Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected].
Atria appoints Holly Belter-Chesser CEO
Holly Belter-Chesser has been appointed CEO of Louisville, KY-based Atria Management Co. as part of a planned transition.
She succeeds John Moore, who is stepping down from his roles as chairman and CEO after 25 years but remains a member of the company’s board as well as an adviser to help ensure a smooth transition.
Belter-Chesser has served Atria in key leadership roles over the past 15 years, including serving as chief financial officer since 2020 and chief administrative officer since 2023, senior vice president of business optimization and operations support from 2017 to 2020, and vice president of finance and business analysis from 2013 to 2017.
Atria Management Co. operates independent living, assisted living, supportive living and memory care communities in 44 states and seven Canadian provinces. The company’s brands include Coterie, Atria Signature Collection, Atria Senior Living, Atria Park, Holiday by Atria, Atria Retirement Canada and Atria Home Care.
RiverSpring Living names David V. Pomeranz CEO
David V. Pomeranz has been named CEO of RiverSpring Living, New York City.
Pomeranz, a 38-year veteran of the organization and long-time chief operating officer, will succeed Daniel Reingold the head of RiverSpring Living and its affiliates, including the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, RiverSpring Health Plans, RiverSpring Home Care, RiverWalk and the new RiverSpring Residences.
Reingold, meanwhile, will become president and CEO of River’s Edge, New York City’s first life plan community. He also has been named senior adviser to the Board of Trustees of the RiverSpring Living entities and will be vice chairman of the Board of Trustees of RiverSpring Living Holding Corp.
The changes are effective April 1.
Merrill Gardens names Jason Childers COO
Jason Childers has been named chief operating officer at Seattle-based Merrill Gardens.
Childers brings more than 20 years to his new role, including the past five years as senior vice president at Merrill. Before joining Merrill Gardens in 2019, Childers spent three years as executive vice president of strategy at Blue Harbor Senior Living. Prior to that, he was a founding principal at 2Ten Consulting.
Childers was an inaugural member of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care’s Future Leaders Council and currently is a member of the Argentum COO Roundtable. He also chairs the Education Innovations, Marketing and Enrollment, and Curriculum subcommittees for the Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living at Washington State University.
Commonwealth adds Kristy Ruppe Craddock, April Theus to bolster to sales leadership
Kristy Ruppe Craddock has been named chief sales and marketing officer, and April Theus has been named vice president of sales, at Charlottesville, VA-based Commonwealth Senior Living.
Ruppe Craddock joined Commonwealth in 2016 as regional vice president of sales and marketing. She has spent more than 20 years in the senior living industry and received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a focus in gerontology and hospitality. She was named a McKnight’s Women of Distinction Rising Star in 2019.
Theus also joined Commonwealth in 2016, as a sales director. Before joining the company, she held sales leadership positions at two senior living organizations spanning seven years. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Norfolk State University.
Consulate Health Care names Ashley Winkle COO
Ashley Winkle has been named the chief operating officer at Kannapolis, NC-based Consulate Health Care.
Winkle holds degrees from Walden University, including a master’s degree in healthcare administration, a master’s degree in human services, and a Bachelor of Science degree in educational studies, which she earned magna cum laude.
Health Dimensions Group names Becky Kaufmann VP of clinical services
Becky Kaufmann has been named vice president of clinical services at Minneapolis-based Health Dimensions Group.
Kaufmann has almost 30 years of experience in senior living and healthcare. Before joining HDG, she served as senior vice president of quality of life and memory care for Chapters Living in St. Louis. In addition, she led clinical and quality teams at several senior living organizations, including Lutheran Life Communities and Ascension Living. She is a licensed registered nurse in Missouri and Illinois and an alumna of Chamberlain University in Illinois.
WellQuest Living names Brent Rodriguez VP of sales and marketing
Brent Rodriguez has returned to Salt Lake City-based WellQuest Living, as vice president of sales and marketing.
Rodriguez previously was corporate director of sales and marketing at WellQuest Living for three years. Before returning, he was vice president of business development at Senior Doc.
Epoch adds Bonnie Loglisci as regional director of operations
Bonnie Loglisci has been named regional director of operations at Epoch Senior Living.
Loglisci brings to Epoch 15 years of experience managing independent living, assisted living, memory care and continuing care retirement communities. She has held executive management positions in operations and sales with senior living communities in New York City, Westchester County in New York and Fairfield County in Connecticut.
Retirement Unlimited Inc. names 4 to regional director of operations positions
Four former executive directors — Chris Cook, Joann Ryan, Paola Fusaro and Ian Monteith — have been named to the new position of regional director of operations at Retirement Unlimited Inc.
Cook, with RUI since 2019, came from The Hidenwood and The Barrington at Hioaks communities and will oversee several Virginia communities.
Montieth, a team member since 2018, came from Brandywine Living at Upper Providence and will oversee all Delaware, Connecticut and Pennsylvania communities.
Fusaro, an employee since 2008, came from Brandywine Living at Longwood and will oversee the southern New Jersey communities.
Ryan, a team member since 2020, came from Brandywine Living at Livingston and will oversee northern New Jersey communities.
Ventas announces James D. Shelton’s retirement from board, appoints Theodore Bigman and Joe V. Rodriguez Jr. to board
Chicago-based real estate investment trust Ventas has announced Monday that the lead independent director of its board of directors, James D. Shelton, will retire following the 2024 annual meeting. The REIT also disclosed that Theodore Bigman and Joe V. Rodriguez Jr. have been appointed to the board, effective immediately.
The independent directors unanimously appointed Roxanne Martino, a Ventas director since 2016 and former CEO of Aurora Investment Management, as lead independent director, effective after the 2024 annual meeting.
Bigman has served as a private investor and as founder and chief investment officer of Bigman Holdings, his family office, since March 2021. Before that, he held several positions at MSIM from 1995 to 2021, most recently as head of global listed real assets investing.
Rodriguez is a real estate investor with 30 years of experience across capital markets, finance and portfolio management. He was a founding partner and chief investment officer at Invesco Real Estate.
HealthPRO Heritage names Erika Wadlinger CFO
Erika Wadlinger has joined Hunt Valley, MD-based HealthPRO Heritage as chief financial officer.
Wadlinger spent 14 years with Cardinal Health, where she led teams across finance, treasury, sales, commercial strategy and investor relations. She also previously was a senior partner of transformation services at Genpact, where she led a portfolio with a focus on healthcare and life science.
Wadlinger holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance and business/ pre-law and a MBA from Ohio University.
Lenbrook promotes Kevin Harris to director of security
Kevin Harris has been promoted to director of security at Lenbrook.
Harris joined Lenbrook in 2021 as manager of security. He has worked in the senior living industry for eight years and attended the University of North Georgia. After college, he served in the US Navy and fought in the Desert Storm conflict.
Morning Pointe names Paula Goins executive director of Morning Pointe of Hardin Valley
Paula Goins has been named executive director of Morning Pointe of Hardin Valley, Knoxville, TN.
Goins is a US Army veteran, serving for four years in South Korea and Fort Campbell, KY. After being discharged from the military, she became a nurse and worked in gastroenterology, oncology and geriatrics. She started in assisted living as a director of nursing before moving into an executive director role.
12 Oaks Senior Living adds Steve Nguyen as learning and development director
Steve Nguyen has been named learning and development director at Dallas-based 12 Oaks Senior Living.
Nguyen’s career as an organizational development leader spans more than 15 years. He previously was a learning and development manager at Lennox International.
Nguyen holds a PhD in industrial and organizational psychology, a Master of Arts degree in counseling psychology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy.
Watermark appoints Madeline Williams associate executive director of The Watermark at Bellevue
Madeline Williams has been appointed as the executive director at The Watermark at Bellevue, Bellevue, WA.
Williams joins the senior living community from Aegis Living, where she spent five years, first as life enrichment director and then as director of operations.
Erickson names John David associate executive director of Windsor Run
John David has been named the associate executive director of Windsor Run, a Matthews, NC, continuing care retirement community managed by Erickson Senior Living.
David has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, most recently serving as a regional director of operations for Extended Stay America. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration and an MBA degree from the University of Arizona Global Campus.
Watercrest promotes Jessica Desjarlais to director of associate experience
Jessica Desjarlais has been promoted to director of associate experience at Vero Beach, FL-based Watercrest Senior Living.
Desjarlais joined Watercrest in early 2018 as a community concierge at Watercrest St. Lucie West, an assisted living and memory care community. In 2019, she joined the corporate office in Vero Beach as family office manager, a position she held until 2021, when she was promoted to the role of talent acquisition specialist.
Cushman & Wakefield hires Jason Skalko as managing director
Jason Skalko has been hired as managing director of senior living and care investment sales at Cushman & Wakefield.
Skalko will be based in the firm’s Tampa, FL, office. He has been in real estate since 2010 and holds an undergraduate degree in building construction and a master’s degree in business management from the University of Florida.
AHCA/NCAL adds Meera Riner, Andrea Aston to National Quality Award Board
Meera Riner and Andrea Aston have been named to the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living’s National Quality Award Board.
Riner, chief operating officer of Nexion Health Management, based in Sykesville, MD, and Aston, administrator at George E. Wahlen Ogden Veterans Home in Ogden, UT, began serving three-year terms in January.
Riner has been a national advocate, executive and clinician in long-term care for more than 25 years. She is a recognized Baldrige Program Fellow and has received several accolades, including being inducted into the McKnight’s Women of Distinction Hall of Honor in 2021. She also received AHCA/NCAL’s Mary K. Ousley Champion of Quality Award in 2022. Riner has also served as a National Quality Award Program Examiner.
Under Aston’s leadership, the George E. Wahlen Ogden Veterans Home received the prestigious 2019 National Gold Quality Award. She is an advocate for implementing the Baldrige Criteria and has served as a Quality Award examiner.
Association of Jewish Aging Services names Candy Berman Trustee of Year
Candy Berman has won the Trustee of the Year Award from the Association of Jewish Aging Services.
Berman currently is vice chair of the board of Jewish HomeLife and will assume the role of board chair in July.
team of directors surprise Regional Director of Operations Kristin Elkjer (holding check and award) with
an achievement award on Feb. 29.
Jaybird announces several achievement awards
Jaybird Senior Living has announced its annual Jaybird Achievement Award winners, timed with Women’s History Month.
All five award winners are female employees from Jaybird and its managed communities. They were nominated by peers for exemplifying the company’s core values of innovation, integrity, compassion, commitment and expertise.
The recognized individuals:
- Salesperson of the Year: Kaitlynn Freese, from Arlington Place at Grundy Center and Parker Place Retirement Community
- Jaybird Team Member of the Year: Senior Regional Director of Operations Kristin Elkjer
- Director of the Year: Krystal Maulson, Milestone Senior Living of Woodruff
- Team Member of the Year: Willows Landing Assistant Healthcare Coordinator Rachel Babcock
- Nurse of the Year: Shawn Pierce, from Arlington Place at Grundy Center
Wartburg honors more than 500 volunteers for service
Wartburg, Mount Vernon, NY, recently celebrated and recognized the service of more than 500 volunteers at a luncheon.
More than 110 people gathered in Wartburg’s Gatz Conference Center to celebrate all of Wartburg’s volunteers, who collectively dedicated almost 50,000 hours throughout 2023. In partnerships with schools, service organizations, individuals and corporations, Wartburg’s volunteers taught art classes, visited residents, provided spiritual care and played games or read to residents.
Sarah Lawrence College was presented with the Community Partner of the Year Award. The Claudia Brigman Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Sister Mary Elizabeth DeBoer. The 2023 Corporate Partner of the Year award was awarded to Home Depot and its volunteers.
Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected]. High-quality color headshots are welcome but not required.
