Americare Senior Living has promoted Michael Hammond to the role of president and COO. He succeeds Clay Crosson, who retired after 21 years with the organization.

Hammond takes the job after 17 years with the Sikeston, Missouri-based company. He began his time with Americare Senior Living as a skilled nursing administrator of a facility in Baxter Springs, Kansas; and later became an assisted living operations director. In 2020, he ascended to the role of vice president of the company’s assisted living.

Americare Senior Living is a regional operator with 87 assisted living, 39 memory care, 13 independent living and 25 skilled nursing communities spread across 110 campuses in Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois and Mississippi. The company’s communities include TigerPlace, a collaboration between the senior living operator and the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.

Americare Senior Living ranked as the No. 47 largest senior living operator in the most recent Largest Providers Report from industry association Argentum.

Americare Board Chairman Richard Montgomery noted that Hammond will help channel “the talent we have on our corporate leadership team and [reach] into our organization to identify different skill sets to help us grow.”

“Succession planning is part of a healthy organization,” he said in a press release.

As he ascends to the president and COO role, Hammond said Americare Senior Living’s corporate culture “is even stronger today” than when he first started with the company, and he vowed to work to maintain it as its newest leader.

“The coming years in senior living will be exciting. More and more folks will be seeking out innovative quality senior living options,” he said in a press release on his appointment. “Yes, there will be challenges. But we at Americare are well-positioned to meet them.”

Americare Senior Living is the latest senior living operator to announce new leadership at the executive level in 2022. Others include former Thrive Senior Living President Les Strech joining McNair Interests as COO, Justin Dickinson stepping in to lead Pathway to Living after the retirement of Jerry Finis, Gary Smith’s move to president at Vi after the retirement of Randy Richardson and the appointment of Tammy Schafer to COO at Heritage Senior Living.