Movers & Shakers – People & Positions for November 2012

Trick or treat, Movers and Shakers. This installment is brought to you by those dental professionals who care for the residents in the senior housing communities we know and love…  

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NCOA Welcomes Three New Board Members

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) welcomes three new leaders in the field of aging to the NCOA Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Ai-jen Poo is director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and co-director of Caring Across Generations, a national coalition of 200 organizations advocating for home care workers and patients. She is also the lead organizer and founder of Domestic Workers United, an organization of Caribbean, Latina, and African nannies, housekeepers, and elderly caregivers in New York who are organizing for “power, respect, and fair labor standards.”

Poo graduated from Columbia University, where she was one of more than 100 students who spurred the creation of Columbia’s Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race. She has received numerous awards and fellowships. In 2011, she received the Independent Sector’s American Express NGen Leadership Award, and in 2012, she was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.  

Laura Trejo, MSG, MPA, is general manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging, a position she has held since 2002. A strong advocate for Los Angeles seniors, Ms. Trejo has successfully obtained funding to implement innovative evidence-based programs aimed at improving the lives of older adults. Most recently, she was a leader of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Hispanic Elders Health Initiative designed to help select communities enhance the health and well-being of their Hispanic elderly population.

Trejo has won several honors and awards for her leadership in aging, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leadership Program Award (2002), the American Society on Aging Mental Health and Aging Leadership Award (2006), and the California Mental Health Directors Association Leadership Award (2007).

Carolyn Buck Luce, Global Pharmaceutical Leader at Ernst & Young, was recently named 2012 Woman of the Year by The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association. She is responsible for overseeing strategy, thought leadership, resourcing, learning, and solutions for the firm’s life science clients.

A passionate advocate for the advancement of women in business, Buck Luce is a co-founder of the Corporate Council for the White House Project, which brings together major corporations to enhance the perception of women as business leaders in the public eye. She also is co-chair and co-founder of The Talent Innovation Task Force and currently serves on the Mayor’s Commission on Women’s Issues in New York City, where she advises on strategies and programs to make it the best large city for women to live and work.

University Retirement Community Hires Matt Neal as New Executive Director

University Retirement Community (URC) has hired Matt Neal to serve as its executive director following the promotion of Mike Norris to Chief Operating Officer of URC’s parent company, Pacific Retirement Services, Inc.

Neal recently served as Director of Operations for a large multi-facility retirement living organization based in Carmichael, Calif. and brings 15 years of aging services experience in operations, strategic planning, and start-ups. A veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, Neal earned his bachelor’s degree with a concentration in Health Care Administration from California State University, Sacramento. He’s a licensed California Nursing Home Administrator.

Erickson Living CCRC Hires Stacie Shelman as Director of Healthcare Sales

Highland Springs, the Erickson Living retirement community, announced the hiring of Stacie Shelman as its Director of Healthcare Sales for the continuing care neighborhood scheduled to open in late 2012.

Shelman has been with Erickson Living since 2006, most recently serving as Sales & Service Manager for the Erickson Advantage Medicare plan at communities in Overland Park, Kansas and Houston, Texas. Previously, she served in marketing and business development roles with Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas.

In her role as Director of Healthcare Sales, Shelman will be responsible for admissions into the continuing care neighborhood. In conjunction with the continuing care leadership team, she will also be committed to the delivery of a person-centered approach with the goals of providing exceptional health care and individualized hospitality services. Shelman has a twenty-year history of volunteer and board service with a variety of organizations in the Mid-West promoting health living and wellness, including grant work for HIV/AIDS prevention in Kansas.

A resident of Plano, she holds a Bachelor of Exercise Science & Business Management from the University of Nebraska and a Masters of Public Health (MPH) from Wichita State University. She is licensed in accident & life insurance in the states of Texas, Kansas and Missouri.

Erickson Living Community Hires Sandee Sterling as Director of Nursing

Eagle’s Trace, the Erickson Living retirement community in Texas, announced the hiring of Sandee Sterling, RN as its Director of Nursing. Sterling brings twenty years of health care experience in geriatrics and acute care to Eagle’s Trace, and in her role as Director of Nursing, she will be responsible for the oversight and delivery of  nursing care throughout the new continuing care neighborhood scheduled to open in early 2013.

Sterling is a member of the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA), the American Medical Practice & Hospital Executive Leadership Forum, Assisted Living Professionals, Director Level Healthcare Professionals, Elder Care Professionals and Senior Living Executives.

A resident of Katy, Tex., she holds a degree in Nursing as well as the Resident Assessment Coordinator Certified (RAC-CT) designation from the American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordination (AANAC). 

Pacific Retirement Services Appoints Sheri Dressler Vice President/Corporate Controller

Medford, Oregon-headquartered Pacific Retirement Services, Inc. recently announced the promotion of long-time employee Sheri Dressler to the position of Vice President/Corporate Controller, effective Sept. 23, 2012.

Dressler began her career in 1990 in the Human Resources Department of Rogue Valley Manor, a PRS affiliate. In 1992, she embarked on her career in accounting and finance at PRS, serving first as Staff Accountant, a position she held until 1998, and then as Controller for Trinity Terrace, a PRS-affiliated Continuing Care Retirement Community in Fort Worth, Texas. After 2.5 years, she returned to PRS headquarters and has been moving steadily up the ranks since then. Among her previous positions were Internal Auditor and Assistant Controller.

Dressler received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from Southern Oregon University (SOU), and earned her Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) in June 2011, also from SOU. She is now well on her way to becoming a Certified Public Accountant. In her new position, Dressler will work with PRS Chief Financial Officer Mary Schoeggl to oversee accounting and finance for PRS’s 50 affiliated organizations in five states, with the support of an accounting team that totals 30 employees.

Aviv REIT Announces Executive Management Promotions

Aviv REIT, Inc. recently announced the following changes to its executive management team:

Steven J. Insoft, formerly Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, has been named President and Chief Operating Officer. Insoft has been with Aviv since 2005 and has been instrumental in the company’s growth, performance and capital raising. He has over 20 years of experience in healthcare real estate, including post-acute and long-term care skilled nursing facilities and senior housing. In taking over the role of president, Insoft will assume greater strategic and operational responsibilities.

James H. Lyman, formerly Senior Vice President, Finance and Capital Markets, has been named Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Lyman joined Aviv in early 2012 and brings extensive real estate,finance, capital markets and operational experience to the Company. Prior to joining Aviv, Lyman was Chief Financial Officer for Urban Shopping Centers, Inc. and Strategic Hotel Capital, Inc., both NYSE-listed REITs. He was also a senior executive at Duke Realty, Inc. and a real estate investment banker at Merrill Lynch & Co., where he took numerous companies public and advised clients on public and private capital raising.

Donna M. O’Neill, formerly Senior Vice President, Finance and Principal Accounting Officer, has been named Chief Accounting Officer. O’Neill has been with Aviv since 2008. She has played a key role in the development and oversight of the company’s accounting, financial reporting and management information systems, including managing SEC filings following the Company’s public debt issuances. O’Neill has nearly 30 years of accounting, financial reporting and public company experience.

Senior Quality Lifestyles Corporation Names New Vice President of Development

Senior living community sponsor Senior Quality Lifestyles Corporation (SQLC), parent company of Edgemere senior living community in Dallas, has named Jonathan Carrier Vice President of Development. SQLC president and CEO Charles B. Brewer made the announcement, pointing toward Carrier’s extensive background in construction management as making him the ideal person to plan, organize, and direct development efforts for all SQLC communities. Prior to joining SQLC, Carrier was Vice President at Jones Lang LaSalle/The Staubach Company. There, he was a senior member of the Dallas Market Project and Development Services group, where his duties included providing owner’s representation on large scale development projects and new business pursuits. Carrier is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Construction Management.

Operational Strength at Ashby Ponds Leads to New Leadership Roles

Ashby Ponds, an Erickson Living retirement community, recently announced changes to leadership roles as of October 1 due to the growth and expansion that continues at the community.

Ashby Ponds is preparing for the addition of a continuing care neighborhood at the 132–acre campus in Ashburn, Va. Upon the completion of the neighborhood, Ashby Ponds will provide all levels of care at one site including independent living, short-term rehabilitation, assisted living, and memory care. As site work for the neighborhood is planned to commence this year, Ashby Ponds has announced leadership changes in order to better serve the community’s current and future residents and customers.

During the month of October, Amy Grossman will be transitioning to her new position at the community as the Director of Continuing Care for the planned continuing care neighborhood. Grossman has been an Erickson Living employee for 14 years. She joined Ashby Ponds in June 2010 as the Associate Executive Director. Prior to joining Ashby Ponds, Grossman spent more than five years as the Assistant Administrator at the continuing care neighborhood at Greenspring, the sister community of Ashby Ponds in Springfield, Va. Before joining Greenspring, Grossman worked at Erickson Living’s corporate office in Catonsville, Md. and spent more than five years at Brooksby Village in Peabody, Mass. as the Assistant Executive Director. Grossman holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Bentley University. She has been a licensed Nursing Home Administrator since 2007.

Grossman will be working with Steve Aigner as he transitions to the role of Associate Executive Director at Ashby Ponds. Aigner first joined Erickson Living in October 2000 as a Dining Services Manager at Greenspring. He was promoted to Assistant Director of Dining Services at Greenspring in 2003 before he began working as the Director of Dining Services at Sedgebrook, a former Erickson community in Chicago, Ill. Aigner returned to Virginia in 2008 and began working as the Director of Dining Services at Ashby Ponds. He was promoted last year to Regional Director of Dining Services, and now looks forward to returning to Ashby Ponds full-time as the Associate Executive Director. Aigner received a Bachelor of Arts degree from George Mason University and holds several restaurant industry certifications.

Nicole Johnson is the current Director of Human Resources at Ashby Ponds. Throughout October, she will also be taking on the role as the Director of Resident Life at the community. Johnson first joined Erickson Living in 1999 as a Senior Human Resources Manager at Greenspring. She then worked as the Director of Human Resources at Sedgebrook for three years before joining Ashby Ponds in 2007. Nicole received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Florida State University and Master of Business Administration degree from Marymount University. She holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources designation and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator certification.

Erickson Living Appoints Debra B. Doyle as Chief Operating Officer

Erickson Living, developer and manager of Charlestown and Oak Crest retirement communities, has appointed Debra B. Doyle, Executive Vice President, Health and Operations, as Chief Operating Officer. In her new role, Doyle will report to Erickson Living’s Chief Executive Officer, Alan Butler, and be responsible for the operations of the business, which include Health and Operations, Human Resources, Legal, Information Technology, Erickson Health Medical Group and Erickson Advantage.

Previous positions Doyle has held at Erickson Living include Senior Vice President of Operations and Associate Executive Director at Oak Crest. She also served as Senior Regional Health Services Director at several Erickson Living communities, including Oak Crest, Charlestown, Riderwood and Greenspring. Before her career with Erickson Living, Doyle served as chief nursing officer and executive director of medical services for the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

Doyle earned an M.B.A. and a B.S. in business administration from Loyola University in Maryland. She received her R.N. from St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing and a certification in senior living care from Johns Hopkins University. She serves as the Chairman of the MedStar Franklin Square Hospital Operating Board and a member of the MedStar Health – Strategic Planning Committee.

Oak Grove Capital Adds Three to Underwriting Team

Oak Grove Capital has added three senior-level underwriters with an average of 13 years of experience to its growing team. Brian Harris and Adam Roberts both join Oak Grove Capital as deputy chief underwriters for GSE and FHA lending, respectively. Heath Coryell joins the company as a senior underwriter, where he will focus primarily on seniors housing transactions.

Harris joins Jeff Radcliffe as a deputy chief underwriter, reporting to Shea. With more than 18 years of experience working within the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac lending frameworks, Harris brings a wealth of knowledge in structuring, pricing, underwriting and delivering transactions to both Agencies. Harris has been actively involved in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac lending arena since 1995. Prior to joining Oak Grove Capital, Harris was chief underwriter and a member of the senior management team at Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, where he played in integral role in growing their Agency lending portfolio.

Roberts joins the FHA underwriting team as a senior vice president and MAP deputy chief underwriter, reporting to Brian Kelleher, managing director of Oak Grove Capital’s FHA business. Roberts has been in the Agency lending business since 2006 and has facilitated more than 50 FHA transactions totaling over $440 million. He has been MAP approved since 2011, structuring transactions under each of the MAP loan programs. Prior to joining Oak Grove, Roberts was a senior underwriter at Red Capital Group.

Coryell comes to Oak Grove Capital from Berkadia, where he was involved in over $3.5 billion in financings as an underwriter. His 15 years of experience in seniors housing has given him a wealth of knowledge in underwriting and delivering transactions to both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.