Movers & Shakers: LifeSpire, Van Dyk

LifeSpire of Virginia Elects Chair to Board of Trustees

LifeSpire of Virginia elected Susan Rucker as chair of its board of trustees. She was elected to a three-year term and assumed her duties Jan. 1, presiding over the board’s first meeting of 2017 in early March at Lakewood, a community in Richmond, Virginia.

Rucker is currently the CFO at the Mason School of Business at The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She is also president of Prospective Insights, a consulting services that helps businesses define and execute business strategy and leadership development. She was formerly a partner with KPMG, a global professional firm that provides audit, tax and advisory services.

“I have worked with Mrs. Rucker as a LifeSpire board member for the past two years,” LifeSpire President and CEO Jonathan Cook said in a news release. “Her business and financial leadership have helped propel us to the strong financial position we have today. I look forward to working with her in this expanded leadership role.”

LifeSpire of Virginia operates four continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in Virginia.

Cadence Senior Living Announces New VP of Operations

Cadence Senior Living, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based owner, operator and developer of senior living communities, announced Tracy Colburn as the newest member of its management team, as vice president of operations.

Colburn has more than 20 years of experience operating senior living communities. She comes to Cadence from Atria Senior Living, where she was executive director at Sierra Pointe Retirement Community in Scottsdale. She also previously worked at Brookdale Senior Living (NYSE: BKD) and Encore Senior Living. In her new role, she will be responsible for community operations of Cadence’s growing portfolio.

Lenbrook Selects VP of Health Services

Lenbrook, a not-for-profit life plan community located in Atlanta, Georgia, selected Darlene Ruffin-Alexander as vice president of health services.

In the new role, Ruffin-Alexander oversees Lenbrook’s full continuum of care, which includes a walk-in health clinic, short-term rehabilitation services, personal care, memory care and a Medicare-certified skilled nursing center. She came to Lenbrook in 2016 as interim nursing home administrator, and she has three decades of experience in long-term care and operations, including staff management, clinical education, program design and more.

“We take a very person-centered approach to health care,” Ruffin-Alexander said in a news release. “My goal is to maintain our staff skills at the highest level and ensure our health care services are always ‘survey ready.’”

Van Dyk Health Care Welcomes Director of Reflections

Van Dyk Health Care welcomed Suzanne Gramuglia as director of reflections, a distinct unit in its Park Place assisted living facility that provides specialized care to residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Gramuglia is a certified assisted living administrator and brings 18 years of experience in managing multi-level therapeutic programs in long-term care, post-acute care and memory care. She will serve as Van Dyk’s expert on Alzheimer’s and dementia care, providing families with educational opportunities, innovative resources and informative events across the company’s continuum of care.

Van Dyk Health Care is a New Jersey-based provider, with two nursing and post-acute care facilities in Ridgewood and Montclair, an assisted living community in Hawthorne, a home care company and a soon-to-open memory care day center.

Oak Crest Appoints Associate Executive Director

Oak Crest, a CCRC located in Parkville, Maryland, appointed Kevin Goedke as associate executive director.

Goedke previously spent seven years as an administrator and executive administrator with Mid-Atlantic Healthcare, LLC, where he supported and operated skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) within its portfolio. In 2016, he founded Lighthouse Care Updates, a software company that provides communication and family experience solutions to senior care providers.

In his new role, Goedke will focus on strategic planning and development of the 87-acre campus, that is home to more than 2,100 residents in independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing neighborhoods. He will also coordinate operations with Erickson Living, the Baltimore-based manager and developer of Oak Crest and 18 other CCRCs.

“It is exciting to welcome Kevin to the Oak Crest family,” Executive Director Mark Roussey said in a news release. “As we are in the midst of fulfilling our long-term strategic plan, Kevin’s wealth of experience and innovation in the senior living industry will help us to better serve current residents with an eye to a bright future.”

Leumi Hires Group Head for Health Care

Leumi hired Daniel Csillag as a new group head for health care on the Northeast middle market team.

In this role, Csillag is responsible for overseeing and growing the bank’s health care commercial banking business in the region. He has more than 20 years of diversified corporate banking experience, joining Leumi from TD Bank, where he was most recently a relationship manager for the bank’s health care group. He also spent time at the Bank of New York and BNY Capital Markets Inc.

“Health care is one of Leumi’s fastest growing areas, and we are thrilled to have Daniel on board as we continue to build our presence in this important area,” Northeast Market President Robert Maichin said in a news release. “Daniel’s expertise in the long-term care industry, coupled with his track record cultivating new business opportunities, will be an asset to our commercial banking team. We look forward to expanding in this competitive industry under Daniel’s leadership while maintaining the high level of service we offer our clients.”

Leumi’s commercial banking division specializes in health care, high tech, real estate and more.

The Watermark at Beverly Hills Names New Executive Director

The Watermark at Beverly Hills, located in Beverly Hills, California, named Jill Ford as executive director.

Ford is a seasoned senior living professional, and was selected for her proven leadership in team building, customer service and resident satisfaction. She assumed her new role March 1.

The Watermark at Beverly Hills is a 58-residence assisted living community managed by Watermark Retirement Communities.

Written by Kourtney Liepelt