Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected].

Chris Bird headshot
Chris Bird

LCS adds president to Chris Bird’s titles

Chris Bird has added the title of president at LCS in addition to his roles as executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Bird joined LCS in 2018 to lead the company’s rental division. In 2020, he was promoted to EVP/COO to oversee Life Care Services, CPS, asset management and onboarding operations.

He holds an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Memphis.

Mark Lenhard headshot
Mark Lenhard

United Methodist Communities announces Mark Lenhard as president, CEO

Mark Lenhard has been appointed president and CEO of United Methodist Communities. Most recently, he was president and CEO of The Wesleyan.

Lenhard has maintained licensed nursing home administrator credentials since 1996 and holds a Master of Science degree in gerontology from Baylor University.

Healthpeak Properties names Scott Brinker CEO, announces other changes

Scott Brinker
Scott Brinker

Scott Brinker has been named president, CEO and board member of Healthpeak Properties. He formerly was president and chief investment officer.

Brinker succeeds Tom Herzog, who mutually agreed with the board to step down as CEO and from the board to pursue other endeavors. Brinker had been president and CIO of Healthpeak since January 2020. 

Healthpeak also announced that Scott Bohn, executive vice president – co-head of life science, has been appointed chief development officer in addition to retaining his other roles. Also, Adam Mabry, previously senior vice president – investments, has been promoted to chief investment officer.

Bohn has served as EVP and co-head of life science since February 2022. Mabry has been SVP – investments since September 2018.

Cornwall Manor shares retirement of CEO Lee Strickler; he is succeeded by Harry McConnell

Lee Stickler and Harry McConnell shaking hands
Lee A. Stickler, left, Cornwall Manor’s retiring president and CEO, welcomes new President and CEO Harry A. McConnell.

Lee A. Stickler has retired as president and CEO of continuing care retirement community Cornwall Manor in Cornwall, PA, the community announced. Harry A. McConnell began as his successor on Oct. 3.

Stickler announced his intention to retire this year in January. The senior living community’s sixth president, he came to Cornwall Manor in November 1988 as vice president for finance and transitioned to executive vice president in January 2018. He had been president and CEO since March 2019.

Strickler is licensed as a nursing home administrator and a certified public accountant. His background in senior living began in 1982 with six years in various management positions at a large nursing facility.

Strickler previously served as a program instructor for nursing home administrator candidates through Millersville University. He also was an initial board member of a national long-term care insurance advisory council and chaired the council for its first four years. In addition, Strickler was appointed to the state licensing board for nursing home administrators, serving for five years, ultimately as vice chairperson.

McConnell was the executive director of Normandy Farm Estates, a faith-based not-for-profit retirement community in Blue Bell, PA. His additional experience in long-term care includes 25 years with Peter Becker Community in Harleysville, PA, where he received successive promotions culminating in the chief operating officer position.

McConnell also has been an adjunct professor for Gwynedd-Mercy College since 2004, where he leads courses in healthcare administration, healthcare delivery systems, healthcare financial management and legal and ethical issues in healthcare. He holds an undergraduate degree in business administration from Stockton State College and an MBA from De Sales University, and he is a licensed nursing home administrator.

Christy Van Der Westhuizen headshot
Christy Van Der Westhuizen

Legend names Christy Van Der Westhuizen SVP

Christy Van Der Westhuizen has been appointed to the position of senior vice president of sales and marketing at Legend Senior Living. Van Der Westhuizen comes to Legend from MBK Senior Living, where she had been vice president of sales and marketing since 2019.

Van Der Westhuizen has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film and television from Chapman University and has completed a Disney’s Approach to Leadership Excellence course.

Sonata names Jennifer Benoit SVP of finance and accounting

Jennifer Benoit headshot
Jennifer Benoit

Jennifer Benoit has been named senior vice president of finance and accounting at Orlando, FL-based Sonata Senior Living. She will be responsible for the development and execution of all corporate accounting and financial reporting functions.

Benoit joins Sonata with more than 16 years of accounting experience in senior housing and hospitality management, most recently as vice president of accounting for Bridge Senior Living. She started her career in public accounting.

Benoit earned her undergraduate degree in business administration and accounting from Florida Atlantic University. She is a certified internal auditor and a certified fraud examiner.

Morning Pointe Senior Living appoints Scott Edens as VP

Scott Edens headshot
Scott Edens

Scott Edens has been named vice president of professional development for Morning Pointe Senior Living. He most recently was president of Potentia Living. 

Edens earned a master’s degree in health services administration from the University of St. Francis. He earned his undergraduate degree in long-term health care administration from Southern Adventist University. 

12 Oaks promotes Marlene Garcia, Kelli Sawyer

Marlene Garcia has been promoted to the newly created role of talent acquisition manager at 12 Oaks Senior Living. Garcia had joined the human resources team as talent acquisition coordinator in 2018. 

Also at 12 Oaks, Kelli Sawyer has been promoted to director of accounting. In 2006, she became staff accountant at the 12 Oaks corporate office. Sawyer studied at Strayer University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting.

Senior Lifestyle promotes Richard Tournesy to operations area manager, Shari Lefevre to regional director of operations

Richard Tournesy headshot
Richard Tournesy

Richard Tournesy recently was promoted to operations area manager, and Shari Lefevre was promoted to regional director of operations, at Chicago-based Senior Lifestyle.

In his new role, Tournesy will support operations for 21 senior living communities in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Oregon.

Before his promotion, he worked for more than three years as executive director of The Carlisle Palm Beach, a 281-capacity Senior Lifestyle community in Lantana, FL, that offers independent living, assistant living and memory care housing and services. There, he managed almost 200 employees and expanded gross revenue for the community by 42% in a year.

Tournesy has almost 30 years of experience in the senior living industry. Before joining Senior Lifestyle in 2019, he worked as an operations specialist for Validus Senior Living. He also previously worked as executive director for Brookdale Senior Living for three years and in several leadership positions, including senior executive director and regional dining services director, during a 20-year stint at Sunrise Senior Living.

Tournesy has an associate degree in hospitality management from Union College in Cranford, NJ.

Shari Lefevre headshot
Shari Lefevre

In her new role, Lefevre oversees community operations and supports community leadership in nine senior living communities in Arizona, Ohio, Texas and Washington, DC.

Previously, Lefevre was the executive director of Thunderbird Senior Living, a 352-unit Senior Lifestyle community in Glendale, AR, that offers independent living, assisted living and memory care housing and services. While in that role, she increased occupancy to 96% from 67% in one year.

Lefevre has 13 years of experience in the senior living industry, where she has worked in human resources, sales and administrative roles. She joined Senior Lifestyle in 2012. Before that, she worked at Freedom Inn at Sun City West.

Lefevre has an undergraduate degree in hospitality management from Northern Arizona University.

Joshua Vines headshot
Joshua Vines

Juniper appoints Joshua Vines executive director of Lakewood Reserve

Joshua Vines has been named executive director of Lakewood Reserve by Juniper Communities

Before joining Juniper, Vines was an interim director, traveling across six western states, and a contracted nursing consultant. Vines has a compact licensed practical nurse license and is also a certified Colorado assisted living administrator.

The Springs Living names Tim Watson executive director of Happy Valley community

Tim Watson headshot
Tim Watson

Tim Watson has been appointed the executive director of The Springs at Happy Valley, a 210-unit Springs Living senior living community set to open this autumn in Happy Valley, OR. He will assemble the community team and direct all aspects of community operations, including resident experience, financial performance and culture-building.

Watson most recently was senior executive director of Dial Senior Living, where he oversaw all operations at the senior living community in Boulder, CO.

Before establishing a career in the senior living profession, he was director of choral activities at Morningside College in Sioux City, IA. He also was president of the Iowa Choral Directors Association.

Watson has a Master of Arts degree from the University of South Dakota and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Luther College in Decorah, IA.

Buckner Westminster Place adds Margaret Mercer as health services administrator

Margaret Mercer headshot
Margaret Mercer

Margaret Mercer is the new health services administrator at Buckner Westminster Place.

Mercer comes to Westminster Place from one of its sister communities, Ventana by Buckner in Dallas, where she was the director of social services the past two years.

Before joining Ventana, Mercer attended University of Texas Arlington and earned her Master’s in Social Work degree while interning at Amity Hospice and the Plaza at Edgemere. Mercer also attended Baylor University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in education.

Michael Tobias headshot
Michael Tobias

The Kensington at Walnut Creek names Michael Tobias new director of dining 

Michael Tobias has been announced as the new director of dining at The Kensington at Walnut Creek, a Kisco Senior Living community in Walnut Creek, CA. 

Tobias brings more than 27 years of culinary experience to his new position. His culinary career began in hospitality as a sous chef at the Hilton Hotel in Concord, CA.

Bridge Housing brings aboard Sierra Atilano as EVP

Sierra Atilano has joined Bridge Housing as executive vice president – head of development and Southern California.

Before joining Bridge, she was CEO of Skid Row Housing Trust. Atilano began her career at Lincoln Property Co., then joined a construction company specializing in multifamily new construction and rehab projects. She subsequently worked for several family-owned developers, such as Cal-American, Korda Construction and Miller Family Companies. Later, she worked for Cabrillo Economic Development Corp. and Watt Residential. Over the past 12 years, she has worked for developers AMCAL Residential in addition to Skid Row Housing Trust.

ACHCA announces Denise Bates as an administrative assistant

Denise Bates is joining the American College of Health Care Administrators as an administrative assistant.

She graduated from the University of California-Davis and studied political science and psychology.

Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected]. High-quality color headshots are welcome but not required.