Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected].
United Church Homes appoints Rev. Dr. Kenneth Daniel CEO, Kenneth Young president
The United Church Homes Board of Directors has decided to split the roles of CEO and president. The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Daniel has assumed the role of CEO, and Kenneth Young has assumed the role of president.
Previously serving as both president and CEO, Daniel also now is CEO of Radiant Alliance, an affiliation of nonprofit organizations currently including Metta Healthcare and United Church Homes.
Young is the former senior executive vice president and chief development and legal officer.
Morningstar Living CEO Susan Cooper Drabic steps down; David Swartley named replacement
Susan Drabic, president and CEO of Morningstar Living, stepped down from her position effective June 30 as the organization finalizes its formal affiliation with Moravian Manor Communities.
David Swartley has been named interim president and CEO of both Moravian Manor Communities and Morningstar Living and will be named the “permanent” president and CEO once the affiliation is complete.
Drabic served Morningstar Living for 36 years and will continue to work on a part-time basis through September to assist with the transition.
Swartley has worked at Moravian Manor Communities for 32 years, the past 15 of which he was president and CEO.
Lifespark hires Peter Lutz as chief information officer
Peter Lutz has joined Lifespark as chief information officer.
As former vice president and head of engineering for the Optum at Home and senior community care business lines within the Optum Home and Community, Lutz directed the architecture, development, testing, deployment and support of applications for those healthcare businesses.
Lutz earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from St. Cloud State University and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.
Retirement Unlimited names COO, VPs
Michele Thompson has been promoted to chief operations officer at Retirement Unlimited Inc., and Amanda Brooks, Jamie Houston and Jennifer Mohler have joined Ray Tate as vice presidents of operations.
Thompson most recently was a regional vice president of operations for RUI. She has has more than 18 years of experience in senior living and has held several positions throughout her career.
Brooks was named a McKnight’s Women of Distinction Rising Star this year. She joined RUI in 2018 and also is the acting interim executive director at RUI’s Paul Spring community.
Houston joined RUI in 2017 and has more than 20 years of experience in both senior living and healthcare management. She most recently held the title of senior executive director at RUI.
Mohler joins RUI with more than 10 years of experience. She is a certified assisted living facility manager and will be providing operational oversight of nine RUI communities in Virginia and Florida, including one of the most recent acquisitions, Elancé at Boynton Beach, part of RUI’s Elancé luxury brand.
Sonida Senior Living announces hires, promotions
Sonida Senior Living has announced several new hires and promotions.
Jay Reed has been promoted from vice president of information technology to chief technology officer.
Michael Karicher has joined the company as chief people officer.
Carole Burnell, Dawn Mount and Donna Brown have been promoted to vice presidents of operations, each running one of the company’s three geographic operating regions.
Reanae Clark has joined the company as vice president of business development and acquisitions.
Lifespace Communities names Janelle Bertolino VP of business operations
Jenelle Bertolino has joined Lifespace Communities as vice president of business operations.
In this role, she is responsible for leading operations initiatives related to employee and resident relations, financial management and procurement, business development and business strategy.
Bertolino earned her MBA from Benedictine University and an undergraduate degree in healthcare management from Southern Illinois University.
BHI Senior Living names Brian Pangle VP of philanthropy and development
Brian Pangle has been named vice president of philanthropy and development for the BHI Foundations.
Formerly president and CEO of Clark Retirement in Grand Rapids, MI, Pangle has worked in the senior living field for 10 years. Before joining Clark, he was a senior executive with the Select Medical Corp.
LCB Senior Living names Michele Gannon VP of quality control and care
Michele Gannon has been named vice president of quality control and care at LCB Senior Living.
Gannon joins the LCB Senior Living team with more than 25 years of experience in resident care and operations. She most recently worked for Salmon Health and Retirement.
Springpoint names Michael Oakes chief philanthropy officer; Sandi Ko promoted to VP of HR
Michael Oakes has been named chief philanthropy officer of the Springpoint Foundation and Sandi Ko has been promoted to vice president of human resources at Springpoint Senior Living.
Oakes previously was executive director of the Ocean Medical Center Foundation (part of the Meridian Health Affiliated Foundations) and chief operating officer/vice president of development at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey. He received his MBA from Seton Hall University’s W. Paul Stillman School of Business.
Ko, before joining Springpoint, was the senior regional director of human resources, assistant executive director and benefits manager at a multi-site operator of life plan communities. A graduate of the City University of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice with an undergraduate degree in public administration, she is Certified in Healthcare Compliance, holds an assisted living administrator certification and is certified by the Society for Human Resources Professionals.
Erickson Senior Living promotes Holly Henderson to regional VP of sales
Holly Henderson has been promoted to regional vice president of sales at Erickson Senior Living.
For the past 12 years, Henderson has served as the sales director at Ashby Ponds, an Erickson-managed continuing care retirement community in Ashburn, VA. She holds an undergraduate degree in health services administration from James Madison University.
MBK Senior Living names Yovan Luyt regional director of operations
Yovan Luyt has been named regional director operations for MBK Senior Living.
Luyt has more than 20 years of senior living experience and holds an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s degree in sports psychology.
Synchrony Health Services names Whitney Mardis senior VP of sales
Whitney Mardis has been named senior vice president of sales at Synchrony Health Services.
Mardis has held various sales leadership and clinical positions within the biopharma industry, including roles at US WorldMeds, Biogen, Abbvie and Luitpold Pharmaceuticals. Most recently, she was the vice president of patient services at PharmaCord.
Mardis graduated cum laude from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics and holds an MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.
WesleyLife’s Summit of Bettendorf names Brandon Luke executive director
Brandon Luke has been named executive director at Summit of Bettendorf, a WesleyLife community.
Luke previously worked at New Perspective Senior Living in Milwaukee. Before that, he served in executive positions with senior living organizations throughout the Midwest.
Luke graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a Master of Social Work degree and earned a master’s degree in nursing home administration from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Lantern at Morning Pointe Chattanooga names Angie Gay executive director
Angie Gay has been named executive director at The Lantern at Morning Pointe Chattanooga in Tennessee.
Gay has been a nurse for 24 years, working in geriatrics, assisted living and hospice care. At one point, she was a floor nurse at The Lantern at Morning Pointe of Chattanooga.
Lantern at Morning Pointe of Clinton names Lones Green executive director
Lones Green has been named executive director of The Lantern at Morning Pointe of Clinton in Tennessee.
Green most recently was community relations director at the community. With an undergraduate degree in psychology and a minor in behavioral neuroscience from the University of Tennessee, he has worked as a case manager and as a director of cognitive programming for those with traumatic brain injuries.
Anthem appoints Emily Potempa as executive director of Churchill Place
Emily Potempa has been named executive director at Churchill Place, an Anthem Memory Care community in Glen Elyn, IL.
Potempa previously was executive director with Encore Memory Care in Bolingbrook, IL. She also served as director of resident services for Brookdale Senior Living in Lisle, IL.
She brings more than 12 years of senior living experience to her new position. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in science, technology and society, with a focus in public health, from Butler University
The Springs Living announces the move of two executive directors
The Springs Living announces the transition of two executive directors to new areas of the organization.
Scott Warden has been named executive director of The Springs at Greer Gardens in Eugene, OR, following three years in the same role at The Springs at Missoula in Montana.
Jessica Miles will succeed Warden as leader of the Missoula community, moving from her role as executive director of The Springs at Grand Park in Billings, MT.
Warden brings 20 years of experience working with older adults to his new role, in which he is responsible for all aspects of the community. He earned a master’s degree in divinity from McGill University in Montreal and an undergraduate degree in administrative studies from the University of Western Ontario.
Since joining the company in 2016, Miles has served in multiple areas, including as business office manager and community relations director. In addition to undergraduate studies in pre-engineering through the University of Montana in Missoula, Miles has an Associate of Science degree in accounting from Dawson Community College in Glendive, MT.
Lifespace Communities names 4 to board
Amy McDonough, Claus Jensen, Clyde Stretch and Jennifer Salamino have been named to the board of directors at Lifespace Communities.
McDonough is managing director and general manager for Fitbit Health Solutions at Google. Jensen is chief innovation officer at Teladoc Health. Stretch is a resident at Harbour’s Edge, a Lifespace community in Delray Beach, FL. Salamino is president of SaVida Health.
Caregiver Action Network names Marvell Adams Jr. CEO
Marvell Adams Jr. has been named CEO of the Caregiver Action Network. Previously, he was the chief operating officer of the Kendal Corp.
Adams has volunteered with many organizations, including Meals on Wheels, the Special Olympics, the Alzheimer’s Association, the MD Food Bank, the Epworth Children’s Center and the American Red Cross.
Adams has a master’s degree in healthcare administration, with a specialty in aging services, from the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill and an undergraduate degree in political science from the College of Charleston.
Raymond James hires 3 senior living bankers
David Fields, Rob Whitlock and Naomi O’Dell have joined Raymond James as managing directors as the firm expands its public finance practice depth.
The team joins Raymond James from RBC Capital Markets and will work across the practice’s dedicated senior living and debt restructuring groups, which provide advisory services for clients, including debt restructuring, affiliations, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, bond transactions and alternative capital raising activities.
Fields previously was managing director at RBC, focusing on high-yield origination activity and debt restructuring engagements. His 30-year career also includes positions at UBS and HJ Sims. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester and an MBA from Union College.
Whitlock has almost three decades of senior living investment banking, financial advisory and consulting experience and has been involved in several hundred senior living financings and engagements. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and an MBA from Clemson University.
O’Dell has specialized in healthcare and not-for-profit finance for more than 20 years. She began her career at LaSalle Bank as a commercial banker and is a graduate of Bradley University.
LeadingAge New Jersey & Delaware appoints Elizabeth Fandel to Board of Trustees
Elizabeth Fandel, chief marketing and innovation officer at FellowshipLIFE, has been appointed to the board of LeadingAge New Jersey & Delaware.
Fandel has more than a decade of leadership experience in New Jersey’s senior living industry.
Discovery’s Robert Miller and Cody Tower accepted into ASHA Rising Leaders Program
Robert Miller and Cody Tower of Discovery Senior Living have been nominated and accepted into American Senior Housing Association’s Rising Leaders Program. This program aims to foster the growth and development of the next generation of leaders in the senior living industry.
Marshall Legard honored as first recipient of Bright Star Award
Marshall Legard is the inaugural recipient of the Florida Senior Living Association‘s Emily Adkins Bright Star Award. The award is given to recognize a young professional within the Florida assisted living industry who is passionate about his or her work and competent “beyond their years.”
Legard is executive director at the Grand Villa of Altamonte Springs. A University of Central Florida graduate, he has worked at the assisted living community for more than four years.
Along with the recognition of his passionate service, Legard received an award of $250.
Emily Adkins, the namesake of the award, passed away in October 2022 at age 23 due to a preventable blood clot that followed a broken ankle. Adkins aspired to one day become a leader in Florida’s assisted living industry, and FSLA lans to give the award every year at its conference to honor her memory and encourage professionals.
Bridges by Epoch residents, staff recognized by Connecticut Assisted Living Association
The Connecticut Assisted Living Association has recognized a senior resident and several employees at Bridges by Epoch memory care assisted living communities in Trumbull and Norwalk, CT, for their achievements in senior living.
Ovidio “Vidio” Peverini, a Bridges by Epoch at Trumbull resident, was given an Outstanding Resident Achievement award. Two employees of Bridges by Epoch at Trumbull, dining service director Gary Seri and caregiver Kendreal McKoy of Trumbull, and one employee from Bridges by Epoch at Norwalk, caregiver Joel Mathurin, were selected to receive the special honor of Outstanding Resident Service award.
Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected]. High-quality color headshots are welcome but not required.
