Movers & Shakers: Executive Director Appointments

Covenant Village of Colorado Selects Executive Director

Covenant Village of Colorado appointed Kent Mulkey as executive director for Covenant Village of Colorado, a faith-based, not-for-profit continuing care retirement community (CCRC) located in Westminster, Colorado, and administered by Covenant Retirement Communities.

Mulkey has 18 years of experience in senior housing leadership, including management, training and operations at 28 senior living communities in 10 states. He also has background in nonprofit management as an executive director, operations director and sales trainer.

“This is an amazing opportunity, and I am thrilled to be on board this train,” Mulkey says. “I meet people that have been living here for 15 or 20 years, and those stories truly speak to the environment of the campus.”

Covenant Retirement Communities serves 5,000 residents at 12 retirement communities across the country.

Watercrest Senior Living Group Appoints Executive Director for New Memory Care Residence

Watercrest Senior Living Group promoted Stephanie Walsh to executive director of its new Market Street Memory Care Residences, a 60-unit community designed, owned and operated by Watercrest and slated to open this fall in Viera, Florida.

Walsh previously served as resident wellness director at Watercrest of Lake Nona Assisted Living and Memory Care Community. She is a Licensed Practical Nurse with almost 10 years of experience in geriatric nursing.

“Stephanie’s unwavering commitment to excellence will be a prevailing strength in the establishment of Market Street Memory Care Residences,” Watercrest Principal and CEO Marc Vorkapich said in a news release.

Dominion Senior Living of Hixson Announces Executive Director

Dominion Senior Living announced the appointment of Beth Baxter to lead Dominion Senior Living of Hixson as executive director.

Baxter has almost 15 years of experience in caring for seniors, including in acute care, skilled nursing, assisted living and independent living settings. At Dominion Senior Living of Hixson, she will lead the assisted living and memory care community, including working within the community to develop partnerships and build relationships with the residents and family members.

“When we met Beth, we instantly knew she would be a fantastic fit for this role,” Josh Crisp, vice president of Dominion Senior Living, said in a news release. “She knows the area and the people so well, and has great experience in caring for seniors with different needs. Beyond her professional experience, her faith and compassion for others make her the ideal person for this position. We look forward to seeing how she will use her skills and personality to serve seniors and their families in Hixson.”

Dominion Senior Living of Hixson is a faith-based senior living community offering 32 assisted living and 32 memory care apartments in Hixson, Tennessee.

The Blake at Woodcreek Farms Hires Executive Director

Blake Management Group (BMG) hired Tiffany Bazen as executive director for The Blake at Woodcreek Farms, an assisted living and memory care community located in Elgin, South Carolina.

Bazen joins The Blake after spending four years as executive director at Royal Oaks Senior Care in Summerville, South Carolina. Before that, she led the management team as executive director at Brightwater Continuing Care Retirement Community in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for more than five years. She has spent 22 years in he health care industry.

“Tiffany’s significant experience and industry knowledge has already made her a key addition to the BMG family,” BMG CEO Jeremy Cole said in a news release. “Tiffany is the perfect fit to lead our first South Carolina project. We look forward to her helping us grow in this region.”

The Blake is slated to open in January 2017. BMG is a privately owned senior living management company with locations in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and now South Carolina.

Life Care Center of Escondido Welcomes New Executive Director

Life Care Center of Escondido, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in Escondido, California, welcomed Christina Spence as its new executive director.

Spence joins Life Care Center from a multi-level retirement community in Carlsbad, California, where she was executive director. Before that, she served as associate administrator for Life Care Services in San Diego. She has over 10 years of experience in health care.

“Christina is a very caring, passionate and dynamic leader who is dedicated to improving patient care and achieving positive results,” Sam Magtanong, vice president of parent company Life Care Centers of America’s facilities in California, said. “She is committed to achieving the Life Care vision and mission and is a wonderful addition to the leadership team at Escondido.”

Life Care Center of Escondido is one of 10 skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities in California operated or managed by Life Care Centers of America. In total, Cleveland, Tennessee-based Life Care Centers of America operates or manages more than 200 nursing, post-acute and Alzheimer’s centers in 28 states.

Oak Hills Names New Director of Assisted Living

Oak Hills Living Center named Tammy Hoffmann as the community’s new director of assisted living.

Before the promotion, Hoffmann worked her way from dietary aide to director of home health. She will now be responsible for the assisted living and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) units, and also maintain oversight of the home health program.

“Tammy has shown such enthusiasm and dedication for growing the home health program and serving seniors in the community,” Oak Hills Administrator Candas Schouvieller said. “I’m excited to see what Tammy is able to accomplish during this next phase of her career.”

Oak Hills has 16 assisted living units and 16 HUD-sponsored units and is located in New Ulm, Minnesota.

United Community Bank Adds Senior Care Lending Group

United Community Banks, Inc. (Nasdaq: UCBI) expanded its specialized lending division by adding a team to specialize in financing senior care facilities, including assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing.

The four-person team will be based in Birmingham, Alabama, and will operate throughout the Southeast, providing loans and lending expertise to facility operators looking to construct, expand or renovate senior living facilities. The team will be led by Jennifer Lawley, a five-year veteran of senior care lending. She will be aided by Dennis Rowlen, senior care relationship manager; Nancy Grizzard, senior living loan assistant; and Caroline Meyer, senior care portfolio manager.

“We are particularly pleased to add this team and their capabilities to our specialized lending operation,” Charles Chamberlain, director of corporate banking at United Community Bank, said in a news release. “Having a dedicated team with this specific industry knowledge will allow Untied Community Bank to become a very competitive force within this sector.”

United Community Banks is a registered bank holding company based in Blairsville, Georgia with $10.4 billion in assets.

Opus Bank Expands Health Care Banking Team

Opus Bank (Nasdaq: OPB) expanded its health care banking team with the appointment of Michael Kinnick as managing director of health care banking.

Kinnick has 11 years of banking and finance experience. Most recently, Kinnick served as vice president—relationships manager in the health care banking group at Regions Bank, where he focused on health care provider clients in the South and Midwest. In his new role, he’s responsible for providing senior debt financing and banking solutions to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, behavioral health centers, hospice, memory care communities, home health agencies and more.

“We are excited to welcome Michael to the team,” Donika Schnell, head of Opus Bank’s health care banking division, said in a news release. “He is a seasoned banking professional who brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique understanding of the health care sector. We anticipate that his contributions will be immediately impactful as we further expand Opus’ national health care banking team, leveraging Michael’s experience in the South and Midwest and executing on the long-term plan to strategically grow Opus to be viewed as the go-to bank for health care professionals, providers, practices and sponsors seeking tailored banking products, services and solutions.”

Opus Bank is an FDIC-insured, California-chartered commercial bank with $7.5 billion of total assets.

Written by Kourtney Liepelt