Movers & Shakers: Ventas Names New CFO

Ventas Names New Chief Financial Officer

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE: VTR) has named Robert F. Probst as executive vice president and chief financial officer. 

Probst will assume his position in October and work with retiring Ventas CFO Richard A. Schweinhart through the transition. In his position, Probst will be a member of the Ventas executive leadership team, reporting to Chairman and CEO Debra A. Cafaro. 

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With nearly 25 years of experience in finance and capital markets within multiple industries, Probst has overseen significant shareholder value creation through efficiency, strategy and mergers and acquisitions. 

Probst wil be based in the company’s Chicago headquarters office and will be responsible for accounting, treasury, capital markets and information technology functions. 

Previously, he served as senior vice president and chief financial officer for Beam Inc. from 2008 to 2014. Probst was Beam’s chief financial officer from its inception as an independent, S&P 500 company to its $16 billion sale to Suntory Holdings Limited earlier this year. His responsibilities at Beam included finance, IT, strategy, M&A and investor relations.

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From 2005 to 2008, Probst was vice president of finance, strategy and M&A for Baxter International Inc.’s $4 billion Medication Delivery business.

Prior to that, he was with London-based Diageo plc, a global premium drinks business, from 1997 to 2005. In his last position as CFO of Global Supply Chain, he was responsible for financial operations for the end-to-end manufacturing value chain from procurement through distribution globally.

Earlier in his career, he was a finance manager for The Pillsbury Company and a commercial lending officer with the Northern Trust Bank.

Berkadia Hires New Senior Housing, Health Care Group Vice Presidents 

Berkadia Commercial Mortgage LLC recently announced the hiring of Lisa Silvers as vice president with the Seniors Housing and Healthcare Group. The company also announced that Vice President Rafael Nobo will be joining its Seniors Housing and Healthcare Group. 

Silvers brings to the position nearly 20 years of experience in permanent and construction originations and underwriting, including nearly 10 years exclusively focused in the senior housing sector. 

Previously, Silvers served as vice president at Bank Leumi USA, where she provided portfolio loans for senior housing owners and operators. Prior to that, she was employed with several lenders, where she placed Fannie Mae and HUD loans. Silvers also has experience on the operations side of senior housing having been involved with two startup senior housing companies. 

Nobo, who joined Berkadia in 2013, will be responsible for providing debt solutions to independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing clients through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA and other alternative capital sources. 

Nobo began his banking career as a real estate investment analyst with Berkadia predecessor Capmark Finance, where he was responsible for underwriting and market research, and assisted with servicing its loan portfolio. He later joined Tavernier Capital Partners, where he was involved in underwriting more than $100 million in loans and focused on the underwriting and origination of HUD/FHA loans.

“Our group is always looking, both internally and externally, to broaden our seniors housing expertise and services,” said Dan Biron, senior vice president and head of Berkadia’s Seniors Housing and Healthcare Group. “We are confident that Lisa and Rafael’s extensive industry experience and commitment to service will immediately add value to the varied financing solutions we offer our clients.”

Erickson Living Names Director of Continuing Care

Erickson Living, which manages 18 continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), has named Sarah Helms director of continuing care for Wind Crest retirement community in Highlands Ranch, Colo. 

Helms, whose background is in dementia training, has spent the past 10 years with Life Care Centers of America. She started as an activities assistant, served as an activities director for several years, completed an AIT program and for the past three years has served as an executive director at two of its communities in Alamosa, Colo. 

Former Emeritus Exec Moves to New CRM Startup

Jayne Sallerson, a longtime executive at Emeritus Corp (NYSE: ESC), which recently merged with Brookdale Senior Living (NYSE: BKD), was recently appointed chief operating officer at Sherpa, a new customer relationship management software firm. 

Sallerson has 29 years of sales and marketing experience in the health care and senior living industry. Most recently, she served as executive vice president of sales and marketing for Emeritus Senior Living. In addition to overseeing the development and deployment of a proprietary CRM program, she managed the sales and marketing merger for more than 250 new acquisitions that included the integration of CRM systems. 

Throughout her career in senior living, Sallerson has developed and executed sales and marketing infrastructures in various organizations that resulted in increased occupancy and sales management accountability. In addition to being a frequent speaker across the nation on sales and marketing for the senior housing industry, she has served as a chairperson and member of the ALFA Sales & Marketing Roundtable for the past 11 years.

LeadingAge Names Senior Vice President for Housing and Capital

Niles Godes has joined LeadingAge as senior vice president for housing and capital, a new position for the organization. 

“We created this position in response to the growing need for strategic leadership around advancing current and emerging affordable senior housing models and capital to support those models,” said Larry Minnix, president and CEO of LeadingAge. “With his background and expertise, Niles Godes has what it takes to succeed in this position, and we’re delighted to have him join us as we continue this important work.”

In his position, Godes will work with LeadingAge members, policymakers and private-sector partners to expand affordable housing opportunities for older adults across the country.

Godes brings to the position more than 20 years of experience advancing public policy in Washington. Prior to joining LeadingAge, Godes served as democratic staff director of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee. Earlier in his career, he served as chief of staff for Sen. Byron Dorgan and director of economic development for Sen. Kent Conrad. 

Silver Star Senior Care Welcomes Operations Manager

New Jersey-based Silver Star Senior Care — which provides services to seniors and disabled persons in their homes as well as those in senior living facilities — has named Gena Lou Dinkledine-Werner as its new operations manager.

Dinkledine-Werner brings to the position extensive background in administration operations in the senior home health sector. She has worked for more than 20 years as an in-home caregiver and hospice care. 

She previously worked as a senior resident manager for a senior living community in Indiana where she and her family owned and operated several businesses. 

Texas Nonprofit Hires New Executive Director 

The Stayton at Museum Way, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit senior living community sponsored by Senior Quality Lifestyles Corporation, has named Scott Polzin executive director. 

Polzin brings to the position more than 24 years of experience  and expertise in the senior living field.

Prior to joining The Stayton, a Masterpiece Living community located in Forth Worth, Texas, Polzin worked for Greystone Communities as executive director at Aberdeen Heights.There, he directed startup and licensure of the CCRC in Kirkwood, Mo. In that position, he received high resident satisfaction scores and was awarded Greystone outstanding performance awards for Highest Score in Hospitality, Leadership Development and Most Improved Financial Performance.

Susan Haynes Joins Virginia Community as Executive Director 

Arbor Terrace Sudley Manor, part of The Arbor Company, in Manassas, Va., welcomes its new Executive Director Susan Haynes. 

Haynes has worked in health care since the late ’70s. Her prior experience includes work as a skilled charge nurse and in-service director at Mount Vernon Nursing Center; marketing and admissions director for Beverly Health Care; administrator/executive director for independent, assisted living and memory care communities in the area; and Potomac Place assisted living administrator for about 10 years in Prince William Country, Virginia.  

Legacy Retirement Communities Adds New Staff Member to HR Team

Jenny Gall has joined Legacy Retirement Communities as human resource director of talent management. 

In her new position, Gall will continue to grow the recruitment and retention strategies for the Legacy Retirement Communities and will also focus on leading organizational learning and performance management. 

Gall brings 18 years of experience in the HR field to the position. For the past 10 years, she has served as a human resource director for QBE.

David Berg Named President, CEO of Not-For-Profit Corporation

Northern California Presbyterian Homes and Services (NCPHS) has announced that its board of directors has appointed David Berg as its new president and CEO. Currently, the senior vice president and chief operating officer of NCPHS, Berg will assume his new role Oct. 1. 

Berg has more than 30 years of experience in operations, strategy and business development for hospitals, affordable housing developers, senior living companies and community service organizations. 

Since 2008, Berg has served on the NCPHS management team as vice president of business development of NCP Senior Ventures, vice president of operations and, most recently, as the senior vice president and COO. 

Prior to his tenure at NCPHS, he worked as a management consultant for 11 years and was an executive at Catholic Healthcare West, now Dignity Health, for 19 years. 

Berg will take the place of Barbara Hood, who is retiring at the end of December after 14 years as NCPHS president and CEO. Until December, Hood will focus on special projects for HCPHS. 

Written by Emily Study

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