2014-05-13

Temperatures are rising across the country, and so are the senior living industry’s movers and shakers as they climb the corporate ladder. Read on for news of who’s getting hired or named to new positions in companies across the country. 

Looking for a new job, or even a new career? Check out senior housing employment opportunities nationwide on SHN’s job board, with Brandywine Senior Living, Randall Residence of Tipp City, and Senior Living Communities among the senior living employers who are currently hiring.

Employers: Take advantage of our job board to look for some of the best and brightest in the industry. Post a job on the SHN jobs board for less than $1 per day, and attract local and national candidates through our system that leverages these postings throughout the SimplyHired network. Post a job today.

Kris Lowe Joins Evans Senior Investments as Senior Associate 

Kris Lowes recently joined investment banking firm Evans Senior Investments as a Senior Associate in its Chicago, Illinois office. 

Lowes comes to ESI with extensive experience in the commercial real estate, valuation, and transaction advisory industries, and he has worked for a national commercial real estate firm and a global public accounting firm. He will provide underwriting services to ESI, deliver valuations to senior housing facility owners throughout the United States, and he will also help owners unlock the value of their businesses.

Currently working on his Master’s degree in Business Administration with concentrations in real estate and finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Lowes brings more than eight years of professional experience as well as top-notch educational credentials to ESI. Additionally, Lowes also holds the Accredited Senior Appraiser designation in Business Valuation with the American Society of Appraisers.

Mather LifeWays Names Sara McVey VP of Senior Living Strategic Initiatives 

Mather LifeWays recently named Sara McVey the Vice President of Senior Living Strategic Initiatives. McVey will focus on identifying collaborations and alliances that support Mather LifeWays mission, as well as contributing to the growth and success of the organization’s senior living residences, and the products and educational programs within Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging.

McVey has more than 20 years of executive and senior living industry experience, and previously held leadership roles at Mather LifeWays as Vice President of Marketing, as well as Vice President/Experience Director of The Mather, an all-inclusive community for those 62 and better in Evanston. She rejoins Mather LifeWays team after a recent position in the healthcare arena, where she broadened her background knowledge and experience.

McVey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Marketing Communication from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. Additionally, she earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago where she remains active in Alumni relations and mentoring. She is an active member Wilmette Chamber of Commerce, including having held positions of President and Vice President.

UC San Diego Launches New Center on Healthy Aging and Senior Care

Dilip V. Jeste, MD, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, has been appointed the first associate dean for Healthy Aging and Senior Care at the University of California, San Diego and will direct the newly established Center on Healthy Aging and Senior Care.

As the Estelle and Edgar Levi Chair in Aging and director of the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging, both at UC San Diego, Jeste has long been a leading scientist and advocate for greater understanding of how Americans age – and how to help them do so well and healthfully.

Jeste’s primary areas of research focus have been the neuropsychiatric and neurobiological characteristics of schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease and the development and psycho-bio-social treatment of late-life psychoses. In recent years, he has devoted much of his time to characterizing the nature and neurobiology of a successful and healthy mental state, particularly among older adults.

The Center will seek to become a major think tank for senior care policy, research and training, developing new evidence-based, personalized and cost-effective healthcare models, and helping train new generations of physicians, pharmacists and scientists to address the key and specific issues of an aging America, said Jeste.

Jeste received his medical education in India at the University of Poona and the University of Bombay, followed by psychiatry and neurology residencies at Cornell University and George Washington University, respectively. He did a research fellowship and then was on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington, D.C. In 1986 he joined the faculty of UC San Diego.

He is the author of 11 books, more than 575 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 125 invited book chapters. He is editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Windsor Park Names Annsley Scruton-Wilson as Fund Development Director

Annsley Scruton-Wilson has been named fund development director at Windsor Park, a faith-based, not-for-profit, continuing care retirement community operated by Covenant Retirement Communities (CRC). 

In this position Scruton-Wilson will assist with executive-level stewardship and fund development activities. She will act as campus liaison with CRC’s director of legacy giving and work closely with key CRC team members to build ongoing, long-term support for Windsor Park.

Scruton-Wilson is former managing associate for business development and client relations at JVA Consulting, Denver. She worked as a program manager in international business development at Opportunity International, Oak Brook, Ill., and as a corporate finance analyst and international operations coordinator for World Relief, Baltimore.

Internationally, Scruton-Wilson worked as a communications fellow for the Association Tree of Justice and a missions assistant for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in El Salvador.

Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, Scruton-Wilson is a 2004 summa cum laude graduate of Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill., with a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations and Spanish. She earned a certificate from Wheaton College’s Human Needs & Global Resources (Development Studies) Program following her work in El Salvador.

Mervin Singson Joins Traditions of America as CFO

Mervin Singson an executive with 14 years of homebuilding industry experience, has been named Chief Financial Officer for Traditions of America. Singson will take charge of financial planning, reporting, negotiations and analyses for the Radnor-based developer of 55 and over communities.

Singson most recently served as Vice President of Finance for Orleans Homebuilders, based in Bensalem, PA. He was responsible for feasibility studies and negotiating new land deals, among other activities. Prior to that Singson helped Beazer Homes, Inc. in its efforts to launch a second Northern California Division. He began his career in the homebuilding industry working for Pulte Homes, Inc., serving in both their Great Lakes and Ohio divisions.

Singson earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. He and his wife have two children and currently reside in Fountainville. He will start work at Traditions’ Philadelphia-area headquarters in late April.

RED Capital Hires Michael Franzoni as Director, Sales and Trading

RED Capital Markets, LLC, the broker/dealer arm of comprehensive capital provider RED CAPITAL GROUP, LLC recently hired Michael Franzoni as a Director, Sales and Trading. Located in Columbus, Ohio, Franzoni will be supporting Red’s production team on all pricing/capital markets matters and will contribute to expanding current and future business platforms. He will also be responsible for placing multifamily debt and recycling capital through MBS executions and trading MBS and municipal securities.

Franzoni brings extensive knowledge and experience with Fannie Mae DUS® pricing, guidelines and execution to the Sales and Trading desk and a strong network of relationships to add immediate value to RED. Additionally, he is adept at developing efficiencies and improving processes using a variety of software platforms.

Prior to joining RED, Franzoni served as Assistant Vice-President, Capital Markets at Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, and as an analyst at UBS Securities, LLC, in New York, NY. He began his career at Deloitte and Touche, LLP, in New York, NY.

Ziegler Hires Three New Senior Living Finance Investment Bankers

Speciality investment bank and brokerage firm Ziegler has added Tommy Brewer, Brandon Powell and Adam Garcia (as managing director, director and vice president, respectively) to its investment banking team in senior living finance. Brewer, Powell and Garcia will work out of Ziegler’s Richmond, Virginia office, which currently has both investment banking and wealth management personnel.

Tommy Brewer brings more than 25 years of senior living and healthcare related experience to Ziegler, most recently at BB&T Capital Markets, where he served as a managing director in investment banking dedicated to the senior living and hospital sectors. Prior to joining BB&T Capital Markets, Brewer spent three years at UBS PaineWebber and two years at First Union Securities, Inc., in both cases serving as a banker to continuing care retirement communities and acute care hospitals. He also previously served as the chief financial officer for the non-acute care division of Bon Secours Richmond Health Systems. Brewer received his B.S. in accounting and business management from Guilford College.

Brandon Powell joins Ziegler with more than 17 years of experience working with senior living and healthcare providers as an investment banker, most recently at BB&T Capital Markets. Throughout his career, Powell successfully managed a wide range of complex economic, legal and credit transactions. Prior to joining BB&T, he spent seven years in similar roles at Wells Fargo Securities and UBS. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in economics and minor in government. He has also been a featured speaker at a variety of senior living conferences including LeadingAge and various state affiliates.

Adam Garcia joins Ziegler with more than six years of healthcare experience with the primary responsibilities of executing senior living bond transactions, performing credit and quantitative analysis, debt structure evaluation, legal document review and preparation of marketing materials for clients. Prior to joining the healthcare finance group at BB&T Capital Markets, he worked in BB&T’s corporate banking group where he was responsible for credit underwriting and relationship management. Garcia graduated from James Madison University with a B.B.A. in finance.

Lancaster Pollard Hires Managing Director for Mergers and Acquisitions

Lancaster Pollard recently hired Stephen F. Graham as managing director of the firm’s mergers and acquisitions services where he will lead a national effort to expand the firm’s sell-side and buy-side services for seniors housing and care properties.

Prior to joining Lancaster Pollard, Graham was a vice president at Ventas/Nationwide Health Properties in Dallas, Texas, where he was one of four national investment officers, with responsibility for investment efforts in the South and Southeast. Before joining Ventas, he held senior investment roles with Nationwide Health Properties, Inc., GMAC ResCap and Comerica Bank. Previously, he gained seven years of operating experience with a private multistate skilled nursing and seniors housing operator.

Graham earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Southern Methodist University, in Dallas. He also is a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU, where he subsequently taught for several years. Additionally, he taught real estate finance at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. Graham will be based out of Dallas, Texas.

Wendy Paige Named New Director of Sales at Devonshire at PGA National

Wendy Paige has recently been named the new Director of Sales for Devonshire at PGA National, an Erickson Living retirement community in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Paige brings 25 years of sales and management experience to the community.

As the Director of Sales at Devonshire, Paige will directly lead the effort in identifying sales-related goals, implementing and managing sales and marketing programs, and overseeing the strategies and processes used in reaching occupancy targets for the 327 independent living apartment homes at the community.

Prior to joining Devonshire, Paige had been the Sales & Marketing Director at the Prosperity Oaks senior living community in Palm Beach Gardens since 2009. In that position, she was responsible for achieving occupancy targets in independent living, assisted living, and memory care. Since 1979, Paige has worked in a variety of sales capacities and has proven experience hiring, training, and developing teams that meet sales goals and execute successful marketing plans.

Paige has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Denver with an emphasis in graphic design and marketing.

Piedmont Gardens Names Kevin Smith as New Executive Director

Piedmont Gardens recently named Kevin H. Smith as its new executive director. In this position, Smith will oversee day-to-day operations of the continuing care retirement community, including residential living, dining, health services and life enrichment programs.

Smith has more than 20 years of leadership experience overseeing the success of large hotels in the New York area, including the New Yorker Hotel and the Cassa Hotel and Residences, both in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Prior to joining the executive team at Piedmont Gardens, he worked as the general manager for the Cassa Hotel under the Viceroy Hotel Group in New York.

Smith is a graduate of Northwestern University, in Evanston, Ill., where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology. He also holds a Master of Science degree in management and systems from New York University in New York, N.Y.

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