Movers & Shakers – People and Positions for March

March Madness hasn’t begun quite yet when it comes to NCAA basketball, but the senior living industry is already seeing a lot of action as professionals have moved into a variety of new roles.

Are you looking to shake up your own career? Look for senior housing jobs nationwide on SHN’s job board.

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Brookdale Appoints Andy Smith as CEO

Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE: BKD) today announced that its Board of Directors has selected T. Andrew (Andy) Smith to serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Smith, currently the Company’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel, will succeed Bill Sheriff as CEO, who had previously announced his intent to retire after 28 years with the Company and its predecessors.

Smith will assume the new role on the first business day following the filing of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, which the Company expects to occur within approximately the next week.

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Smith has served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel since joining the Company in October 2006 and as a member of the senior management Executive Committee since its formation. In addition to his role in managing the Company’s legal affairs, Smith has been responsible for management and oversight of the Company’s corporate development functions (including acquisitions and expansion and development activity); corporate finance activities (including capital structure, debt and lease transactions and lender/lessor relations); strategic planning; and risk management.

Prior to joining the Company, Smith was an attorney for nearly 21 years with Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, where he was a member of the firm’s corporate and securities group and served as the chair of the firm’s healthcare group. While at Bass, Berry & Sims, he served American Retirement Corporation (a predecessor company to Brookdale) as outside General Counsel.

NHI CEO #8 on Forbes’ Most Powerful CEOs 40 And Under

Justin Hutchens, CEO of National Health Investors (NYSE:NHI), was ranked No. 8 on Forbes’ Most Powerful CEOs 40 and Under list. Hutchens, 38, was on the list last year as well. NHI has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion.

Nor-Sun Hires New Chief Information Officer/Director of IT Integration & Innovation

Karie Johnson, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, joined Nor-Son February 1, 2013 as chief information officer and director of IT integration and innovation. Johnson brings nearly 20 years of expertise applying technology across the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries.

In her role as Chief Information Officer/Director of IT Integration & Innovation, Johnson is responsible for developing, directing, and managing project technology strategy and integration for Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Design & Construction (VDC), and Information Technology & Information Systems (IT/IS). Her focus is leading Nor-Son’s innovation efforts to continually improve the project delivery process for clients.

Johnson serves on the board for AIA Minneapolis and 1006 Summit Avenue Society (the Governor’s Residence Council). She is also a past associate director of AIA Minnesota and the current co-chair of the AIA MN BIM Breakfast Club. In addition, Johnson was recognized as one of “40 Under 40” for Building Design + Construction, and she has been awarded the President Citation for BIM Education and Advocacy by AIA Minneapolis. She holds a Bachelor degree in architecture from the University of Minnesota and also holds Lean & Six Sigma Green Belt Training from Villanova University.

Ryan Companies US, Inc. Hires Eric Anderson as Vice President of Development

Ryan Companies US, Inc. announced Eric Anderson has been hired as Vice President of Development in the NorthCentral region. In his new position, Anderson is responsible for leading the pursuit of Senior Living Development and Construction projects in the Upper Midwest. Additional responsibilities include site selection and land acquisition, design/construction coordination, financial packaging and partnering with senior living operators.

Prior to joining Ryan, Anderson worked for New Perspective Senior Living and the City of Edina. He developed more than 400 units of integrated senior housing with New Perspectives as their Vice President of Development. At Edina, he helped direct some of the City’s most prestigious real estate developments including Grandview Square and Centennial Lakes. In addition to senior housing, Anderson’s prior development background includes leadership of all the development activities for the $120 million Westin Edina Galleria Hotel and Residences project including city approval, Starwood brand approval, a financing commitment and a successful condo sales launch within a six-month window.

Anderson received a Bachelor of Arts from Hamline University and a Master in Public Administration from University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. He is a member of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs Alumni Board, the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), the International City Managers Association (ICMA), and the Economic Developers Association of Minnesota (EDAM).

Dale Holzer Joins Greystone’s Sales Team

Greystone recently announced the addition of Dale Holzer to the firm’s multifamily lending group. He will report up to Rick Wolf, Senior Managing Director of Greystone’s West Coast Production, and will serve out of the firm’s soon to be opened Newport Beach office.

In his role as Director, Holzer will work to further strengthen the firm’s West Coast presence and production capabilities. Prior to joining Greystone, Holzer served as a Vice President of Originations at Alliant Capital, LLC, where he closed in excess of $50 million in new loan production in 2012.

Additionally, Holzer previously served as a Vice President at George Smith Partners, where his responsibilities included underwriting new transactions, cash flow analysis, structuring debt/equity transactions and capital markets.

Holzer holds a BS in Economics from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Always Best Care Senior Services Select VP of Clinical Services

Always Best Care Senior Services, a senior care franchise system founded in 1996, has selected Nancy Frost, RN to be its new Vice President, Clinical Services. With more than 25 years of senior care nursing and nursing management experience, Frost brings the ideal background to help franchise owners develop a skilled care agency and provide quality care to the community.

Based in Roseville, Calif., Always Best Care is a provider of non-medical in-home care, assisted living placement services and skilled home health care. The company delivers its services through an international network of more than 200 independently owned and operated franchises and area representative offices.

Legacy Senior Communities Announces Carol Aaron as Chairman of the Board

The Legacy Senior Communities, a non-profit charitable organization which began serving the Jewish elderly in 1953, has announced Dallas community philanthropist Carol Aaron as Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Aaron is known for her love of family, her philanthropic work and her passion for ensuring the future of Dallas’s Jewish community. Most notably, she and her husband Steve Aaron provided the naming gift for the Aaron Family JCC (Jewish Community Center). She has also served the JCC as vice chair and as chair of major fundraising.

She has been deeply involved with the Federation of Greater Dallas as well. She has served as the pacesetter chair, campaign chair, president and chair of the 100th Anniversary Celebration.

Aaron has served on boards and advisory committees for many organizations, including: Chai, The Legacy Senior Communities, Dallas Jewish Historical Society, Solomon Schechter (now Levine Academy), Jewish Medical Center in Denver, Dallas Holocaust Museum, Dallas Jewish Community Foundation, and Shearith Israel.

The Legacy Senior Communities, Inc. is the parent company of The Legacy Willow Bend, The Legacy Preston Hollow and The Legacy at Home.

Wichita Presbyterian Manor Names Three Marketing and Sales Associates for New Development

Wichita Presbyterian Manor announces three new marketing staff members for The Westerly Residences, the independent living development that will bring new residential choices to the 42-year-old senior living community located at 4700 West 13th Street. Jill Coleman joins The Westerly as sales director, Mike Anderson as senior sales counselor and Caren Remmers as marketing assistant.

Jill Coleman brings successful senior living marketing experience to The Westerly, having previously worked as marketing director for Mesa Springs Retirement Village in Abilene, Texas. In her new role as sales director, Coleman will lead The Westerly sales and marketing team to engage with Wichita seniors at every stage of their decision-making process.

Mike Anderson was most recently in sales and business development for Schowalter Villa in Hesston, Kansas, and has prior experience in real estate sales, property management and pharmaceutical sales. Anderson will apply his experience in sales and in senior living to his position as senior sales counselor for The Westerly.

Caren Remmers most recently worked as operations and controls specialist for Prudential Insurance Company of America, and her expertise lies in agency administration and office management. In her new role as marketing assistant, Remmers will support the sales and marketing team and work with future residents in answering questions and providing key information regarding the new development.

The three new hires join Amy Watson, who will continue serving as the Wichita Presbyterian Manor campus marketing director. The Westerly Residences and Wichita Presbyterian Manor redevelopment will continue to create expanded career opportunities with the Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America organization.

Clearview Capital Announces New Principals, CFO

Clearview Capital, LLC of Old Greenwich, Conn. recently announced the promotions of Matthew Blevins and James Tucker to Principal, and John Cerra to Chief Financial Officer.

Blevins joined Clearview in 2007 as an Associate. As principal, his primary responsibilities are portfolio management, new transaction execution and diligence. He currently serves on the Boards of Pyramid Healthcare, Child Health Holdings and Battenfeld Technologies.

Prior to joining Clearview, Blevins worked as a Senior Consultant in the corporate strategy group of Deloitte & Touche USA, LLP. In that role, he assisted Fortune 500 clients in identifying and implementing strategic initiatives to maximize cash flow and enhance shareholder value.
Blevins holds a B.S.B.A. in Accounting and Finance from Central Michigan University.

Tucker joined Clearview in 2007 as Vice President-Business Development. He is responsible for deal sourcing in the Midwest region.

Prior to joining Clearview, Tucker was with LaSalle Bank NA for 13 years as a Senior Vice President. At LaSalle, he was a Division Head and a member of the Leveraged Finance Group. Prior to joining LaSalle he was with American National Bank & Trust Company of Chicago (now part of JP Morgan Chase) for 18 years. While at American he started their Corporate Finance Group and SBIC.

Tucker holds a B.S. in Industrial Management from Purdue University and a MBA from the University of Chicago.

Cerra joined Clearview in 2010 as a Controller and is now responsible for accounting and SEC compliance.

Prior to joining Clearview, he worked as a Controller at BTS, a global consulting firm, where he managed the firm’s accounting, reporting and compliance functions. In addition to his experience in the private sector, Cerra spent seven years in the public sector as a tax and audit accountant managing business, individual and fiduciary client engagements.

Cerra is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a B.A. in Accounting from the University of New Haven.

Integral Senior Living President/CFO Appointed to ASHA Board of Directors

Integral Senior Living’s President and Chief Financial Officer Tracee DeGrande has been named to the Executive Board of the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA). The Board is made up of a select group of industry executives that meet three times a year to discuss industry trends and developments, advocacy, research and other strategic initiatives of ASHA.

As president and CFO, DeGrande is in charge of ISL’s transaction business and equity funding, as well as corporate finance, operational accounting, contract negotiations, insurance and strategic planning. She has more than 26 years of finance experience, serving most of those years as a CFO in the senior living industry.

Grandbridge Real Estate Capital Promotes Dupree to Commercial Mortgage Loan Officer

Grandbridge Real Estate Capital has promoted Ben Dupree to commercial mortgage loan officer.

“We are pleased to have Ben rejoin the Seniors Housing production team,” said Richard Thomas, Seniors Housing product manager for Grandbridge. “Ben is responsible for multiple roles that include seniors housing loan production, new client cultivation and support of existing client relationships. His extensive experience with transaction sizing, underwriting and closing procedures will be an asset to the team.”

Dupree most recently spent several years as a senior portfolio manager with Grandbridge’s Asset Management team where he was responsible for asset management and investor reporting for the firm’s Freddie Mac Multifamily and Seniors Housing portfolio and Fannie Mae Seniors Housing portfolio.

A native of Griffin, Ga., Dupree joined Grandbridge in 2003. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in investments and finance and an MBA with a concentration in real estate from the University of Georgia.

The Green House Project Announces New Director

David Farrell, M.S.W., L.N.H.A. has been named director of The Green House Project.

Farrell enters as the organization celebrates its 10th anniversary and moves to spread its model for long-term care that looks and feels like a real home. He brings decades of hands-on healthcare leadership experience in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, and has catalyzed quality improvement and person-centered care on local, state, and national levels.

Farrell currently serves as both the Director of Organizational Development and Regional Director of Operations for Windsor Healthcare in California. In these roles, he oversees the operations of five skilled-nursing facilities and the implementation of person-centered care in 33 nursing homes across the state. Before that, he served as Care Continuum Director at Lumetra, then California’s federally-funded Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), where he led a team that significantly improved the performance of 125 skilled-nursing facilities. Farrell also chaired California’s Advancing Excellence in Nursing Homes campaign. Earlier in his career, Farrell served as the administrator at a handful of facilities around California.

He holds a master’s degree in social work with a concentration in business administration and gerontology from Boston College, a license in nursing home administration and an undergraduate degree from Stonehill College. He is co-author of the award-winning book “Meeting the Leadership Challenge in LTC: What You Do Matters,” and has co-authored numerous journal articles on quality improvement and culture change.

Green Global Investments Changes Name to Living Ventures, Appoints Exec. Chairman

Green Global Investments, Inc., a fully integrated real estate investment, development and operating company focused on senior housing management, has changed its corporate name to LivingVentures, Inc. and introduced its new trading symbol (OTCBB:LIVV), as approved by FINRA.

The name change is more closely aligned with LivingVentures’ mission to become a leading senior housing management company with a resident-centric service model. As part of its growth strategy, the Company expects to continue to identify compatible acquisitions, development opportunities and mergers, joint ventures and financing channels for seniors housing properties, which will provide further opportunities to manage seniors housing facilities.

Separately, LivingVentures, Inc. announced the appointment and Board ratification of C. Geoffrey Hampson, age 55, to the new position of Executive Chairman. As Executive Chairman, Hampson will work with the Company’s CEO, Rick Asta, in establishing the strategic direction and goals for the business and ensuring that LivingVentures has access to capital sources necessary to execute that plan.

Hampson has been a Director of the Company since 2012. He has a 30-year career as a senior executive and entrepreneur in a variety of businesses at different stages of their corporate development, from start-ups to consolidations and turnarounds. He has also been involved in numerous M&A transactions on both the “buy” and “sell” side, and has experience negotiating international joint ventures in countries such as Brazil, Russia and China.

United Church Homes and Services Names Four New Board Members

United Church Homes and Services (UCHS) announces the appointment of four new board members. The staff and current board of UCHS welcome new board members Naomi East, Kathie Johnson, the Rev. Brad Thie and Dr. Ralph Howell Jr.

East, a native of Tokyo, Japan, has more than 17 years of experience as a nursing instructor in an associate degree nursing program, six years of experience directing and coordinating nationally accredited associate degree nursing education programs and 10 years as associate dean of health sciences. Now retired, East lives in Hickory with her husband Tom.

Johnson is president of Thomasville Medical Center in Thomasville. She brings to the board more than 20 years in the health care industry. Johnson has a BS and MS in Nursing and a PhD in Health Care Administration. She lives in Lewisville with her husband Joe.

Thie is pastor of Friendship United Methodist Church in Newton. He has a BA in Psychology from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, MBA from Jacksonville University in Florida, and Masters in Divinity from Duke University. Thie is currently chairperson of Abernethy Laurels Advisory Council, a UCHS community in Newton. He and his wife Debbie have three children and live in Newton.

Howell is owner of RL Howell DDS & Associates, PC, a large family-operated dental practice in Suffolk, Va. He currently serves as the advisory council chairperson at Lake Prince Woods, a UCHS community. Howell received his BS in Chemistry from the College of William and Mary and his DDS from the Medical College of Virginia.

These four new members join a fifteen-member UCHS board under the chairmanship of Jeff Gilliam of Claremont.

CensusUp’s Brian Alexander Attains LEED Associate Status

Brian Alexander, VP of Construction and Energy Services at CensusUp, recently attained LEED Associate status. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building program that provides building owners and operators with a framework for sustainable design, construction and operations & maintenance. The LEED program was designed to rate the “green” aspects of buildings for owners, operators and occupants.

Alexander has expertise in construction, development and energy projects. With the addition of LEED certification, CensusUp can now more effectively provide LEED services to its clients.

“Building owners and operators are increasingly demanding superior performance from their facilities,” said Alexander. “They want lower operating costs through energy efficiency and healthy buildings for occupants. Owners and operators are also starting to realize that energy efficient and sustainable buildings have lower O&M costs, and increased competitive advantage and asset values. LEED is a valuable tool for realizing these benefits.”

Ryan Companies Hires Todd Novack as Director of Architecture — Housing

Ryan Companies US, Inc. announced Todd Novak has been hired as Director of Architecture – Housing within Ryan’s Architecture and Engineering group. In his new position, Novak acts as the point person responsible for overall design success of all housing projects, from pursuit through turnover. This responsibility includes overseeing conceptual design, the production of design documents, mentoring the staff, leading architectural communications with our clients, and supporting marketing and business development activities.

Novak’s expertise in architecture spans every sector in housing from Adaptive/ re-use, Multi-family, Mixed-use, Student Housing and Senior Housing/Assisted Living. He brings over 15 years experience in a variety of roles, including Project Manager, Lead Designer, and Senior Project Manager.

Novak received a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters in Architecture from the University of Minnesota. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).

The Plaza at The Buckingham Names Feliscity Bassett Director of Nursing

The Plaza at The Buckingham has named Feliscity Bassett Director of Nursing. Prior to joining The Plaza at The Buckingham, Bassett served as MDS Coordinator for The Plaza. Before joining the team at The Plaza, Bassett worked as a Registered Nurse MDS and Medicare Review Nurse for Chadwick Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Jackson, Mississippi.

Erickson Living CCRC Hires Jennifer Cantu as Director of Healthcare Sales

Eagle’s Trace, an Erickson Living retirement community, has hired Jennifer Cantu as Director of Healthcare Sales for its continuing care neighborhood. Cantu brings nineteen years of senior living experience to Eagle’s Trace.

In her role as Director of Healthcare Sales, Cantu will be responsible for managing a team of three sales professionals and the day-to-day operations of the sales and marketing team, including all 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.

A resident of Katy, Cantu attended the University of South Florida.

Peconic Landing Promotes Laurelle Cassone to Sales Director

Peconic Landing has announced the promotion of Laurelle Cassone, currently sales manager, to the position of sales director of the not-for-profit continuing care retirement community in Greenport.

Previously employed by an Internet provider, Cassone served initially as night receptionist at Peconic Landing. She joined the marketing team as a retirement counselor in August 2003 and was promoted to sales manager in April 2010.