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Pennant Group names new CEO
Brent Guerisoli, current president of The Pennant Group, has been appointed to succeed Daniel Walker as CEO, effective Aug. 1. Walker will continue to serve as chairman of the Pennant Board of Directors.
Pennant is the Eagle, ID-based parent company of operating subsidiaries that provide senior living, home health and hospice services. Since joining the organization in 2012, Guerisoli has directed growth efforts across several states; played a key role in its overall leadership recruiting, development and training; contributed to its financial, clinical and cultural achievements; and more recently spearheaded the turnaround of the senior living segment.
In addition to the CEO change, Pennant also announced that John Gochnour is being appointed president and chief operating officer of the firm.
Atria hires Stephanie Haley-Andrews as SVP of care
Stephanie Haley-Andrews is the new senior vice president of care at Louisville, KY-based Atria Senior Living. She will serve as the strategic lead for the company’s care operations.
Haley-Andrews brings more than 20 years of experience in managing care in areas ranging from senior living to emergency medical services to trauma programs. A registered nurse, she has developed, led and scaled nursing initiatives across multiple organizations, driving quality care, key clinical outcomes and emergency preparedness. Her research is published in the Journal of Trauma Nursing as well as other peer-reviewed trauma nursing and emergency medicine publications.
With Haley-Andrews joining the team, Joanna Mansfield, who previously held the role, has assumed a new role as senior vice president and general manager at Coterie Hudson Yards, Atria’s new luxury brand. Coterie opened its first location in San Francisco in May, with the Hudson Yards location in Manhattan slated to open later this year.
Springpoint announces leadership promotion, addition
Odessa Sadsad has been promoted to vice president of health services of Springpoint Senior Living, based in Wall Township, NJ.
She began her career with Springpoint in 2009 at the organization’s life plan community, Crestwood Manor, as a nursing unit manager, and became the director of nursing in 2013. She was promoted to regional nurse consultant in 2017.
Sadsa currently is chair of the Director of Nursing Roundtable of LeadingAge NJ and Delaware and is a member of the Philippine Nurses Association, the National Society of Leadership and Success, and a Golden Key International Honor Society member.
She received her RN and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Western Mindanao State University in the Philippines. She is a certified dementia practitioner and holds an infection preventionist certification. She is in the process of obtaining a Master of Healthcare Administration degree from Walden University.
Springpoint also announced the hiring of Roy Woods Jr. as director of communications. He is responsible for developing, implementing and managing strategies to inform and engage internal audiences including employees, residents, members and clients as well as external audiences including prospective residents, families and industry peers.
Woods has more than 15 years of communications experience, most recently as senior communications technician with the Office of Information Technology for the state of New Jersey, where he launched and managed strategic communication plans encompassing all aspects of internal and external messaging, marketing initiatives, digital asset production and media usage in public relations, marketing and branding campaigns.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from Thomas Edison State University, and a master’s degree in communications and media from Rutgers University. He was a sergeant for the Army National Guard, earning recognition and multiple awards for outstanding performance in demanding environments.
Arrow Senior Living welcomes new executive directors
St. Charles, MO-based Arrow Senior Living has welcomed several new executive directors to its growing team.
Steven Bunch brings more than 30 years experience to his new role at The Madison Senior Living in Kansas City, MO. In addition to experience in independent and assisted living, Bunch also worked in skilled nursing, residential care and memory care, serving in several leadership roles, including vice president of operations at Capital Health Management. He earned an undergraduate degree in business administration and management from Avila University.
Lee Bohannon-Smith has been named executive director at Cedar Trails Senior Living in Freeburg, IL. Before joining Arrow, Bohannon-Smith was an administrator in both long-term care and affordable assisted living communities, and her career spans more than 20 years. Bohannon-Smith earned an undergraduate degree in business administration from McKendree College and is a licensed nursing home administrator in Illinois.
Arrow appointed Logan Harrington executive director at Rock Creek Senior Living in Ankeny, IA. His experience includes sales and marketing expertise, environmental services, wellness and dietary management, and regional operations support. Harrington is a certified dementia practitioner, a certified nursing assistant and a certified medical assistant, and he will obtain an undergraduate degree in healthcare administration from Purdue Global University in the fall.
Rhonda Nelson recently was promoted to executive director at Fox Run Senior Living in Fairborn, OH. A certified human resource professional, she has worked in healthcare for more than 20 years. She joined Arrow’s Fox Run community as a business office director in 2019.
Arrow also named Lisa Ford as executive director of Vitalia Active Adult Community at Solon in Ohio. Ford has served more than 20 years in various positions in the industry, including community relations director and regional operations director. Over the course of her career, she has managed communities across multiple states. Ford earned an undergraduate degree in political science and government from Ohio State University.
Erickson Senior Living’s Charlestown community welcomes new executive director
Chandra Kumar, a longtime leader at Erickson Senior Living, will serve as the new executive director at Charlestown, Erickson’s flagship community in Catonsville, MD.
Kumar comes to Charlestown from Greenspring, another Erickson community, in Springfield, VA. She joined Erickson in 2014 as the associate executive director of Riderwood in Silver Spring, MD, and was promoted to executive director at Greenspring in 2016.
Kumar is a licensed nursing home administrator and has an undergraduate degree in accounting and gerontology from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in aging services management from the Erickson School of Aging at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Addington Place hires new executive team
Addington Place of Alpharetta, a senior living community near Atlanta, has hired five new director-level employees. The new staff members were recruited to provide a fresh vision and leadership as well as reinvigorate the activities, culinary offerings and elevated quality of care provided at the community, which offers assisted living and memory care options to its residents.
Latoya Jones, with more than 10 years of experience in the senior living industry, has been named executive director. In her new role, she will direct all operations, manage the community’s team of caregivers, and oversee planning and development to try to ensure quality care for residents.
Audra P. Jackson joins the team as the new director of sales and marketing, bringing more than 30 years of sales and marketing experience. Jackson will be responsible for creating and implementing an outreach program, hitting sales and move-in goals for new residents as well as managing a team of sales and marketing personnel.
Vernell Denson, with a career in senior care that spans more than a decade, has been named as the community’s new memory care director. She will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of memory care, overseeing compliance with all community and applicable state policies. Additionally, Denson will lead a team in implementing the award-winning “Embrace” memory care program, which personalizes care to support the mind, body and soul of each resident dealing with memory loss, providing customized therapy and activities that are safe and engaging.
Spencer White, the community’s new maintenance director, will focus on creating a healthy, clean and safe environment for residents and staff. White will be overseeing housekeeping and maintenance employees and implementing safety procedures within the community.
New Executive Chef Michael Echols, who is Le Cordon Bleu trained, brings more than two decades of experience to the kitchens of the senior living community.
Cardinal Ritter Senior Services promotes Scott Parkinson to administrator
George “Scott” Parkinson has been promoted to administrator for St. Louis-based Cardinal Ritter Senior Services’ Our Lady of Life independent living apartments. He previously was the housing manager at CRSS’ St. Agnes community for the past 18 years.
Parkinson will lead and manage Our Lady of Life, which includes handling the day-to-day administration, financial operations and development of programs and services at the community.
Before joining CRSS, Parkinson worked at several senior living communities. He previously was a training squadron’s master instructor and a medical specialist for Colorado’s U.S. Air Force Academy Hospital.
Parkinson earned his Master of Business Administration degree in healthcare administration, as well as an undergraduate degree in occupational education, health administration and business management from Wayland Baptist University in Wichita Falls, TX. He earned associate’s degrees in both allied health service and instructor technology and military science from the Community College of the Air Force.
Goodwin Living appoints Theresa Mandela to brain health program
Theresa Mandela, RN, BSN, QCP, has joined the brain health program at Goodwin Living, a senior living and healthcare services organization based in Alexandria, VA.
Launched in 2020, the Goodwin Living brain health program now touches the lives of more than 6,000 older adults across the United States through its StrongerMemory program and other initiatives to enhance cognition and memory.
With a background in clinical training and senior living, Mandela will lead the team’s efforts working with organizations that seek to introduce the StrongerMemory program to their networks and communities. Building on the successes of existing partnerships, she will develop new systems designed to provide organizations with the support they need to implement the program.
HealthPro Heritage’s Rise Senior Living division welcomes new leadership
Rise Senior Living, a division of therapy firm HealthPro Heritage dedicated to supporting senior housing organizations, has named several new executives to its leadership team.
Julie Morckel has been named Rise’s new president of operations, and Kristi Smith is serving as the team’s senior vice president of clinical strategies and wellness. In addition, Kristy Yoskey, senior vice president, will lead Rise’s new consulting services to deliver strategic solutions for the industry’s biggest challenges.
Rise Senior Living partners with more than 450 memory care, assisted living, independent living and active adult communities nationwide in an effort to optimize the resident experience and drive campus-wide success.
CAC Specialty launches new senior living practice, adds new leaders
Risk management firm CAC Speciality has launched a new senior living practice with the addition of Carl Swan as executive vice president and Alex Whipple as senior vice president.
Swan comes to CAC Specialty with experience and broad senior living industry involvement. He specializes in independent and assisted living communities, continuing care retirement communities and skilled nursing facilities.
Whipple brings experience in insurance and risk management solutions for senior housing operators across the country. His consultative approach focuses on using risk management in an effort to drive down the total cost of risk.
Dining RD hires Meagan Rohan as VP of sales
Megan Rohan has joined St. Louis-based Health Technologies, also known as Dining RV, as vice president of sales.
With more than 20 years of experience in senior housing and healthcare, Rohan is CARF/CCAC accredited, bringing experience in compliance, operations, sales and marketing.
Rohan will manage all sales activities for Dining RD, explore enterprise opportunities and relationships in senior living and explore new opportunities to enhance and bundle Dining RD products and services.
Before joining Dining RD, Rohan was vice president of sales at Caremerge. She also held positions as business development manager at Care Purchasing Services, major accounts sales manager at Touchtown and director of sales at Smith Senior Living.
Rohan holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and earned an MBA degree from Saint Xavier University. She holds a certificate of managed care from St. Xavier University and is a certified marketing professional through the Life Services Network.
Impact Strategies promotes Mike Michael to project director
Mike Michael has been promoted from senior project manager to project director at St. Louis-based construction firm Impact Strategies.
He joined the company in 2005 as project manager. In his 17 years with Impact, Michael has worked in various roles, most recently as senior project manager. He has managed multiple complex projects throughout Missouri and Illinois, including most recently The Rehabilitation Institute of Southern Illinois and the Siteman Cancer Center in Shiloh, IL.
Michael holds an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign and is a LEED-accredited professional through the U.S. Green Building Council. He is also a certified healthcare constructor through the American Hospital Association.
Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected]. High-quality color headshots are welcome but not required.
