News & Press Releases
NIC Announces New Board Appointments, Educational Programs, and Research Projects to Fuel Senior Housing
Susan Barlow Named Chair of the NIC Board of Directors
NIC Expands Programming and Research to Help Evolve the Sector During a Period of Change
ANNAPOLIS (June 20, 2023) – The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) has announced the appointment of five new members to its board of directors, elevating the next generation of senior housing and care leaders. The new members will guide the organization as it helps the industry address fluctuations in the capital markets and dramatically different consumer preferences and needs.
New directors are:
- Bre Grubbs, partner & chief strategy officer of Leisure Care, who becomes assistant secretary;
- Vikas Gupta, senior vice president of acquisitions and development at Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc;
- Severine Petras, CEO & co-founder of Priority Life Care;
- Kathy Ryser, senior director of seniors housing underwriting & credit at Freddie Mac; and
- Aron Will, vice chairman of CBRE, who becomes assistant treasurer.
Susan Barlow (co-founder and managing partner, Blue Moon Capital Partners, LP) becomes the new chair of the board of directors. She is joined on the executive committee by Fee Stubblefield (founder and CEO, The Springs Living) who becomes the inaugural vice chair of strategy, and Kenneth Segarnick (chief corporate officer, Brandywine Living) who becomes the inaugural vice chair of communications. Imran Javaid (managing director, BMO Harris Bank) remains treasurer and John Rijos (co-founder and operating partner, Chicago Pacific Founders) remains secretary.
“NIC’s new board members are next-generation leaders who will help redefine the senior housing and care sector as it works to increase access and choice for older adults,” said Barlow. “The diversity of backgrounds and perspectives they bring are assets that will propel the industry.”
Both Grubbs and Will were previously members of NIC’s Future Leaders Council, a group of promising professionals who are engaged early in their careers to contribute to NIC committees and task forces, develop leadership skills, and form relationships with industry leaders.
New Programs and Products
The board appointments come as NIC undertakes multiple initiatives to help lead the senior housing and care industry through a period of opportunities, challenges, and change.
Earlier this year, NIC announced it would launch the NIC Academy this fall, which will deploy experienced industry veterans to provide education for industry professionals on critical subjects like fundamentals of industry operations, transactions, capital markets, and more. NIC Academy builds on NIC’s popular ‘boot camps’ for professionals in the senior housing and skilled nursing field, with new online courses and certificate programs.
NIC’s first Data & Analytics Conference, to be held in Minneapolis on Sept. 27-28, will help industry professionals identify actionable ways to harness data to enhance their business, offerings, and service, while fostering needed connections among industry professionals.
A series of insight-packed case studies to be released later this year will showcase practical examples of how organizations embraced opportunities on issues like building partnerships to integrate health and wellness with senior housing, developing active adult market offerings, and filling gaps for the quickly emerging “middle market” for senior housing and care.
NIC also has a robust research agenda planned for the coming months. Partnerships with the Milken Institute’s Financial Innovations Lab and Center for the Future of Aging, NORC at the University of Chicago, and the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies will focus on developing the “middle market” for senior housing and care and assessing the frailty, access to healthcare providers, longevity, and health outcomes of residents in senior living settings.
“The market for senior housing and care is rapidly changing, and NIC is continuously innovating to ensure stakeholders can quickly access the insights, connections, and ideas they need,” said Raymond Braun, NIC’s president and CEO. “NIC’s new programmatic offerings and fresh thinking will ensure success for the future.”
Outgoing Board Members
Outgoing members of NIC’s board of directors include Robert Chapin (CEO and co-chief investment officer, Bridge Seniors Housing Fund Manager, LLC); Steven Insoft (partner, Maple Ridge Partners); Kelsey Mellard (CEO and founder, Sitka); Steven Schmidt (national director, senior housing lending, Freddie Mac); and Chris Taylor (independent agent).
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About the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care
The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), a 501(c)(3) organization, works to enable access and choice by providing data, analytics, and connections that bring together investors and providers. The organization delivers the most trusted, objective, and timely insights and implications derived from its analytics, which benefit from NIC’s affiliation with NIC MAP Vision, the leading provider of comprehensive market data for senior housing and skilled nursing properties. NIC events, which include the industry’s premier conferences, provide sector stakeholders with opportunities to convene, network, and drive thought leadership through high quality educational programming. For more information, visit NIC’s website and follow NIC on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.