Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected].
National Church Residences promotes Sonya Brown to SVP
Sonya M. Brown has been promoted to senior vice president of affordable housing management for National Church Residences, effective July 1. Brown has been vice president of property management, overseeing more than 340 affordable housing communities in 25 states. She joined National Church Residences in 2004 as a property manager and was promoted to regional manager and regional vice president before progressing to her current position two years ago.
Brown also has served the organization’s mission as a certified training associate, as a member of the COVID-19 Task Force and Diversity Task Force, and with a team of missionaries developing a new Respectful Living program to improve the culture of inclusion in a mutually respectful work environment.
Brown is a graduate of St. Louis University, earning an undergraduate degree in finance and marketing.
Bridge adds Rosalyn Watson, Meagan Peppers Brian Solomon
Orlando, FL-based Bridge Senior Living, which has 34 senior communities spanning 16 states, has announced three appointments.
Rosalyn Watson is the new senior vice president of wellness, a position in which she will further develop and deliver resident wellness programs nationally for all Bridge communities.
Watson brings to the company almost 25 years of experience related to senior care, including five years of clinical leadership with Milestone Retirement Communities, where she was chief clinical and compliance officer and then was promoted to executive vice president of clinical and compliance.
Meagan Peppers was named regional vice president of sales and marketing for Bridge communities in Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee.
She joins the company after almost three years as regional director of sales and marketing for Navion Senior Living. Previously, she held similar roles at other care companies
Peppers earned her undergraduate degree in business from Montreat College in North Carolina.
Brian Solomon joins Bridge as marketing manager following almost three years as marketing manager for the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, FL.
Solomon previously held roles as marketing manager with Spectra and with The Franklin Theater in Franklin, TN. He also worked as an agent assistant/marketing coordinator with Nashville, TN-based KCA Artists.
Claiborne announces Shauna Shockley as VP
Shauna Shockley has joined Mississippi-based Claiborne Senior Living as vice president of sales. In this role, she is responsible for all aspects of the organization’s sales and occupancy strategies.
Shockley comes to The Claiborne with more than two decades of experience in senior living sales and marketing, having worked with some of the larger regional operators throughout the United States, such as Frontier Management, Prestige Care and Spectrum Retirement Communities.
The Springs Living names Dhrasti Patel executive director
Dhrasti Patel, LPN, has been appointed executive director of The Springs at Sherwood, a Springs Living community in Sherwood, OR. She will oversee all aspects of community operations to optimize resident experience for independent living, assisted living and memory care services.
Patel brings experience to the position from her time as a memory care manager and health and wellness director for Leisure Care’s The Ackerly at Sherwood. She also has worked as a charge nurse at Avamere Rehab of Lebanon in Lebanon, OR.
Patel is working on her master’s degree in business administration at Willamette University in Salem, OR. She has a Bachelor of Science in healthcare administration from Concordia University in Portland, OR, and a diploma in practical nursing from Sumner College, also in Portland.
Erickson promotes Melissa Robson to executive director
Melissa Robson has been named executive director of Greenspring, an Erickson Senior Living-managed continuing care retirement community in Springfield, VA.
Robson has been associate executive director of Greenspring since 2018. A registered nurse, she has more than 25 years of experience working in various healthcare settings. She holds an undergraduate degree in nursing from Gardner–Webb University and a master’s degree in health administration from Pfeiffer University.
Hebrew SeniorLife appoints Matthew Shuster medical director
Matthew Shuster, M.D., has been appointed medical director of Hebrew Rehabilitation Center at NewBridge on the Charles, a Dedham, MA, senior living community that is part of Hebrew SeniorLife.
Shuster will oversee geriatric specialty care that meets the chronic and acute medical needs of older adult patients, cultivating teams to deliver compassionate, coordinated patient care across all levels.
He brings more than 30 years of clinical, teaching and leadership experience as a primary care physician and geriatrician at Atrius Health/Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates. Since 1987, he has served as a lecturer in medicine for Harvard Medical School, and since 2010, he has been an affiliate staff physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Shuster has been recognized for his contributions five times over his career by Harvard Community Health Plan and was named Physician of the Year by the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts.
Bristol Glen welcomes director of mission and pastoral care
The Rev. Dr. Carl Bannister has joined United Methodist Communities at Bristol Glen, Newton, NJ, as the director of mission and pastoral care. He brings with him 18 years of experience as a chaplain in healthcare.
Bannister completed his undergraduate degree in theology with a minor in biblical languages at Oakwood College in Huntsville, AL. He also earned a Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI; a Master of Healthcare Administration degree from Independence University, Salt Lake City; and a Doctor of Ministry degree from The Theological School, Drew University, Madison, NJ.
Additionally, Bannister is an ordained minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church; has received ecclesiastical endorsement from the Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist; and is a board-certified chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains.
Sagewood appoints Joshua Bredimus as new fitness specialist
Joshua Bredimus has been appointed as the new fitness specialist for Sagewood, a Life Care Services life plan community in Phoenix.
Bredimus is joining Sagewood with two decades of experience working for high-end resorts as the director of spa and fitness. At Sagewood, he will teach group fitness classes and design exercise workshops based on the interests of the community. He also will work with individual residents to offer personalized fitness plans based on their goals, history and ability levels.
Bredimus plans to implement new programs to the community designed specifically for residents with Parkinson’s disease and add additional classes based around the benefits of strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness.
IHCA / INCAL appoints Paul Peaper president
Paul Peaper has been appointed president of the Indiana Health Care Association / Indiana Center for Assisted Living, representing more than 485 long-term and post-acute care communities across the state. Effective July 1, Peaper will succeed Zach Cattell, who stepped down from the position this spring.
Peaper brings more than a decade of leadership experience in health and insurance policy, legislation and state and federal regulations — especially those governing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. He most recently was the executive director of strategic affairs and corporate partnerships at Indiana University Health.
Peaper helped coordinate all aspects of Indiana’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including testing, tracing, vaccination and overall strategy, during his employment with the office of Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb. He was the governor’s senior adviser on all healthcare and insurance policy matters at both the state and federal level.
Sherpa names former NIC Senior Principal Lana Peck VP of research and analytics
Former National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care Senior Principal Lana Peck is now vice president of research and analytics at St. Louis-based sales enablement platform company Sherpa. She will lead the company’s data initiatives and guide the company’s expansion into a range of research and analytics services.
Peck spent almost six years at NIC, where she wrote more than 120 articles on senior housing data and trends as well as the NIC Investment Guide.
Sherpa’s new initiatives will include integrated tools to help operators achieve increased organizational performance, expanded access to data and benchmarks for the senior living industry. Peck will further develop the company’s annual Best Sales Performer report, a comparative analysis of sales behaviors, as well as other more frequent subject matter reports that help shape strategy for customers.
“I’m really looking forward to cultivating industry partnerships with Sherpa and publishing key sales performance metrics and indices to guide the senior living industry,” she said.
Sentrics names Amy Acosta chief financial officer
Amy Acosta has been appointed chief financial officer of Sentrics. She will lead the company’s finances, human resources, legal and administration operations.
Previously, Acosta was CFO at Grace Hill, a software company, and at KASASA, a financial technology and marketing company.
Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected]. High-quality color headshots are welcome but not required.
