry to the Lifespace Board. At Pelham S2K, an alternative investment fund, she provides capital and private equity investments in privately held companies and oversees the organization’s Chicago area offices. Fields is also the board president of the Chicago Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth.

During her career, Fields has structured, closed and managed approximately $2 billion in investments in the automotive, aviation, environmental, food, industrial manufacturing, retail and service sectors.

Fields received her undergraduate degree in history from Northwestern University and her masters of management degree from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Hrinya has 30 years of general management, marketing, strategic planning and business development experience at organizations, ranging from large public corporations to small start-ups. During that time, she has overseen all marketing and customer satisfaction initiatives for Helzberg Diamonds, a 240-store specialty retailer, and spearheaded branding projects for Modere and The Carillon Hotel and Spa in Miami, FL. As a managing partner at A&R, a consumer growth strategy firm, she helps owners, boards and executives of small to mid-size consumer businesses advance their brand strategies. Some of her notable clients include See’s Candies and Fechheimer, both subsidiaries of Berkshire Hathaway.

Hrinya has an undergraduate degree in finance from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School.

SAGE announces two new board members

Bruce J. Lederman and Elliott R. Sernel have joined the national board of directors of SAGE, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elders.

Lederman has been an eldercare executive for more than 25 years. Currently, he is president and CEO of Charles E. Smith Life Communities in Rockville, MD. Before joining CESLC, Lederman was senior vice president and chief strategy officer for Midwest Administrative Services, a nursing home management company that operated nursing facilities in Illinois and Missouri. He also has owned and operated nursing homes and has served as the nursing home administrator in one of his centers.

In addition to his professional career, Lederman has held leadership roles in numerous organizations, including the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, CJE SeniorLife, the Human Rights Campaign, the Jewish Federations of North America, Leadership Greater Chicago, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and the Health Facilities Association of Maryland. He is a licensed attorney and a member of the American Health Lawyers Association.

Sernel, after finishing law school and clerking on the 9th Circuit US Court of Appeals, spent his legal career at the South Coast Air Quality Management District in California, where he retired as deputy district counsel. While there, he was responsible for both civil and criminal prosecutions of environmental cases.

After retiring, Sernel served for seven years on the board of directors of Lambda Legal and remains active in the organization.

Terri Novak elected to K4Connect Board of Directors

Terri Novak has been elected to technology company K4Connect’s Board of Directors.

Novak brings more than 30 years of management experience in a variety of service industries, including more than 24 years in senior housing. For the past 18 years, until recently, Novak was chief operating officer at Kisco Senior Living, where she was responsible for the management of all 22 of Kisco Senior Living communities, including independent, congregate, assisted living, home care and continuing care retirement communities.

As a member of Kisco’s senior leadership team, Novak led the day-to-day operations and was responsible for developing and refining programs that led to the continuous improvement of resident care and hospitality, as well as overall financial performance and leadership development. As a result of her leadership, according to K4Connect, Kisco expanded from 1,160 to more than 4,500 residential units in communities across seven states. She continues to serve Kisco in her “retirement” as the chief strategy and innovation officer and is responsible for working with senior management to help expand the company while focusing on future needs of customers.

Before working for Kisco Senior Living, Novak served as the vice president of operations at the Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, an operator of 18 CCRCs throughout Kansas and Missouri.

On K4Connect’s board, she joins Ben Yu, Ph.D., managing director at Sierra Ventures, and Steve Lux, managing director of Stonehenge Growth Equity Partners, as well as co-founders F. Scott Moody (chairman/CEO) and Jonathan Gould (chief technology officer).

Novak earned an associate’s degree in healthcare administration, a bachelor’s degree in human resources management and an MBA from Friends University. In addition, she is a certified examiner for the California Awards for Performance Excellence, a state program that mirrors the Baldrige National Quality Program.

Carter Bank & Trust appoints two new directors

Virginia Lutheran Homes Chief Financial Officer Michael Bird of Roanoke, VA, has been named an independent director of Carter Bank & Trust in Martinsville, VA. He will serve on the board’s audit and Bank Secrecy Act compliance committees.

Bird has more than 30 years of experience in the long-term care industry. Virginia Lutheran Homes, where he is CFO, owns and operates a continuing care retirement community and a nursing and rehabilitation center, both in Roanoke, VA, and two rent-subsidized apartments with supportive services in Virginia Beach and New Market, VA. He is the former chief financial officer of Waveny Care Network, a provider of long-term care, assisted living, independent living and home healthcare in New Canaan, CT.

Bird earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from Central Connecticut State University in New Britain and an MBA from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT.

Also named a Carter Bank & Trust director is Catharine Midkiff of Winston-Salem, NC, a former executive with General Electric Capital Corp. and vice president and director in other GE financial entities.