Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected].
Lifespark hires Matt Nyquist as chief population health officer as it prepares for market expansion
Matt Nyquist has joined St. Louis Park, MN-based Lifespark (formerly Lifesprk) as chief population health officer.
He will be tasked with leading the design, development and management of Lifespark’s global risk products and market expansion to reduce costs and improve experience for older adults, family members and providers. Nyquist’s focus will be on the process and structure of Lifespark COMPLETE.
Before joining Lifespark, Nyquist was the chief product officer/chief information officer for the Center for Digital Health with UnitedHealth Group, Optum, where he led the design, development and implementation of a new digital-first care model combining digital health visits with in-person physician visits. He also was Optum’s chief information officer – population health, overseeing the technology division, which had $2 billion in population health business.
Nyquist has an MBA in finance from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing, management and human resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also holds certification in executive leadership education from Stanford University and one in executive data science from University of Minnesota.
Sonida Senior Living names Tim Cober chief accounting officer
Tim Cober has been named chief accounting officer at Dallas-based Sonida Senior Living, effective July 1.
Cober joins the Sonida Senior Living team from Spire Hospitality, a national third-party hospitality management company, where he most recently was vice president of accounting. At Spire, Cober was involved in multiple strategic initiatives, including the accounting oversight of complex hotel joint venture structures, cash management, forecasting and reporting for all entities, and the completion of annual financial and internal audits.
Before that, Cober held roles as a vice president and corporate controller and vice president of accounting operations at two healthcare organizations. He also previously worked in a hotel accounting department that had approximately $5 billion in revenues, 800 hotels and a staff of 100 professionals.
Cober graduated with a degree in accounting from the University of Texas, Arlington, and is a certified public accountant.
Heritage announces Paul DeSantis as chief financial officer
Paul DeSantis has been named chief financial officer of Gerry, NY-based Heritage Ministries. He will be responsible for the oversight of all financial operations at Heritage and its nationwide affiliates.
DeSantis has almost two decades in healthcare and financial management experience and most recently was the CFO at a large healthcare institution in western New York.
He obtained his undergraduate degree in business administration from Gannon University and his master’s degree in health services administration from St. Joseph’s College/Kennedy Western University.
Forefront Living welcomes Ke’o Velasquez as corporate director of operations and hospitality
Ke’o Velasquez has been named corporate director of operations and hospitality of Dallas-based Forefront Living. He will support Forefront by focusing on teammate engagement and retention, resident satisfaction and improvement of the quality of services provided to residents and patients.
Velasquez has more than 20 years of experience in the senior living and hospitality industries. Before joining Forefront Living, he was the executive director of a luxury senior living community in Texas. Before transitioning to senior living, Velasquez was an award-winning executive sous chef for the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Irving, TX.
Claiborne Senior Living names Cindy Swink regional director of sales
Cindy Swink has been named regional director of sales for Hattiesburg, MS-based Claiborne Senior Living. Her position will involve all communities within The Claiborne portfolio.
Swink brings experience in independent living, assisted living and memory care leadership in addition to being a subject matter expert in business development and professional sales and marketing training and development.
Erickson Senior Living promotes Katy Yermak to HR director at Fox Run
Katy Yermak has been promoted to the position of director of human resources at Fox Run, an Erickson Senior Living community with more than 700 full-and part-time employees.
She has worked at Fox Run for 19 years, helping to open the community in 2003 as a human resources assistant. Since then, she has served as a coordinator, manager and senior manager within the HR department. In her new role, Yermak will be responsible for daily operations of the HR department, with a focus on employee recruitment and engagement.
Yermak earned an undergraduate degree in human resources development from Oakland University and went on to achieve an MBA from Baker College. She is certified in human resources by the Society of Human Resources Management.
Sunrise appoints Jeff Kuster to board; Julie Dobson named board chair
Jeff Kuster has been appointed to the Board of Directors of McLean, VA-based Sunrise Senior Living.
Kuster has more than 30 years of global leadership and brand experience. He currently is CEO at Canyon Ranch, a wellness guidance company featuring resort-style facilities where participants learn wellness disciplines.
Previously, Kuster was group president, North America, at Ralph Lauren, where he oversaw all commercial and operating activities. He also previously held executive roles at Cornerstone Brands, Fruit of Loom and VF Corp. Additionally, Kuster has worked to improve global communities through organizations such as the Peace Corps in West Africa and Doctors Without Borders in Romania.
Kuster earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and his Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.
Also at Sunrise, Julie Dobson was named chair of the board after having served on Sunrise’s board since 2018. The company said that from Dobson’s appointment it hopes to develop and deliver on its long-term strategic growth plan, which is focused on driving value for all Sunrise stakeholders.
LCS Foundation announces new board president, board members
Elisa Baptiste has been named the new board president of the LCS Foundation, a not-for-profit charitable organization.
Baptiste, the senior vice president and chief operating officer for Care Purchasing Services, an LCS company, will serve a two-year term as board president.
She has served on the foundation’s board since 2017 and has been the chair of the Emergency Relief Fund Committee.
The key focus areas for the foundation’s charitable giving efforts are Alzheimer’s disease, future leaders in senior housing and care, and the LCS Employee Relief Fund. Since its inception in 2017, the LCS Foundation has donated more than $680,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association and $440,000 in emergency relief funds to LCS employees. Also, the foundation has awarded more than $441,000 for scholarships and professional development programs for people who work in the senior living industry.
Other appointments named to three-year board terms:
- Zane Bennett, director, business development
- Rick Exline, executive vice president/senior managing director of life plan communities
- Kent Kalmey, director, operations management
- Traci McBee, director, corporate communications
Ventas Investment Management Platform names Pamela Boneham senior strategic adviser
Pamela Boneham has been appointed a senior strategic adviser to the Ventas Investment Management Platform of Chicago-based real estate investment trust Ventas. VIM is focused on investing in senior housing, life science and medical office real estate for third-party institutional investors in a variety of vehicles.
She will provide experience, advice and guidance across Ventas’s institutional third-party investment management platform, which currently has more than $5 billion in assets under management, including the Ventas Life Science & Healthcare Real Estate Fund.
Boneham has more than 35 years of experience in commercial real estate and the institutional investment advisory business. She currently works as an Independent Investment Committee Member for CBRE Investment Management’s America’s Direct Real Estate Investment Committee.
Boneham holds an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.
PointClickCare announces Annie McBride as chief marketing officer
Annie McBride has been appointed chief marketing officer for PointClickCare Technologies. The first person to have the title at the company, she brings more than two decades of experience to the role.
McBride most recently was vice president of North America marketing for the sleep and respiratory care business at ResMed, where she worked to deliver on the $2 billion North America revenue portfolio, including healthcare technology, data integrations, patient applications, interfaces and connected devices. In her 10 years with ResMed, she also drove the transformation of the medical device business in building a software as a service portfolio through acquisition as the vice president of mergers and acquisitions and strategy for SaaS.
CAC Specialty adds 4 to senior living practice
CAC Specialty has added to its senior living practice David Thurber as senior vice president, Shannon Holt as senior vice president of workers’ compensation, Mark Holt as senior vice president of risk management and Yvonne Wiltse as senior account executive.
Thurber joins the company with a background in senior living professional liability and employment liability claims. Shannon Holt brings decades of insurance industry experience, specializing in workers’ compensation program design, pricing structure and claims oversight management. Mark Holt specializes in risk management services for clients, assisting with large property losses and coverage advocacy, as well as reviewing and writing of policies and procedures relative to operational risk management. Wiltse brings decades of senior living experience and will focus on the complex day-to-day service needs of senior living clients.
Polsinelli welcomes Hilary Ellis to real estate practice
Hillary E. Ellis has joined the Polsinelli real estate firm as a new shareholder in the Denver office.
Ellis’ expertise is in complex commercial real estate matters related to the development, acquisition/disposition and financing of commercial properties of all types, and the leasing of retail, office and industrial properties. She also will represent lenders in negotiating and documenting real estate acquisition, construction and development loans as a shareholder.
Ellis has represented real estate investment trusts and private equity groups in connection with the acquisition, development, disposition and/or sale-leaseback of senior living portfolios as well as other retail, hotel, office and industrial projects. She also has experience representing healthcare providers in healthcare-related real estate matters.
Ellis gained more than 10 years of experience in the Denver business and real estate community before law school at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont.
Judy Raymond receives LeadingAge Virginia’s 2022 Vision Award
Judy Raymond, the executive director at Lake Prince Woods, an EveryDay Senior Living community in Suffolk, VA, received LeadingAge Virginia’s 2022 Vision Award at the group’s recent annual conference.
Raymond has been part of the team at Lake Prince Woods for 12 years and has been in the senior living industry since 1984. She has served on a variety of committees to advocate for older adults through regulation and legislation.
From 2001 to 2003, she was chair of the Virginia Beach Task Force on Aging. In 2016, she was elected chair of the Board of LeadingAge Virginia. She has also chaired the LeadingAge Virginia Administrator in Training Task Force and, most recently, has been advocated for increasing the Medicaid rate for adult day services.
As executive director, Raymond helped lead the development of Lake Prince at Home, a Medicare-certified home health and hospice agency. She also led the growth of cottage and villa units, along with the creation of a new wellness and community center.
Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected]. High-quality color headshots are welcome but not required.
