Movers & Shakers: Senior Lifestyle’s New COO

Senior Lifestyle Announces New COO

Chicago-based owner, operator and developer Senior Lifestyle Corp. announced the appointment of Lisa A. Fordyce as COO, where she will be responsible for leading the company’s operational business strategies and care initiatives.

Before joining Senior Lifestyle, Fordyce served as a vice president of operations at Emeritus Senior Living, leading its Midwest division encompassing 14 states and more than 60 communities for nearly 10 years. Her career began as a caregiver and nurse at assisted living, intermediate and skilled nursing facilities.

Fordyce is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), a member of the Ohio Assisted Living Association’s board of trustees, and a former chair and current member of the Argentum (previously the Assisted Living Federation of America) regional executives round table.

“Lisa has been with Senior Lifestyle for nearly two years, and during that time has proven herself with her comprehensive knowledge of the senior housing landscape and her impactful team-focused leadership style,” Senior Lifestyle President and CEO Jon DeLuca said in a prepared statement. “Ultimately, we’re about providing best-in-class care and hospitality services for our residents. Lisa’s passion, dedication and resident-centi focus will help Senior Lifestyle continue that promise to our residents.”

Welltower Appoints New Member to Board of Directors

Welltower Inc. (NYSE:HCN) announced Kenneth J. Bacon has been appointed to the health care real estate investment trust’s (REIT) board of directors.

Currently, Bacon serves as co-founder and managing partner of RailField Partners, a financial advisory and asset management firm based in Washington, D.C. He also serves as a director of Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq:CMCSA), Ally Financial, Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) and Forest City Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FCE). He is a member of the National Multifamily Housing Council and the advisory board of the Stanford Center on Longevity.

In the past, Bacon served in senior positions at Morgan Stanley, the Resolution Trust Corporation and the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), where he was the executive vice president of the multifamily division and oversaw a $195 billion multifamily portfolio including senior housing properties.

”Welltower is redefining home for the aging population,” Welltower board chairman Jeff Donahue said in a news release. “Ken’s strong understanding of the housing markets, asset management and financial markets as well as his broad public board experience adds to the diverse expertise on our board.”

Brookdale Names New Northeast Division President, Creates Operation Strategy Role

Brentwood, Tennessee-based Brookdale Senior Living named Dave Cardello as its division president for the northeast, where he will be responsible for 287 communities in 17 states. The senior living provider also moved its executive vice president, chief accounting officer and treasurer Kristin Ferge into a newly established position focusing on operations.

Before joining Brookdale, Cardello was president of DRC Consulting and vice president and general manager at Walmart’s northeastern division. He also served as a divisional vice president of pharmacy at Rite Aid.

Ferge has been with Brookdale since 2005 and will now lead Brookdale’s centralized pricing efforts and align the services provided in its communities. Executives say the new position is part of efforts to assess the organization after the hiring of COO Labeed Diab from Walmart last fall, along with CFO Lucinda Baier from Navigant Consulting.

Dawn Kussow will fill Ferge’s former role of chief accounting officer and was also promoted to senior vice president. She had been serving as corporate controller since August, and was vice president of financial reporting prior to that.

Bank Leumi USA Promotes New National Head of Health Care Lending

Bank Leumi USA announced the promotion of Eric A. Halpern to national head of health care lending, where he will be responsible for overseeing and growing the bank’s health care commercial banking business across the United States.

Halpern joined Leumi in 1987 and has served in several managerial positions since, most recently as a group head in New York’s commercial banking division, where he led health care lending growth of $300 million over the last few years in New York and New Jersey. He also was responsible for middle market lending to industries including apparel, consumer electronics, importers and others.

Aside from health care, Leumi’s commercial banking arm focuses on market areas with the most growth potential.

“We are proud to recognize Eric’s contributions over his nearly 30-year tenure with the bank,” Shawn McGowen, Leumi’s head of commercial banking, said in a prepared statement. “Health care is one of the largest areas of growth within our commercial banking practice. Under Eric’s leadership, we will continue to build the business and provide our clients with the highest level of service.”

Mainstreet Announce 8 New Hires in January

Mainstreet, a national investment company and developer of transitional care properties, added eight new employees to its staff in January.

Mark Burge joins Mainstreet as the new general superintendent. He has more than 30 years of construction experience, and most recently served as general superintendent with Flaherty & Collins Properties.

Mainstreet hired Stephanie Cook as a human capital business partner. Cook joins the company with more than 11 years of human resource experience and previously worked as a human resources business partner for Ascension Ministry Service Center.

After working as a senior investment analyst at Lincoln Financial Group, Jeff Gater has been named Mainstreet’s newest senior associate of capital markets. In his former role, he was responsible for manager research and due diligence on existing and new sub-advisors, alongside portfolio construction and analysts on internally managed asset allocation funds.

Brett Henninger is now a talent acquisition specialist for Mainstreet. He was formerly the internet recruitment specialist with Monster.

Mainstream’s new assets and acquisitions coordinator is Amanda McKinney. Her past experience includes time as an executive assistant and office manager with Lakeside Energy LLC and an executive assistant and asset manager with GATX Corporation.

Rod Musselman brings more than 35 years of experience to Mainstreet as the company’s latest development manager. He previously served as senior vice president at Miller Valentine, where he was in charge of all aspects of super-regional multifamily apartment development.

David Ryan has been hired as a business intelligence manager for Mainstreet, coming from the State of Indiana, where he worked as deputy IT director of business intelligence.

Mainstreet welcomed Parker Woods as a senior IT server and infrastructure administrator. Before joining Mainstreet, Woods was a managing partner at Cedar Technology Integration.

Lifespace Communities Hires Director of Design, VP of Financial Operations

Des Moines, Iowa-based Lifespace Communities hired Jodi Bleier as vice president of financial operations and strategic growth and Brian Devlin as director of design, construction and development.

Bleier joins Lifespace with 17 years of experience in health care and senior living, including oversight of lead generation strategies, programs for mergers and acquisitions, business development and financial analysis. Most recently, she served as director of the health care consulting group and senior living practice Dixon Hughes in Atlanta, Georgia.

“I’m happy to have the opportunity to combine my love for numbers and my love for providing the best services and care for seniors, something Lifespace holds in high regard,” Bleier said in a prepared statement. “This is an organization with ambitious financial and strategic growth goals, and I’m excited to take on the challenge.”

Devlin brings more than 13 years of experience in senior living project development to Lifespace, having led over $700 million in development and building efforts for Greystone Communities and Greenbrier Development, among others.

“I’m excited to join a team that’s willing to push boundaries to ensure we’re offering the finest design and lifestyle options,” Devlin said in a prepared statement.

Lifespace is a not-for-profit senior living prover operating 12 continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in seven states.

Validus Senior Living Names New National Director of Memory Care

Tampa, Florida-based Validus Senior Living promoted AJ Cipperly to national director of memory care and training and hired Jodi Wood to assume Cipperly’s former role as regional director of programming.

Cipperly will be tasked with providing dementia training and education for all Validus associates. She is a certified dementia care trainer for the State of Florida and a licensed assisted living administrator, and had been the regional director of programming at Validus for three years.

“My ultimate goal with my new role is to provide professional and family caregivers with hands-on, practical, day-to-day skills and tools to improve their quality of life and the lives of those they are caring for,” Cipperly said in a news release.

Wood will provide programming leadership and support for each of Validus’ seven communities in her new position. She previously served as a regional director for IntegraCare communities.

Lenbrook Names New Board Chairman, Appoints New Member

Atlanta-based CCRC Lenbrook named Mark Kill to the position of board chairman and appointed Shari Lotz as a new board member.

Kill has been a board member since 2011 and brings more than 35 years of experience as an architect, operational manager and senior team leader to his new role as board chairman. He contributed significantly to Lenbrook’s 2006 expansion as the lead architect while he was at THW Design, where he was a partner and project manager for 17 years. He now serves as chief operating officer of Cooper Carry, a national architecture and design firm, where he is responsible for quality management, project standards, human resources and more.

“We are honored to have Mark’s expertise and leadership to guide our board over the next two years,” said Lenbrook President and CEO Chris Keysor in a prepared statement. “He understands the operational and design complexities of a large senior living community and the caring culture of Lenbrook.”

Lotz is the senior vice president of human resources for Equinox’s U.S. information solutions business unit. She joins the Lenbrook board with more than 25 years of experience in organizational development, talent management and strategic human resources. Lotz previously worked in human resources roles for Coca-Cola Company, The Mead Corporation, Levi Strauss & Company and National Linen Service.

“We’re delighted to welcome Shari to our board,” Keysor said. “Her insight and global experience in human resources will be invaluable as we focus on elevating taken development of our associates and plan for the significant workforce needs facing the senior living field.”

Sagora Senior Living Hires 3 New Executive Directors for Texas Communities

Sagora Senior Living recently hired three new executive directors for Texas communities in San Antonio, Burleson and Fort Worth.

June Sulffridge will serve as executive director of Adante Senior Living in San Antonio. She joins Sagora with over 25 years of experience in the senior living industry, holding various positions including chief financial officer and regional vice president of operations.

Shelia Carwile will take over at Heritage Place Assisted Living in Burleson after her most recent stint as a community sales director and later executive director at an assisted living community in Grapevine. She worked as an eldercare advisor for national referral site A Place for Mom for six years before that.

Kevin Willmeth brings 15 years of experience to Sagora, having served as an interim administrator with care centers in three locations. He will serve as executive director at the Fort Worth facility.

“We are honored that these individuals are a part of the Sagora team,” Dara Brown, Sagora’s vice president of operations and sales, said in a news release. “We expect lasting growth and positive change with their experience and passion.”

Written by Kourtney Liepelt