Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected].
Taneika Herman
Erickson names Taneika Herman director of diversity, inclusion and belonging
Taneika Herman has joined Erickson Senior Living as director of diversity, inclusion and belonging.
Herman comes to Erickson from Under Armour, where she contributed to the company’s initial diversity, equity and inclusion programming. In her previous role as global DEI lead, she helped design, lead and execute the DEI corporate learning strategy and DEI retail strategy for stores and contributed to the DEI global corporate communications strategy and messaging.
Commonwealth announces new CFO, resident care leadership
Mark Miyasaki has joined Charlottesville, VA-based Commonwealth Senior Living announced as chief financial officer, Stephanie Pfingsten has joined the company as senior vice president of resident care and Archie McAlexander is the new director of clinical services.
Miyasaki brings more than 20 years of experience in managing the financials and operations of senior living communities and real estate. He previously was CFO at Sodalis Senior Living.
Pfingsten has more than 21 years of experience in nursing system development and implementation, healthcare operations, practice management and nursing engagement. She most recently was vice president of health and wellness at Charter Senior Living.
Pfingsten earned an undergraduate degree in psychology/human development and family studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia and her Bachelor of Science Nursing degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
McAlexander most recently was the director of care transformation and quality with Charter Senior Living. He also formerly was divisional director of care management for Atria Senior Living for eight years.
Sagora promotes two to VP roles
Sagora Senior Living has promoted two longtime associates to vice president roles.
Cindy Filpansick, formerly a regional director of operations, has been promoted to vice president of operations. She has been with Sagora for four years.
Christal Hoffman has been promoted to vice president of corporate operations. Previously the corporate director of operations, Hoffmanhas been with Sagora since 2015, serving in several different positions.
Brandi Rendler
The Residence at Fitz Farm names Brandi Rendler executive operations officer
Brandi Rendler has been named executive operations officer at The Residence at Fitz Farm, an IntegraCare senior living community in York, PA.
Rendler has spent her entire adult life working in healthcare, especially with older adults, through her roles as an administrator and a licensed practical nurse.
She earned her nursing license at the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center and her administrator’s license at Penn State University.
Brooks of Cibolo welcomes 3 directors
Sandra LeBlanc has joined The Brooks of Cibolo, a Civitas Senior Living senior living community in Cibolo, TX, as executive director. Additionally, Bianca Perez is the new community relations director, and Doris King is the new wellness director.
LeBlanc became a certified dementia practitioner in 2012. She first received her certified assisted living manager license to work in Texas in 2020.
LeBlanc started working in an independent living community in San Antonio. Soon after, she moved to the Civitas community in New Braunfels, TX.
LeBlanc was promoted to senior executive director and won the Leadership Award and the Turnaround Award in 2022.
Perez started her journey in senior living seven years ago as a concierge, then worked in sales and marketing.
King has been a nurse and has worked in senior living for 25 years, 15 of them in assisted living. She was promoted to senior wellness director and received Civitas’ Wellness Director of the Year award in 2022. She has worked at three communities managed by the company.
Ricky Cameron, MD
HealthPRO Heritage names Ricky Cameron, MD, chief medical officer
Ricky Cameron, MD, has been named chief medical officer at HealthPRO Heritage.
Cameron joined the HealthPRO Heritage team in 2021 when the company acquired Texas-based Rehab Solutions, where he was the medical advisor and chief strategist.
Cameron earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University in 1992 and his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 1996. He is board-certified in family medicine and is a member of AMDA-The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.
HealthPRO Heritage provides therapy and consulting solutions to senior living communities, skilled nursing facilities and other settings across 43 states.
Dean Brown
Epoch names Dean Brown new area community liaison for 2 states
Dean Brown has been named the new area community liaison for Epoch Senior Living‘s Bridges by Epoch Memory Care Assisted Living and Waterstone Senior Living communities in Connecticut and New York.
Brown joins the Epoch team with more than a decade of senior living and healthcare experience. Most recently, he was a director of business development, working with area businesses and organizations to promote and market six assisted living communities in New York and New Jersey. Before that, Brown worked as a director of community relations, where he trained leadership teams and built relationships with doctors and hospitals in Connecticut.
Brown graduated from the US Army Military Police program at Fort McClellan, AL. He also earned an undergraduate degree in criminal justice from East Carolina University.
Sarah Richard
The Preserve promotes Sarah Richard to assistant administrator
Sarah Richard has been promoted to assistant administrator at The Preserve, a Volunteers of America senior living community in Fort Myers, FL.
Prior to her promotion, Richard was director of social services at The Preserve and also held roles as interim director of admissions and interim director of marketing. Previously, Richard was director of client services for the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida and was a social service director and social service assistant at Consulate Healthcare.
Richard earned a Bachelor of Science degree in human services from Old Dominion University and a Master of Science degree in healthcare administration from Hodges University. She is a certified assisted living administrator through the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and a licensed nursing home administrator through the Florida Department of Health.
Argentum hires Cynthia Bade for newly created position of VP of development
Cynthia Bade has been named to the newly created position of vice president of development at Argentum.
Bade has more than 17 years of nonprofit fundraising experience, primarily in the healthcare and human services sectors. Most recently, she was a director of development for Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center.
Bade holds an MBA in services marketing from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
Ohio Assisted Living Association announces new board officers members
Robert Cain of Arrow Senior Living has been elected vice chair of the Ohio Assisted Living Association Board of Trustees. In addition, Tammi Langford of The Inns Senior Living and Greg Henley of Plante Moran Living Forward have been elected to the OALA Board of Trustees.
Cain joined OALA’s board in 2020. During his tenure with Arrow, he has served in various roles, including executive director, regional director of operations and business development compliance officer. He holds an undergraduate degree in business management, and another undergraduate degree in health policy and administration, from Pennsylvania State University. Cain is a licensed nursing home administrator and has more than 13 years of experience in the senior living industry.
Langford assumes the board seat designated for The Inns Senior Living as a founding provider member of OALA. She comes to OALA with 24 years of clinical and operations experience in long-term care and currently is the regional wellness director of nursing at The Inns.
Hensley assumes a new seat on OALA’s board. He has more than 35 years of project design and construction experience and has 20 years working predominately on the owner’s side, specializing in strategic repositioning of large senior living communities.
ACHCA recognizes 2023 Hall of Fame inductees
The American College of Health Care Administrators has announced that Keith R. Knapp, PhD, CNHA, FACHCA; Molly H. Savard, CNHA, FACHCA, and Robert V. Siebel, CNHA, FACHCA, will be inducted into the ACHCA Hall of Fame at the organization’s annual convocation in April in Baltimore.
Knapp is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health, a former CEO of Christian Care Communities and a current senior adviser on adult programs in the Office of the Secretary at the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Knapp has chaired the governing boards of ACHCA, the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards, Kentucky Board of Licensure for Long Term Care Administrators and LeadingAge Kentucky. He received an award for Distinguished Service to ACHCA in 2012.
Savard is executive director of The Bradley Home in Meriden, CT, which has a 74-bed residential care home and an attached 30-bed supportive skilled nursing pavilion. She received ACHCA’s Outstanding Member award in 2014.
Siebel is the author of “A Very Personal Look at the First 50 Years of Long Term Care,” in which he discusses his several decades as a nursing home administrator. ACHCA named him Distinguished Administrator in 2007, and he received the organization’s Chair’s Award in 2015.
Additionally at the group’s conference, recognition for Pillars of the College History will be acknowledged for Louise Broderick, Stephen L. Esdale, Phil McConnell and Mardell E. Brandt in recognition of their leadership and vision for a professional community that supports the administrator.
LeadingAge New Jersey & Delaware bestows several awards
LeadingAge New Jersey & Delaware recognized several members at a Jan. 25 awards program.
Cindy Shemansky, assistant executive director and administrator at Masonic Village at Burlington in Burlington, NJ, received the association’s most prestigious honor, the President’s Award. She has been a registered nurse and staff member of the life plan community since 1985.
The state association also celebrated the achievements of the award recipients listed below.
Excellence in Care
Darlene Datil, lead social worker, Fair Share Support Services, Mount Laurel
Elzbieta “Ella” Zala, LPN, NJ Eastern Star Home, Bridgewater
Etan Hindin, director of spiritual care, Daughters of Israel, West Orange
Euis Diah Sugirin, assistant director of nursing, Parker Health, Piscataway
Excellence in Community Service
Asia Saxton, supportive service coordinator, UMC at Bishop Taylor, East Orange
Beth Gebhart, director of community relations and volunteers, Lutheran Social Ministries of NJ, Burlington
Martha Soto, store manager, Westfield Senior Citizens Housing, Westfield
Excellence in Professional Advancement
Keenan Masterson, food and beverage director, Harrogate, Lakewood
Suzanne Ransehousen, nurse practitioner, Cokesbury Village, an Acts Retirement-Life Community, Hockessin
Tatina Carr, director of nursing, Lions Gate, Voorhees
Excellence in Innovation
Recruitment and Retention Task Force, United Methodist Communities, Neptune
Excellence in Leadership
Jeanette Edghill, corporate manager of housing, United Methodist Communities, Neptune
Lauren Levant, vice president of human resources, Jewish Home Family, Rockleigh
Mary Mariconda, director, Hillcrest and Evergreen Court, Christian Health, Wyckoff
Rich Mercado, senior director of culinary and catering services, Fellowship Senior Living, Basking Ridge
ShiftKey hires 4 executives
Jeffrey Lawrence has been hired as chief financial officer; Ryan Bonifacino, chief marketing officer; Thomas Fredell, chief product officer; and Brian Scott, chief strategy officer at ShiftKey.
Lawrence has more than 25 years of experience in global executive leadership, technological and digital transformation and financial strategy. Before joining ShiftKey, he was CFO for FIGS. Prior to FIGS, he spent more than 20 years at Domino’s Pizza.
Bonifacino brings almost 20 years of combined financial, business strategy, marketing and digital and paid media experience to his new role. He formerly was a multi-time chief marketing and digital officer and board member across various ecommerce, consumer technology and retail brands, including Serta Simmons Bedding and Alex and Ani. Most recently, he was the chief digital officer at FIGS, where he oversaw both growth and retention marketing along with all media planning, buying and analytics.
Fredell comes from the software arena, previously serving as chief product officer for Datasite, where he built a new user platform from the ground up, winning the BIG AI Excellence Award for artificial intelligence-based product innovation. As previous chief technology officer at Snagajob, he crafted a vision for technology to support ease, access, flexibility and connections for the hourly and part-time workforce.
Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at [email protected]. High-quality color headshots are welcome but not required.