Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected].
Retirement Unlimited promotes three to leadership roles
Retirement Unlimited Inc. has promoted Christopher Cook to senior executive director, Amanda Stanfield to vice president of clinical services, and Jennifer Oscar to vice president of clinical services.
Cook joined RUI in 2019 as the business office and human resources manager for The Hidenwood Community in Newport News, VA, and The Barrington at Hioaks in Richmond, VA, prior to completing an administrator-in-training program in 2020. He obtained his undergraduate degree in healthcare administration and management from Stratford University and currently is working toward his Master of Science degree in healthcare administration and leadership at Western Governors University.
Stanfield has worked with the Fralins and Waldrons, the families who own and operate RUI, since 2009 and joined the RUI team in 2016 as the director of clinical services at The Hidenwood. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing degree from ECPI University and her Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on leadership and management from Western Governors University.
Oscar joined RUI in 2021 as regional director of clinical services. With more than 20 years of experience in clinical leadership, she previously held titles such as divisional director of resident services and licensed practical nurse senior clinician after receiving her registered nurse licensure from Lake Sumter College.
Grace Management promotes Jenna Johnston to regional director of operations
Jenna Johnston has been promoted to regional director of operations at Grace Management.
Johnston joined Grace Management in April 2020 as the executive director of The Residence at Bethel Park in Bethel Park, PA. In fall 2022, she was promoted to the area director of operations for the three Pittsburgh communities.
Solstice hires Laurel O’Dell as regional director of sales and marketing
Laurel O’Dell has been named regional director of sales and marketing at Solstice Senior Living.
Prior to joining Solstice, O’Dell was an award-winning traveling director of sales at Sunrise Senior Living and later was promoted to regional sales. Additionally, she worked as a senior living adviser at A Place For Mom and as a memory care director at Oakmont Senior Living.
White Horse Village names Crystal Wydler director of human resources
Crystal Wydler has been named the director of human resources at White Horse Village, Newtown Square, PA.
Wydler previously has served as senior HR manager at the nonprofit senior living community. She has more than 17 years experience in the field and has served as HR director for several organizations in the senior living and healthcare sector, including most recently St. Martha Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Downingtown, PA, and Green Meadows Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (Chester Valley Rehabilitation) in Malvern, PA.
Wydler is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a undergraduate degree in corporate communication.
AHEPA Senior Living re-elects Ike Gulas as board chairman
Ike Gulas has been re-elected to a second term as board chairman at AHEPA Senior Living.
Gulas has served on ASL’s board for more than 25 years. He is an attorney with Morgan & Morgan, an injury law firm.
Gulas is a member of the Birmingham Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Southern Trial Lawyer Association, the Alabama Trial Lawyers Association, the American Association for Justice and the National Trial Lawyers Association, where he has been selected as one of the top 100 lawyers in Alabama.
Read about the board’s executive officers and executive committee members here.
IMA Financial Group names Brian Jurutka VP of senior housing
Brian Jurutka has been named vice president of senior housing at IMA Financial Group, a Denver-based insurance brokerage firm specializing in risk management, insurance, wholesale brokerage and wealth management. He is expected to make a significant impact on IMA’s growth in the industry.
Previously, Jurutka was president and CEO of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care. Read more about Jurutka and his appointment in this exclusive interview.
LeadingAge Florida names Kiki Litchford director of business and professional development
Kiki Litchford has been named director of business and professional development at LeadingAge Florida.
Litchford’s career includes more than a decade of experience working for domestic and international nonprofit organizations, government agencies and private institutions. She joins LeadingAge Florida from the Florida Assisted Living Association, where she served as chapter and education manager.
OALA elects Jill Nowacki to board of trustees
Jill Nowacki has been elected to the Ohio Assisted Living Association Board of Trustees.
Nowacki is the vice president of operations for Danbury Senior Living and a registered nurse. She was nominated and won the OALA’s Nurse of the Year award in 2017.
Nowacki received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Ohio State University.
Health Dimensions Group names Mika Stevenson VP of culinary
Mika Stevenson has been named vice president of culinary at Health Dimensions Group.
Stevenson has held culinary leadership roles within the aging services sector for more than 13 years. He has a culinary arts degree from Sullivan University and has spent the past 10 years working with Atria Senior Living in progressively responsible roles. Most recently, Stevenson was divisional director of culinary operations, where he oversaw dining operations throughout an 11-state region.
WATG appoints Natalie Ruiz associate principal
Natalie Ruiz has been named an associate principal of luxury multifamily residential and senior/later living at WATG, a master planning, architecture, landscape and interior design firm in Los Angeles .
Ruiz has experience within the sector.
IHCA/INCAL announces 2023 Senior Living Award recipients
The Indiana Health Care Association/Indiana Center for Assisted Living has announced the recipients of its 2023 Senior Living Awards. Recipients are selected from peer and colleague nominations and recognized for their exemplary contributions and unwavering commitment to delivering quality care.
Caregiver of the Year winners:
- Ellen Chambers, Saint Anne Victory Knoll, Saint Anne Communities, Huntington, IN
- Diane Sturgeon, Springs Valley Meadows, American Senior Communities, French Lick, IN
Volunteer of the Year:
- Linda Kuhn, Brownsburg Meadows Assisted Living Communities, American Senior Communities, Brownsburg, IN
LeadingAge Iowa reveals 2023 award winners
LeadingAge Iowa selected the following professionals from a statewide pool of nominees for its annual awards:
- Caregiver of the Year: Sara Hellvig, charge nurse, Friendship Haven, Fort Dodge, IA; Tim Kono, nurse, Lakeview Lodge at Friendship Village, Waterloo, IA
- Award of Honor: Mindi Baker, CEO, Eventide Senior Living Community, Denison, IA
- Public Trust Award: Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community, Waverly, IA
- Excellence in Leadership: Amber McLey, director of human resources and compliance officer, Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community, Waverly, IA
- Excellence in the Workplace: NewAldaya Lifescapes, Cedar Falls, IA
Mass-ALA awards Scott Butler 2023 Dining Services award
Scott Butler, head chef and dining services director at Bridges by Epoch at Mashpee, Mashpee, MA, was awarded the Massachusetts Assisted Living Association’s 2023 Dining Services Award during the group’s annual Excellence Awards Dinner.
Mass-ALAPresident and CEO Brian Doherty said that Butler’s ability to provide residents and employees with healthy, aesthetically pleasing and high-quality meals led to him being honored.
Christopher Voorman earns Future Horizon Award
Christopher Voorman, director of Culinary Services at Riverwalk Village at The House of the Good Shepherd, a life plan community that is part of the FellowshipLIFE system, was honored by the Association for Healthcare Food Service at its annual conference in Orlando, FL.
Voorman, who has been at Riverwalk Village since March 2022, received the Future Horizon Award, which recognizes someone with fewer than five years in a management position who demonstrates a desire for future growth through contributions to a hospital or community. He formerly worked as a chef at JFK University Medical Center.
Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected]. High-quality color headshots are welcome but not required.
