Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected].
The Pennant Group appoints Barry Smith as chairman and Brent Guerisoli as director
Barry Smith has been appointed chairman of the board of directors and CEO Brent Guerisoli has been appointed as a member of the board at the Pennant Group.
Smith has served on Pennant’s board since 2021. He previously was chairman and CEO of behavioral health services and pharmacy benefit management services provider Magellan Health and as chairman, president and CEO of VistaCare, a national hospice provider.
He succeeds Daniel Walker, who has served as Pennant’s chairman since its inception as an independent public company in 2019. In 2022, Walker stepped down from his role as CEO of the company in consideration of family circumstances, to pursue charitable causes and to create space for the next generation of Pennant leaders. In furtherance of those same goals, he now has chosen to formally step away from Pennant’s board.
Guerisoli will serve on the board’s Quality and Compliance Committee.
Primrose promotes Amana Lindner to EVP of operations
Amanda Lindner has been promoted from regional operations manager to executive vice president of operations at Aberdeen, SD-headquartered Primrose Retirement Communities.
In this role, she will oversee the operations department, which manages and supports 33 senior living communities across the country.
Lindner started with Primrose in 2010.
Priority Life Care names Brian Gallo corporate director of culinary experiences
Brian Gallo has been named corporate director of culinary experiences at Priority Life Care.
As a graduate of Purdue University with an undergraduate degree in hospitality and tourism management, Gallo has more than 20 years of combined experience in the hospitality and healthcare fields. Throughout most of his career, Gallo has worked at both corporate and operations levels. He moved into senior living dining services with Priority Life Care six years ago.
Retirement Unlimited announces Hannah Sison, BSN, RN, as regional director of clinical services
Hannah Sison, BSN, RN, has joined Roanoke, VA-based Retirement Unlimited Inc. as regional director of clinical services.
Sison earned her Bachelors of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Maryland and comes with experience gained in clinical and leadership roles within senior living communities.
Anthem Memory Care appoints executive director for Chelsea Place
Trisha Thomas has been named executive director for Chelsea Place, an Anthem Memory Care community in Aurora, CO. In this capacity, she will oversee all daily care, programming and operations.
Thomas brings more than 20 years of senior living and 15 years of nursing experience to her new position. She previously was executive director of Brookdale Westland Meridian in Lakewood, CO. She also formerly was executive director for Pinehurst Park Memory Care in Denver.
Thomas earned an associate’s degree in nursing from Denver School of Nursing.
Goodwin Living names Josh Bagley executive director of The View Alexandria
Josh Bagley has been named executive director of The View Alexandria. He had been the interim executive director of The View Alexandria since Goodwin Living acquired the retirement community in August.
Most recently, Bagley was the administrator of the Goodwin House Alexandria “small house” healthcare center. He began his career with Goodwin Living in 2014 as an administrative assistant after having earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health, society and policy from the University of Utah and a Master of Health Administration degree from George Washington University.
AHCA/NCAL announce new board chair, members of national Quality Award program
The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living’s National Quality Board has three new members and a new board chair.
New board chair Cathy Bergland, principal at CB Leadership Group, is based in Minneapolis and has held various roles in long-term care since 1986. She has been a part of the AHCA/NCAL Quality Award program since 2012 as an examiner, examiner trainer and judge.
Elected to serve as Quality Award Board members through 2026:
- Heather Herlyn, director of quality and safety at the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, based in Sioux Falls, SD. Herlyn began her career as a nurse at Sanford Health in the intensive care unit. Since that time, she has held positions in clinical and operational leadership roles in the public and private sector.
- Megan Corcoran, regional director of operations at Health Dimensions Group. Corcoran is certified in quality assurance and performance improvement, also known as QAPI, and is a licensed nursing home administrator in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Corcoran also is a Silver Examiner for the Quality Award Program.
- Paul Grizzell, president of Core Value Partners, based in Woodbury, MN. Grizzell brings to the role more than 20 years of experience as a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiner member and work in other global performance excellence programs. He has served as a Quality Award judge since 2013 and is an examiner trainer.
Ceca Foundation honors Jill Magjuka-Egan, Mesfin Desta
Jill Magjuka-Egan and Mesfin Desta are two of the four caregivers recognized this year by the Ceca Foundation in its ninth annual National Ceca Awards.
Magjuka-Egan, a life enrichment assistant at Artis Senior Living, Evesham, NJ, was honored for going above and beyond to enrich the lives of residents.
Desta, an environmental services team leader at Goodwin House Alexandria in Alexandria, VA, received the award for going outside of his role to connect with and help residents.
Each National Ceca Award Honoree receives an engraved commemorative trophy and a cash award of $2,500 and are celebrated at in-person events.
The foundation also recognized 14 finalists. Among them:
- Amina Kanu, CNA at Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads, Falls Church, VA
- Deborah Barnett, LPN-long-term care at Ascension Living’s Carroll Manor, Washington, DC
- Kimberly Dalman, CNA at Kingston at Dupont, Fort Wayne, IN
- Teresa Stern, resident life associate at Providence Place Senior Living, Pottsville, PA
- Tracy Blanding, activities assistant at Edenwald Senior Living, Towson, MD
- Troy Kelly, driver at Knollwood Life Plan Community, Washington, DC
AGE-u-cate Training Institute announces Lauren Ellen Christian as president
Lauren Ellen Christian has been named president of the AGE-u-cate Training Institute.
Christian has more than 18 years of experience in the aging services space. Her beginning as an engagement professional for a senior living community quickly evolved into a leadership role for a top senior living management company, according to the institute.
Christian has an undergraduate degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of Georgia and has completed training courses through Dementia Capable Care becoming a Crisis Prevention Institute dementia care behavior specialist in 2018. She is also an active board member for Dementia Action Alliance.
WelcomeHome Software names Patrick Sharp an enterprise account executive
Patrick Sharp has been named an enterprise account executive at WelcomeHome Software.
Sharp’s 18-year career in the software industry has included roles in implementation, account management and sales. He spent 10 years at Horizon Software International, specializing in senior living dining and public education technology. He also was a project-based consultant, helping senior living operators evaluate software platforms.
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