NIC Volunteer Leadership

Kelly Cook Andress began her career in senior housing in 1989 at Sunrise Senior Living, Inc. where she was Vice President for Development and Finance. She helped define the company that came to define the industry. She has been closely involved in the development of more than 20 communities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic; developing, acquiring and operating senior communities at all levels of independence and care. Seeing the evolution in senior housing move towards cookie-cutter, Wall Street-driven corporations, Kelly was inspired to forge a new definition of senior living; rooted in a dedication to building communities with the flexibility to adjust around residents as their desires and needs change.

As NIC’s president, Ray Braun oversees overall strategy, volunteer leadership governance, organizational performance, culture, and mission delivery.

Prior to joining NIC, Mr. Braun served as the Dean of the Allen W. and Carol M. Schmidthorst College of Business at Bowling Green State University where headed all aspects of the college’s vision, strategic direction, planning, operations, and budgeting. Prior to his deanship, Mr. Braun served as the president and CEO of Cogdell Spencer and president of Health Care REIT, Inc. (now Welltower) where he was inducted into the Stifel Nicolaus Senior Housing & Healthcare Real Estate Hall of Fame.

Additionally, Mr. Braun served as a board member to NIC during 2000 – 2007 serving as its chair for the last two years of his term. During his term, he served as the NIC MAP Task Force Co-chair, helping to bring data transparency to the sector.

Mr. Braun holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting & Economics from Bowling Green State University.

Tim Buchanan was way ahead of the labor challenge when he started Legend Senior Living 21 years ago. That’s because he created a culture that puts others first, including employees. Why hire someone if you’re not going to pay attention to them? As a veteran industry leader, he also shared his insights on the aftermath of the pandemic and what’s ahead for senior housing.  

As president and chief executive officer of HumanGood, John Cochrane is responsible for the strategic direction of the company, overseeing operations and serving as the primary liaison to the HumanGood Board of Directors. With the recent affiliation with Presby’s Inspired Life, HumanGood now operates 21 life plan communities and 95 affordable housing communities in six states serving more than 13,000 residents. HumanGood is one of the largest nonprofit senior living providers in the country and carries a Fitch rating of A- with a stable outlook on its core California-based credit.  

Previously, Cochrane worked for Lifespace Communities, where he served as chief operating officer overseeing 11 retirement communities in seven states. Cochrane previously worked as a practicing attorney specializing in real estate and finance. He has his law degree from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northern Illinois University. 

Doug joined Brightview Senior Living in 2017. As CEO and President, Doug is responsible for directing strategies, operations, and long-term growth of the business. Brightview’s development and management companies. He began his career as an engineer at Whitman, Requardt, and Associates before joining McKinsey & Company, where he worked across many different businesses and industries. Doug previously recently served on the executive leadership team at TESSCO in Hunt Valley, Maryland. He led the commercial product management organization for this value-added distributor of wireless products and solutions. He graduated from Bucknell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

In his role as Executive Chairman, Chip Gabriel oversees strategic alignment, new business development and partner relations. An integral part of Generations leadership since 1989, Chip brings an entrepreneurial spirit and passion for integrating technology, health care and intergenerational experiences into Generations campuses. He loves the process of visioning and creating new communities and has overseen the development of over 3,500 units of senior housing. Most fulfilling for Chip is that his life’s work positively impacts the lives of residents and staff – in his words, “our job is to make people happy!”

Tana Gall is responsible for all aspects of operations and growth at the 70 Merrill senior living communities in 20 states – Merrill Gardens and Truewood by Merrill. Gall has over 20 years of experience in senior living leadership roles, and she is focused on creating a culture where the 4,000 team members and 7,000 residents who live and work at Merrill thrive. Under Gall’s leadership, the company is recognized as one of the most respected providers of senior living in the country. Gall recently led the launch of the Truewood by Merrill communities with a focus on seniors in the underserved middle market.

Gall is an industry leader, serving as a member of the Argentum Board of Directors and she was previously the leader of the Argentum Executive Director Leadership Institute. She is focused on bringing new leadership to the industry and was instrumental in the establishment of the Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living at Washington State University. Based on her career accomplishments, she was asked to join the Bellevue College Healthcare Management and Leadership Advisory Board.

Gall was also invited to join the International Women’s Forum, a group that includes more than 7,000 accomplished women from 33 countries. She was named a Woman of Distinction for 2021 by McKnight’s Senior living, an award that honors women in senior living who inspire and impact the lives of residents and team members. Gall volunteers with Treehouse, a Washington state organization supporting children in foster care, and is a part of the Husky Leadership Institute at the University of Washington, guiding students to become change agents in their communities. Gall is a graduate of the University of Washington.

John Hartmayer is Chief Operations Officer and Executive Vice President responsible for all community operations, including resident care, programming, culinary, and legal. Before joining Benchmark in March 2021, John served as Senior Vice President of Operations for the east division of Atria Senior Living, based in Louisville, KY, and was with the company for more than 20 years.

Mary G. Leary joined Mather LifeWays as Chief Executive Officer and President in 2002. Ms. Leary previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Classic Residence by Hyatt and has held other executive leadership positions in senior living, health care, and long-term care. Currently, she is a member of the Executive Board of the American Seniors Housing Association, the Operator Advisory Board of the National Investment Center, the Advisory Board of Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures, and serves as Director and Chair of the Risk Committee of Caring Communities, a Reciprocal Risk Retention Group.

Ms. Leary is a founding member of and chairs Novare, a national consortium of single site and small system Life Plan Community providers. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business/Health Services Administration from Cornell University and a Master’s Degree in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University.  With a mission of enhancing the lives of older adults by creating Ways to Age Well SM, Mather LifeWays served more than 42,000 older adults in 2018 through its three areas of service.

The organization develops, owns, and operates Life Plan Communities, with its newest Life Plan Community earning 50 national awards. The Mather’s — More Than a Café concept has been replicated by 45 organizations and has been described by the New York Times as “a sleek meld of Starbucks, Bally’s Fitness, and Elderhostel”. Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging workforce programs have been implemented in all 50 states and by Fortune 100 Companies in 14 countries. Mather LifeWays has been named one of Chicago’s Top Workplaces by the Chicago Tribune and Illinois – Healthiest Midsize Employer by Crain’s Business. CliftonLarsonAllen LLP and LeadingAge named Mather LifeWays a “Pathways to Greatness” award recipient based on “leadership, superior performance, distinctive impact, best practices and innovation, and the ability to inspire public trust and confidence.

Mather LifeWays oversees InvestigAge, an industry research database providing current research and relevant information impacting senior housing and services for older adults with audiences including senior living providers, professionals, researchers, and other key industry stakeholders. Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging serves as Managing Editor for the Seniors Housing & Care Journal for the National Investment Center. The Institute received the Prudential Real Estate Award for Best Research Paper from the National Investment Center. Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging has also been honored with the Excellence in Research and Education Award from LeadingAge. Recently, the Institute completed a study of Transparency and Engagement in Decision-Making Among Life Plan Community Residents, and is conducting a 5-year longitudinal Age Well Study with Northwestern University to evaluate the impact of living in a Life Plan Community on residents’ cognitive, physical, and psychosocial health and wellbeing.

Bryan McCaleb joined Sagora Senior Living in 1994 and has been a partner, with Robert Bullock and Donny Edwards, since 2006. He has held various positions in operations including Executive Director, Regional Director of Operations, Vice President of Marketing and others. Bryan’s goal is to ensure that Sagora’s vision and Resident First philosophy is never lost sight of and that caring for people remains a top priority.

Bryan is a graduate of Abilene Christian University (ACU) with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management. He participates in professional organizations including the Alzheimer’s Association – North Central Texas Chapter, Argentum Executive Advisory Board and the College of Business Administration Dean’s Council at ACU. Married, with three children, he enjoys spending time being active outdoors with his family.

The Sagora Senior Living family of companies is focused in the seniors housing industry, with involvement in the ownership, development, acquisition and operation of communities, including cottages, independent living, assisted living and memory care. Sagora is currently managing/pre-marketing 5,000+ seniors housing units in Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida and California.

As President and Chief Executive Officer of LCS, Joel is responsible for executing the business strategy for all business lines in the LCS Family of Companies. Joel provides leadership and strategic direction for business growth, service excellence, enhancing the company’s stability and establishing value among financial partners, property owners and other stakeholders in the senior living industry. Focused on the LCS vision to create opportunities for purposeful living filled with rich experiences, Joel takes great pride in serving more than 40,000 seniors in 140 senior living communities across the country. 

Having joined LCS in 1986, Joel has progressive experience at LCS having held several management and executive roles. Overseeing the second largest senior living operator in the nation has provided Joel the opportunity to advocate for the industry at the state and federal levels. Outside the organization, Joel serves as a board member of the national associations of Argentum and ASHA and is a member of the National Investment Center Operator Advisory Board. 

Ryan is responsible for directing the company’s day-to-day operations and fiscal functions, overseeing business performance, investments, strategy and growth initiatives. In an effort to help residents in Living Life on Purpose®, Ryan guides the development and implementation of operational and financial strategies and systems, including planning and forecasting processes, financial analysis, sales & marketing, resident programming, facilities management, acquisitions and new developments projects. Prior to joining New Perspective Senior Living, Ryan served as Vice President of Equity Research for two multibillion-dollar financial services firms located in New York and Minnesota. Previously, Ryan was engaged in equity research, investment banking, and mergers and acquisitions at Piper Jaffray in Minnesota.

Ryan graduated from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota with a bachelor of arts in finance, and a minor in economics. He holds professional certificates from the Erickson School at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in the following disciplines of the Seniors Housing and Care executive education program: Seniors Housing Executive, Finance, Sales and Marketing. Ryan is active with industry associations and is a member of the Assisted Living Federation of America, CFO Executive Roundtable, and sits on the Operator Advisory Board for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing. 

Brandon Ribar is the president and CEO of Sonida Senior Living, one of the nation’s largest senior living providers. He’s also a member of the company’s board of directors. Prior to becoming CEO in September 2022, Brandon served as the company’s chief operating officer. In that role, he was instrumental in planning and implementing improvements to the company’s operating model as well as navigating its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was also heavily involved in portfolio divestitures, a recapitalization transaction and debt refinancing. Before that, he was vice president of health care investments at Fillmore Capital Partners, a real estate private equity firm with more than $5 billion in assets under management. He oversaw sourcing, underwriting, negotiating and closing of all health care investments in the company’s investment funds. Brandon received his bachelor’s degree in operations management information systems from Santa Clara University.

MJ Ritschel oversees acquisitions, asset management and capital market transactions. In addition, he is responsible for investor relations and major capital projects for Kisco’s portfolio. He also serves on the Operator Advisory Board for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care.

Previous to Kisco, Mr. Ritschel was a partner with Davenport Partners and a Vice President of Spieker Properties REIT (NYSE:SPK), heading up its acquisition and development activities in major markets of the western United States. MJ Ritschel started his career with Kaiser Development/Industries, as a manager for various property portfolios. Over the past thirty years, he has been involved with every facet of acquisitions, development, construction, financing and asset management for all major real estate asset classes.

E. Joseph Steier (Joe) Steier, III is the President & CEO and Co-Founder of Signature HealthCARE, one of the nation’s leading long-term care providers with 75 facilities in six states. Signature helped catapult Louisville into the national spotlight as a leader in innovation in aging care after it partnered with the University of Louisville to launch the International Center for Long Term Care Innovation, a business accelerator dedicated to bringing new aging care products, services and technologies to market.

Aging care is now among Louisville’s dominant economic clusters, a feat that has earned the industry and the city coverage in the New York Times, The Washington Post and other renowned publications. A Louisville native, Joe has two decades’ professional experience invested in health care. He has an insatiable appetite for knowledge and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Bellarmine University, a CPA license, an MBA with Healthcare Emphasis from the University of Miami, and Masters and Doctorate degrees in Education from the University of Pennsylvania/Wharton School of Business while winning many personal leadership awards.

Kristopher (Kris) Woolley is the Founder & CEO of Avista Senior Living (Avista). Avista is a Mesa, Arizona based owner/operator of Assisted Living and Memory Care communities with a current portfolio of seven communities (totaling 781 licensed beds) in Arizona and Utah.

Prior to founding Avista, Kris was a Principal and Managing Director at Greystar Real Estate Partners, a national owner/operator of apartment communities.

To begin his career, Kris spent four years with Goldman Sachs in New York City and San Francisco, working in the Investment Banking and Equities divisions. Kris left Goldman Sachs to attend Harvard Business School, where he earned a Masters of Business Administration.

Raised in Southern California, Kris attended UCLA and Brigham Young University, graduating from BYU with honors in Finance and Political Science. After his freshman year at UCLA, he spent two years serving a mission for his church in Argentina. He speaks Spanish fluently and has a great passion for the Spanish language and Argentina.

Kris has dedicated significant time and resources to various local non-profit organizations, including most recently as Board Member for UMOM New Day Centers (Arizona’s largest homeless shelter for families), and as the Chairman of the Housing and Community Development Advisory Board for the City of Mesa. He is an Eagle Scout and has been an active leader in the Boy Scouts of America for most of his adult life. Kris and his wife, Heather, reside in Mesa, where they are raising five children.

Amy Kaszak is the President of Special Needs Plans at AllyAlign Health. As AllyAlign Health’s second employee, Amy helped shape the company’s strategy of empowering long-term care providers to change the financial incentives and care models for vulnerable populations. Amy oversees all partner relationships, clinical operations, business development and sales and marketing activities of the company.  Amy’s experience with innovative care models began in the mid-1990s when she helped organize one of the first hospitalist companies in the country, Intercede Health (formerly Inpatient Medical Services). 

Based in Houston, Texas, the company built and operated Hospitalist networks for CIGNA, Humana, Pacificare, and Heritage and NAMM IPAs and, as payment models shifted, later partnered with hospitals across the country to implement Hospitalist and SNFist practices.   

Ann O’Shaughnessy is Managing Director in CIBC’s Healthcare Group. She manages a group that works with owners, operators, and investors in a variety of healthcare specialties across the United States. Prior to joining CIBC in 2007, she was Senior Vice President and Division Manager at LaSalle Bank, focusing on the healthcare industry. Ann is a board member with Inspiration Corporation, a not-for-profit organization that works to assist the homeless attain self-sufficiency. And, she is a Fellow with Leadership Greater Chicago, which works to effect transformative civic impact in Greater Chicago. She holds an MBA from Loyola University Chicago. CIBC is a publically traded financial institution (CM: TSX, NYSE) whose US operations are headquartered in Chicago.

Colleen H. Blumenthal, MAI, has been appraising real estate and consulting owners and investors for over 30 years, specializing in seniors housing and healthcare since 1992. She has developed HealthTrust’s agency (offering both appraisal and consultant reports) and HUD platforms. 

In addition to her duties as the Chief Operating Officer of HealthTrust, she has served as the task force lead on the American Seniors Housing Association’s State of Seniors Housing for the last 16 years; is a member of ULI’s Senior Housing Council; speaks regularly on the seniors housing industry and valuation; coordinated research and written studies with the American Seniors Housing Association and other seniors housing organizations; and has authored several seminars and white papers on seniors housing and care properties. 

With more than 30 years of experience in health care and aging services, Diane Burfeindt has worked with acute care, housing, home care, continuing care retirement communities, personal care/assisted living, and skilled nursing. Joining Presbyterian Senior Living in 1997, she served in a variety of leadership positions including Corporate Director, Vice President of Residential and Community Services, and Vice President of Population Health before accepting the role of Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation. In 2022, she joined Trilogy Connect as a Managing Partner, continuing the work to bring actionable vision and strategy to organizations throughout the senior living field. 

A frequent presenter on industry best practices at state and national conferences, Burfeindt received her MBA from Bloomsburg University and a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Journalism from Shippensburg University. She has been involved in various volunteer leadership positions including assisting on the National Investment Council Planning Committee, sharing her expertise as a coach for the LeadingAge PA Fellows in Leadership program, and serving as secretary of the LeadingAge PA Board of Directors. A Larry Minnix Leadership Academy Fellow, Burfeindt is also a licensed nursing home administrator and previously served as a surveyor for CARF/CCAC. 

A pioneering healthcare entrepreneur who provides visionary leadership in senior housing, transitional care and ancillary care, Brian Cloch is a principal and co-founder of Innovative Health, LLC. 

Over the past 30 years, Brian has served as a leader in the post acute industry. He is the founder and former President of the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition, where he was a primary architect of the state’s successful Supportive Living model, and the former Chairman of the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation Nursing Home Administrator licensing board. 

Brian has owned and operated a variety of senior housing communities, transitional care and skilled nursing facilities as well as supportive and independent living senior housing.  He is a partner in Transitional Care Management, which provides comprehensive consulting and management services in a variety of post acute settings, and Post Acute Management Solutions, which partners with Chicago-based managed care plans, senior communities and medical providers, to provide care coordination. He is also a partner in various ancillary care businesses including home health, rehabilitation, hospice and medication management. 

Brian is a well respected speaker at national conferences on innovation and change in the healthcare delivery system. 

Jamie Cobb is President, Real Estate Asset Management at Columbia Pacific Advisors (CPA). Jamie’s responsibilities include operational execution of CPA’s real estate investment strategy including the oversight of the asset management, FP&A and accounting functions for CPA’s real estate portfolio. Prior to joining Columbia Pacific, Jamie spent 5 years at Colliers International, most recently as the Chief Financial Officer for North America. Prior to taking on those responsibilities, he served as Senior Director, Business Analysis for Colliers Global COO. Prior to Colliers, Jamie spent 9+ years as an investment professional at the Bill and Melinda Gates Investment (BMGI) Company also known as Cascade Investment, which manages the Gates’ personal wealth as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Endowment. During his tenure at BMGI he served as a board member of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, representing Cascade in their joint venture ownership. After graduating from the Foster School of business at the University of Washington, Jamie spent four years as an assurance and advisory professional at Ernst & Young covering private and public real estate, retail, media and biotechnology companies. Jamie is the holder of the CFA charter and previously passed the CPA exam in the State of Washington. 

Vikas Gupta is the Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Development at Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. and has served in this capacity since April 2015. Mr. Gupta is involved in acquisitions, construction, and capital expenditure activity, overseeing a team of investment professionals, while being one of the primary contacts for operator relationships at Omega.

From 2003 to July 2011, Mr. Gupta served in various roles at CapitalSource Finance, most recently as a Sr. Loan Officer/VP, where he oversaw a portfolio of healthcare assets. He also currently serves as a Board Member for the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (“FIRMC”) and the Alzheimer’s Association of Maryland.

Brandi Healey currently serves as Vice President of Asset Management for Harrison Street, where she is responsible for the oversight of financial performance, execution of investment strategy, and management of operator relationships across the seniors housing sector. 

Brandi has 15 years of healthcare real estate and finance experience with large firms including Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc., Ventas/Care Capital Properties, Omega Healthcare Investors and M&T Bank. She is also an alumna of NIC’s Future Leaders Council. Brandi grew up in Scranton, PA and graduated with a degree in International Business from Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown PA. She currently lives in Chicago IL with her husband and daughter. ​ 

Lynne Katzmann is Founder and President of Juniper Communities, which invests in, develops and manages senior living and long-term care communities. With 20 properties in four states and more than 1200 employees, Juniper, has $65 million in revenues. Celebrating its 27th Anniversary, Juniper is ranked #14 by Crain’s New York on its Top 50 ranking of woman-owned companies for the New York tri-state area. Juniper is the only woman- founded, owned and led business among the top 40 national assisted living companies. Katzmann launched the business when she was 32, with six years’ experience in the health care industry and a PhD in economics. An active leader in the social entrepreneurship movement at its beginning, she was a firm believer in the so-called double bottom line: doing well by doing good.

Katzmann leads an organization known for resident-centered, personalized care. Juniper’s priorities and its many award-winning innovations are consistent with her belief: “Aging and its challenges are a natural part of our life cycle. Quality of life in this third stage should be enjoyed to its fullest according to each person’s choosing. There is no reason that a frail body should not allow a life of joy and meaning.” Katzmann has been involved in the health care industry for almost 30 years, working in the public and private sectors in the United States and Europe. ​

Mr. Kiernan serves as Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President of Network Development for Ocean Healthcare, a network of post-acute healthcare facilities and service lines throughout New Jersey. Ocean Healthcare’s broad range of comprehensive services includes Skilled Nursing Facilities, Behavioral Health Hospitals, Outpatient Behavioral Healthcare Centers, Adult Medical Day Health Centers, Assisted Living, Hospice Care, private duty Home Health Care, and Home-based Skilled Nursing.

Mr. Kiernan is responsible for the company’s strategic direction, ACO relationship development and management, Preferred Provider Network development, Bundled Payment Care Initiatives, and other shared savings relationships and management. Kiernan also manages network and business development, sales, marketing, admissions processes, and strategic planning for the Ocean Healthcare Network. Likewise, he is responsible for managing the company’s relationships with acute care hospital health systems, physician relations, and strategic partnerships. As part of the Senior Management team, Mr. Kiernan is involved in all aspects of operations, including finance, clinical services, and new development/acquisitions.

Mr. Kiernan enjoyed an illustrious career before joining Ocean Healthcare in 2006. As owner and Chief Executive Officer of Kiernan Management & Consulting, LLC, and one of the most sought-after healthcare strategists, Kiernan was retained by such regional and national providers as Avamere Health Service in Oregon and Washington States, Atlantic Shores in Virginia, and the NEBF real estate in Washington DC among others.

Mr. Kiernan served as Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development for Brandywine Senior Care, Inc from 2001 through 2006. He was responsible for creating and managing the multi-level sales, marketing and business development programs for the company’s 18 facilities in three states (NJ, PA, and DE). As a member of Brandywine’s senior management team, Kiernan played an integral role in the company’s financial development, clinical operations and employee relations. Additionally, he managed the company’s branding and media strategy including all collateral and advertising/public relations development.

Active in networking, as well as being a sought after speaker, Mr. Kiernan served on the Board of Directors for the New Jersey Alzheimer’s Association, is an active member of the Health Care Association of New Jersey, New Jersey Hospital Association, is a member of the national conference planning committee for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Healthcare, and has served on several leadership committees.

Michael has been working in healthcare for over 25 years and has served as a clinician, administrator, strategist, consultant, program and departmental leader. Specializing in health information technology and change management, Michael has worked at organizations such as the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Nemours duPont Hospital for Children and is now the Director of Telehealth and Process Improvement at West Health, a non-profit dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable seniors to have access to high-quality, affordable health care. 

In this role, Michael serves as a subject matter expert in developing and scaling models of care that use technology for the elderly. Michael is also responsible for advocating responsible telehealth policy; serving on state committees and educating community, hospital, and system leaders to the appropriate uses and benefits of telehealth. Michael received his ADN and BSN from Drexel University School of Nursing and went on to receive his Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University in Organizational Dynamics and Strategic Human Resources. As a Registered Nurse, Michael worked in the ambulatory and acute care settings, specializing in Oncology and Psychiatry. He’s the father of two boys and although now living in California for three years, still cannot stand up on a surfboard or paddleboard but can tell you where the best tacos are. 

Peter is a Principal and Managing Partner of Cantex Continuing Care Network (CCCN), a fully-integrated post-acute network based in Carrollton, TX.  CCCN is privately held and has been in business since 1978. It currently owns and operates 34 continuing care centers (licensed as skilled nursing facilities) and 4 home health and 2 hospice agencies, as well as operating in-house rehabilitation and pharmacy divisions that serve its patient-care service lines. CCCN is an active developer of new continuing care centers and an active acquirer of post-acute businesses.​ 

James Lydiard is the Chief Strategy Officer of HarmonyCares (previously USMM). The nation’s largest independent Home Based Primary Care Practice, HarmonyCares provides Professional, Ancillary, and Allied Services in the homes of >32,000 patients in 35 MSA’s spread amongst 11 states. As the organizations CSO, James oversees growth, payment innovation, account management, and implementation functions.   

Prior to joining USMM, James held Vice President roles at Strive Health and CareMore/Anthem. CareMore Health is an integrated health care delivery company and subsidiary of Anthem, serving over 200,000 members across 26 states. At CareMore, James led the national business division responsible for bringing CareMore’s care delivery model into the homes of vulnerable seniors with limited access to outpatient services.   

Since 2007, James has been committed to improving care delivery operations, access, and affordable care models to frail and underserved patients and communities. His organizations, roles, and care teams championed mobile programs in more than 30 states. In his current and past accountable areas, James’ responsibilities have included P&L oversight, network strategy and development, product design, analytics & reporting, and growth. 

James earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry from The University of Arizona and is a Heath Care Innovation Program Graduate from University of Pennsylvania. 

James is a routine contributor to various industry forums, such as National Investment Center (NIC) and Milken Institute on Aging. His innovate work aligning Senor Housing and Healthcare has been documented by ATI Advisory, McKnight’s, and Aging Media Network, and Harvard Business Review.  

Sheryl Marcet co-founded Arcus Healthcare Partners in 2021. As CIO, she is involved with the company’s strategic investment initiatives and oversees all aspects of Arcus’ acquisition efforts including origination, structuring and execution. Prior to Arcus, she held business development roles at Formation Capital and Omega Healthcare Investors. She began her healthcare career at GE Healthcare Financial Services and Heller Financial in a credit role focused on both Healthcare Services and Real Estate. Sheryl has served on the board of the American Senior Housing Association (ASHA) and various committees for the National Investment Center for the Senior Housing and Care Industry (NIC).  

Joel Mendes is the co-head of JLL’s national seniors housing debt practice. Joel focuses on debt, equity, and investment sales advisory services for seniors housing owners, operators, and developers nationally. 

Joel has closed more than 150 commercial real estate transactions and has focused on the seniors housing and care industry since 2007. Joel is a frequent speaker and panel moderator as well as the Co-Chair of the 2023 Spring NIC Conference Planning Committee. Prior to joining JLL in 2015 via its acquisition of Oak Grove Capital, Joel worked in the seniors housing groups of Oak Grove and Red Capital. Joel began his career by completing formal credit traising at LaSalle Bank and then working in LaSalle’s commercial real estate lending division. 

Joel graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science in economics and a Certificate in markets and management. 

Morgin Morris is a Senior Mortgage Banker based in KeyBank’s Seattle office focusing on Senior Housing loan origination in the West. Morgin has been in the Senior Housing finance industry for over 15 years, with a continued passion for the senior’ business and her clients. In addition to Key’s balance sheet bridge program, her concentration today is on permanent and interim loan solutions including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Debt Fund, LifeCo and FHA/ HUD loans. Before joining KeyBank in 2011, she was a seniors housing underwriter at Guaranty and BBVA Compass Banks. She is a former NIC Future Leader’s Council Chair, and Key Young Professionals Chair. ​

Maria Nadelstumph is the Senior Vice President of the Brandywine Center of Excellence for Brandywine Living, a market leader in luxury senior living, including assisted living, memory care and independent living. Since joining the company in 1999, Maria supported the company’s strategic growth through development and acquisitions and service line development, such as, the company’s signature memory care program (Reflections) and its strategic healthcare partnerships with several major health systems.

Maria successfully developed and leads the Brandywine Center of Excellence, a companywide program and business unit designed to increase workforce development and retention, leadership training and engagement, quality assurance, acquisition and integration initiatives, and service line innovation throughout the company’s 32 community portfolio across seven states (PA, NJ, NY, CT, DE, MD & VA). As an active member of Argentum, Maria assisted in the development of the Executive Director Certification, Standards for Senior Living and serves as Chair of the Memory Care Executive Round Table. She has an M.A. in Organizational Development and B. S. in Therapeutic Recreation and Gerontology. ​ 

Jerry Taylor, Director of Business Development, joined National Health Investors in December of 2015. As Director of Business Development, Jerry is responsible for the cultivation of new business relationships. Prior to joining NHI, Jerry worked in operations for two national scale senior living providers. Much of his time in operations was focused on multi-property sales and occupancy growth throughout the west. Jerry is also a licensed Residential Facility Administrator and holds a bachelor’s degree in business and health innovation from Arizona State University.​ 

James Thompson is the Director of Senior Housing Investments for BOK Financial. Jim brings 30+ years of senior housing and healthcare experience to the BOK Financial Healthcare team and focuses on new loan production and production support, personnel development, and strategic planning. In 2013, he joined Synovus Bank’s Seniors Housing and Healthcare Lending Group as a Senior Director. Prior to joining Synovus, he was Senior Vice President and Managing Director with Capmark Finance (formerly known as GMAC Commercial Mortgage), where he was responsible for co-managing a balance sheet portfolio of senior housing and skilled nursing loans of approximately $1.0 billion. Prior to joining Capmark in 1998, Mr. Thompson led the senior housing and long-term care efforts at Colonial Bank, managed the Bank’s Corporate Lending Department, and was a member of the Bank’s loan committee.

He is currently the volunteer Chair of NIC’s Spring Conference. Until recently, he served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of a non-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community as well as being on the Board of a local provider of affordable housing and supportive services for the elderly. Mr. Thompson holds both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from Vanderbilt University.  

Ms. Barney has served as the President and CEO of Trilogy Health Services since 2019. Trilogy Health Services is a privately-held owner, operator, and developer of over 100 senior living communities throughout the Midwest. Trilogy Senior Living Communities provide a full continuum of senior living services, including Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care and Post-Acute Healthcare Services. The Company’s culture of servant leadership and compassion has earned it multiple accolades, including being named one of FORTUNE’s Best Workplaces for Aging Services and one of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work. Before moving into the CEO position, Ms. Barney served in various roles at Trilogy over the course of 18 years, including Chief Stewardship Officer and Chief Operating Officer. During her time with the Company, she has overseen critical areas of operations, including clinical, pharmacy, and therapy services. Her commitment to excellence in all areas of the business has allowed the Company to increase its footprint while maintaining the high quality of its services. She is a graduate from the University of Louisville School of Business with a B.S. in Finance and Masters of Business Administration.  

Aaron Becker is a senior managing director and the head of seniors housing and healthcare production at Lument, leading the firm’s national efforts in providing capital funding for the senior living and healthcare sectors. Aaron works out of the Radnor, PA office.  

Since joining Lument’s predecessor Lancaster Pollard in 2011, Aaron has completed more than $1.9 billion in transactions across the entire capital platform.  

Prior to joining legacy firm Lancaster Pollard, Aaron worked at Sixpoint Partners, a global investment banking boutique specializing in alternative asset distribution and strategic advisory services. Before that, he was a vice president in Merrill Lynch’s Healthcare Finance IB Group, where he structured public bond offerings, private placements and derivatives with a par amount exceeding $3 billion. 

Aaron earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Indiana University and an MBA degree with honors from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He holds general securities representative (Series 7 and 63) and investment banking representative (Series 79) licenses.

As senior managing director and head of living sectors for Cushman & Wakefield, Zach supports a team of nearly 125 professionals located throughout the U.S. His primary focus is driving growth initiatives for CWK’s living real estate sector through the advancement of client care, data analytics, product development and talent recruitment. Property types covered include apartments, affordable, co-living, manufactured housing, self-storage, student housing and senior living. 

With nearly twenty years of industry experience, Zach has completed over $75 billion in third-party valuation assignments throughout the U.S. Services provided include third-party market valuations, underwriting due-diligence, Net Asset Valuations (NAV) for non-traded REITs, market studies, and feasibility analyses of single assets to large portfolio transactions. 

Zach began his professional career in commercial real estate banking with First National Bank. In 2004, he began specializing exclusively in the appraisal of seniors housing real estate with HealthTrust, LLC. Zach joined CBRE in 2012 to launch a seniors housing & healthcare specialty practice and most recently was at JLL where he established their alternative real estate sectors for valuation advisory. 

Mitch Brown is Principal Consultant for Senior Housing Consulting. With more than 25 years of experience in all facets of senior housing he now provides strategic guidance to investors, developers and operators of active adult and full service senior living communities. Prior to forming his own consulting firm Mitch served as Senior Managing Director for Greystar’s Active Adult platform and was the Chief Development Officer for Kisco Senior Living, a full-service senior living owner and operator. He served as the Chair of the ULI Senior Housing Council for several years and has been an active member of the American Seniors Housing Association for over 20 years. He holds a BA degree from The Evergreen State College and earned his MA from UCLA’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning.  

Lori Coombs is the Head of Seniors Housing for Government-Sponsored Enterprise (GSE) product at Wells Fargo Multifamily Capital. She is based in New York City which is the group’s main office but covers Seniors Housing nationwide. Lori started her career in multifamily and real estate finance in 1995. She has more than 15 years of experience in GSE lending and specifically 7 years in Seniors Housing. Before joining Wells Fargo in 2007, she worked at several Fannie Mae DUS, Freddie Mac, balance sheet and CMBS lenders involved in financing both commercial and multi-family real estate. Lori graduated from University of Connecticut with a degree in real estate and finance. She currently lives in Westchester NY with her husband and children. She is involved in various charity and community organizations in the Westchester area.     

Joe Daniels is the Vice President, Business Development for Direct Supply. Based out of Milwaukee, WI, Joe sits as a member of the Aptura senior leadership team, helping to drive the strategy and go-to-market initiatives for the Aptura business. Joe’s connections and relationships in the industry run deep. Having been in the seniors housing profession for many years, he works closely with the most influential operators, owners and lenders in the senior care space. Joe is the former Chair of the NIC Future Leaders Council, leads the board of the Developers Collective and co-chairs the Senior Living Executive Operators Forum – both unique events of their kind. 

Ben Firestone co-founded Blueprint in 2013. As Chief Executive Officer, he oversees Blueprint’s management team and provides strategic direction for the firm. He is also responsible for managing established relationships and new client development. With nearly two decades in the seniors housing and care industry, Ben brings a uniquely strategic perspective to his professional relationships and transactions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is an alumni of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) Future Leaders Council and currently serves as a member of NIC’s Planning Committee. He and his family split their time between Chicago and Boca Raton, Florida, while staying close to his St. Louis roots. 

In his role as Executive Chairman, Chip Gabriel oversees strategic alignment, new business development and partner relations. An integral part of Generations leadership since 1989, Chip brings an entrepreneurial spirit and passion for integrating technology, health care and intergenerational experiences into Generations campuses. He loves the process of visioning and creating new communities and has overseen the development of over 3,500 units of senior housing. Most fulfilling for Chip is that his life’s work positively impacts the lives of residents and staff – in his words, “our job is to make people happy!”

Tana Gall is responsible for all aspects of operations and growth at the 70 Merrill senior living communities in 20 states – Merrill Gardens and Truewood by Merrill. Gall has over 20 years of experience in senior living leadership roles, and she is focused on creating a culture where the 4,000 team members and 7,000 residents who live and work at Merrill thrive. Under Gall’s leadership, the company is recognized as one of the most respected providers of senior living in the country. Gall recently led the launch of the Truewood by Merrill communities with a focus on seniors in the underserved middle market.

Gall is an industry leader, serving as a member of the Argentum Board of Directors and she was previously the leader of the Argentum Executive Director Leadership Institute. She is focused on bringing new leadership to the industry and was instrumental in the establishment of the Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living at Washington State University. Based on her career accomplishments, she was asked to join the Bellevue College Healthcare Management and Leadership Advisory Board.

Gall was also invited to join the International Women’s Forum, a group that includes more than 7,000 accomplished women from 33 countries. She was named a Woman of Distinction for 2021 by McKnight’s Senior living, an award that honors women in senior living who inspire and impact the lives of residents and team members. Gall volunteers with Treehouse, a Washington state organization supporting children in foster care, and is a part of the Husky Leadership Institute at the University of Washington, guiding students to become change agents in their communities. Gall is a graduate of the University of Washington.

Bre Grubbs is Leisure Care’s Chief Strategy Office as well as a Partner in the company. In her current role, Bre guides strategy for Leisure Care’s business development, sales and marketing, and human resource initiatives. Her focus is on collaboration with all company disciplines and external partners, guiding her teams in utilizing data, market research, and community-level experiences to maximize performance and drive responsible growth. Leisure Care’s philosophy of making a positive impact on the company’s residents, families, employees, and business partners is a driving force in all Bre does. She’s extended this philosophy to her contributions outside of the office as well, with the goal of sharing the career opportunities that existing in senior living with a broader audience. In support of these endeavors, she is Chair Emeritus of the Steering Committee for Washington State’s Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living, the first operations-focused, hospitality-guided senior living program in the US.

She is also actively involved with the NIC, serving on the Fall Conference Planning Committee and the Future Leader’s Oversight Committee. Outside of work, Bre can be found at a baseball field, watching her teenage son play or taking in a Mariner’s game with her family.   

Dave has over 20 years of healthcare real estate experience across debt, equity, and capital markets. He joined GE Capital’s Healthcare Financial Services business in 2004, which was subsequently acquired by Capital One in 2015. 

During his tenure within the business he has held various leadership positions including running both their capital markets syndication efforts as well as the underwriting and portfolio management teams. Dave now is on the Senior Housing originations team focusing on business development throughout the southeast.  

Moira Kelley serves as Assistant Vice President and Head of Social Impact on Harrison Street’s Impact Team, which focuses on Harrison Street’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy. Moira is responsible for driving the Firm’s social impact at its investments, which includes health and wellbeing initiatives, partner and tenant engagement strategies across the firm’s asset sectors, and special research projects. Prior to joining Harrison Street, Moira held strategic marketing positions at global design and planning firm Gensler as well as at local Chicago-based firms. She also co-founded a waste reduction consultancy called Zero Waste Chicago. She is a Fitwel Ambassador, LEED Green Associate, and TRUE Advisor. Moira is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and lives in Chicago, IL with her husband and daughter. 

Michelle R. Kelly joined National Health Investors Inc. (“NHI”) in September 2017 and currently serves as Senior Vice President Investments. In this role, Michelle is responsible for identifying new business opportunities, managing existing client relationships and strengthening NHI’s brand throughout the industry.

Michelle has over 21 years of experience financing and investing in the senior housing and skilled nursing industries. Most recently, she spent over 6 years at Welltower Inc. beginning with a focus in asset management and transitioning to business development. Prior to joining Welltower, Michelle spent over 10 years at GE Capital in its Healthcare Financial Services business focused primarily on debt for seniors housing and skilled nursing. She held positions of increasing responsibility within underwriting, portfolio management and originations during her tenure at GE. Michelle began her career with Heller Financial as a member of its Associate Development Program, ultimately joining its healthcare real estate business.

Michelle was an inaugural member of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care Future Leaders Council and served as Chairperson of that organization from fall of 2011 to fall of 2012. Michelle earned her BS in Finance degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Prior to entering operations in Senior Housing, Sevy’s investment banking career spanned a decade of lending and structuring debt solutions for Senior Housing & Healthcare. She began her career in Public Finance at Natcity Investments and moved to Chicago as an SVP for 5/3 Securities. Later at Merrill Lynch Capital she focused solely on balance sheet lending in Senior Housing. In 2009, she and her family changed their career directions as they saw a larger need in the affordable and publicly funded sector, as the growing demands in senior housing lacked private pay funds.  

With her banking experience, she focused on identifying viable properties, producing lenders and investor pro forms & budgets that provided turn-around plans, including assistance in securing & structuring debt for the properties in areas that support alternatives to private-pay assisted living. 

Priority Life Care currently focuses on 3rd party management partnerships and provides all services available to our seniors in Independent, Assisted Living and Memory Care communities. Their focus historically has been on buildings that require significant turnaround that includes licensing, rehab, additions of specialty care units and census growth. These 12+ years of operational expertise has since lent to operations of new developments, receivership appointments by financial institutions and operations of high-end private pay market rate communities further expanding PLC’s focus of supporting Independence of Seniors throughout the country. 

As a family owned & operated business, she, her family, and management team have worked to create a family-centric model that permeates to the building level. Culture, career advancement & evolving training platforms are part of the cornerstone for co-workers who join the PLC team. 

As CEO, Sevy is also charged with leading the company in pursuit of its purpose to support independence. She strives to empower and inspire her management team as well as Community level employees to be mindful of the importance of their roles serving their residents in their homes daily. 

Matt Ruark is a Senior Vice President, Head of Commercial and Healthcare Mortgage Production in the Real Estate Capital Market Group of KeyBank. Additionally, Matt leads the Investor Placement team, which he started at Key in 2011. As Head of Commercial and Healthcare Mortgage Production, Mr. Ruark oversees multiple teams of mortgage bankers and analysts. The teams work with all of KeyBank’s corporate real estate offices nationally in the origination of permanent debt placements. These groups originated more than $4 billion of fixed and floating rate permanent mortgages in 2019. Matt is also part of the Commercial Mortgage Group’s management team.

Additional responsibilities internally at KeyBank include: Diversity & Inclusion Co-Champion for the Corporate Bank and Advisory Committee Member for the Commercial/Corporate Bank.

Mr. Ruark has worked in the Commercial Mortgage Banking industry for more than 20 years. Responsibilities throughout his career have included originating debt and equity financing for private and public real estate owners through relationships with a variety of capital sources, including insurance companies, investment banks, governmental agencies, commercial banks and credit institutions.

Mr. Ruark has served on the NIC Planning Committee for the past two years (2019, 2020). He has previously served on the Olathe Kansas Economic Development Council board, The Northeast Industrial Association board, Kansas City Industrial Council, and was an affiliate member of the Kansas City CCIM Chapter. Matt is a graduate of Kansas City’s Chamber of Commerce Centurion Leadership Program, and was recognized by Ingram’s magazine in 2007 as one of Kansas City’s “40 Under 40” business leaders.

Mr. Ruark earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska (Finance, major and Mathematics, minor), and an MBA from Rockhurst University (dual focus Finance and Marketing).

Doris-Ellie Sullivan is President of Retirement Unlimited, Inc., a senior living operator with a 21-community portfolio in Virginia and Florida. She came to the senior living industry by way of the U.S. Armed Services where she was a nurse.

Her history of service and dedication to those who need help have guided her throughout her time in senior living. Now, at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sullivan reflects on her journey and what it means to make change.

Brian T. Sunday – Mr. Sunday is a Managing Director at AEW and Senior Portfolio Manager for the AEW Senior Housing Investors fund series. In his role as Senior Portfolio Manager, he is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Funds and is a voting member of the Funds Investment Committee. Prior to assuming his role as Senior Portfolio Manager, Mr. Sunday was the Funds’ Portfolio Manager, where he assisted with all day-to-day management and operations of the Funds. Since joining the AEW Direct Investment acquisitions team in 2005, he has completed investments totaling over $3.0 billion in the seniors housing sector, including age-restricted, independent living, assisted living, and dementia care communities, in metropolitan markets throughout the U.S.

In addition to seniors housing, he has been involved in the acquisition of a wide variety of property types across the U.S. Before joining AEW, Mr. Sunday worked at AMC Delancey Group and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Sunday is a graduate of Villanova University (B.S.)   

Joseph Walker is the President of Larry H. Miller Senior Health. Prior to joining LHM, Joe served as Chief Strategy Officer of Advanced Health Care, a skilled nursing facility, home health, and hospice operator based out of Farmington, Utah. Joe holds a B.A. from Brigham Young University, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Joe and his wife, Jennifer, have six children and reside in Kaysville, Utah.

As senior managing director and head of living sectors for Cushman & Wakefield, Zach supports a team of nearly 125 professionals located throughout the U.S. His primary focus is driving growth initiatives for CWK’s living real estate sector through the advancement of client care, data analytics, product development and talent recruitment. Property types covered include apartments, affordable, co-living, manufactured housing, self-storage, student housing and senior living. 

With nearly twenty years of industry experience, Zach has completed over $75 billion in third-party valuation assignments throughout the U.S. Services provided include third-party market valuations, underwriting due-diligence, Net Asset Valuations (NAV) for non-traded REITs, market studies, and feasibility analyses of single assets to large portfolio transactions. 

Zach began his professional career in commercial real estate banking with First National Bank. In 2004, he began specializing exclusively in the appraisal of seniors housing real estate with HealthTrust, LLC. Zach joined CBRE in 2012 to launch a seniors housing & healthcare specialty practice and most recently was at JLL where he established their alternative real estate sectors for valuation advisory. 

Sebastian Brown oversees RSF’s senior housing group. Prior to joining RSF Partners, Mr. Brown was a Director of Asset Management with Hudson Americas, the asset management division of Lone Star Funds. During his tenure with Hudson, he managed more than $2 billion of assets, with experience in both real estate equity investments and distressed loans. Prior to Lone Star, Mr. Brown completed over 250 senior housing appraisals and market studies while at James Brown Associates, and he led over 100 acquisitions and development projects during his three-and-a-half years at Canyon Creek Development. Mr. Brown received a BS from Oregon State University in Science and has a professional designation of MAI with the Appraisal Institute. 

Kyle Gardner is the Chief Operating Officer of NIC MAP Vision where he oversees Accounting, Client Success, Data Initiatives, Sales, and Marketing. Kyle has been working with the senior housing industry for 6 years partnering with the largest operators, investors, developers, and lenders to move the industry forward with new technologies. Before entering the industry, Kyle worked in commercial banking and investor relations consulting. He earned his BSBA from Christopher Newport University with a focus in Finance, Economics, and Leadership. Outside of work, Kyle enjoys motorsports, cooking, and spending time with his family.

J. Justin Hutchens is the Executive Vice President, Senior Housing, North America for Ventas, Inc.

A member of the Ventas executive leadership team, Hutchens is responsible for the Company’s North American Senior Housing portfolio, which includes more than 700 properties that provide high-quality environments for approximately 60,000 seniors and represents 53% of the Company’s net operating income (NOI).

With more than 25 years of experience in the U.S. and the U.K. including successful C-suite operations in both publicly traded and private equity-backed investments, Hutchens joined Ventas from HC-One where he served as Chief Executive Officer. During his HC-One tenure, he led the company during a significant period of refinement and growth resulting in Britain’s largest residential and nursing care home operator with more than 300 communities in England, Scotland and Wales. Hutchens’s prior roles include serving as Chief Operating Officer of Emeritus, a senior living company that was the largest operator of assisted living in the U.S. during his tenure; Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and President of National Health Investors; and President of HCP (now Healthpeak Properties, Inc.). He began his career in senior care operations.

A frequent speaker on investment practices, company performance and senior housing and care operations, Hutchens was recognized in Forbes Magazine’s Top 20 “Most Powerful CEOs Age 40 and Under” list for four consecutive years.

Hutchens serves on the Board of Eclipse Senior Living (ESL). He earned his Bachelor of Science – Human Services from the University of Northern Colorado and his Masters of Science in Management from Regis University.

Mr. Jameeli is a Managing Director responsible for managing the acquisition and asset management activities of the company. Prior to IRA Capital, Mr. Jameeli was Vice President of Investments at Healthpeak (NYSE:PEAK), a publicly traded S&P 500 real estate investment trust (REIT), where he was responsible for managing all phases of investments and asset management function.

Prior to joining Healthpeak, Mr. Jameeli held various leadership responsibilities at Fortress Investment Group (NYSE:FIG) and Holiday Retirement (Fortress portfolio operating company with over 300 locations across US and Canada). Over his career, Mr. Jameeli has led over $10 billion in real estate and private equity transactions. Mr. Jameeli earned his Master in Business Administration from Willamette University, with honors.

Richard joined Yardi in April 2014 and serves as the Senior Director of the Senior Living Sales team. Prior to this, Rich worked at AgingCare.com, a website for family caregivers. Rich began his technology career supporting organizations such as the United Nations, NYSE, and Citigroup. Born and raised in New York City, Rich is married with two children.

Education:  

MBA Strategic Management, 1999 – Pace University, The Lubin School of Business – Strategic Management Concentration  

BS Business Management with Minor in Computer Technology, 1992 – College of Staten Island (City University of New York)  

Ryan is responsible for directing the company’s day-to-day operations and fiscal functions, overseeing business performance, investments, strategy and growth initiatives. In an effort to help residents in Living Life on Purpose®, Ryan guides the development and implementation of operational and financial strategies and systems, including planning and forecasting processes, financial analysis, sales & marketing, resident programming, facilities management, acquisitions and new developments projects. Prior to joining New Perspective Senior Living, Ryan served as Vice President of Equity Research for two multibillion-dollar financial services firms located in New York and Minnesota. Previously, Ryan was engaged in equity research, investment banking, and mergers and acquisitions at Piper Jaffray in Minnesota.

Ryan graduated from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota with a bachelor of arts in finance, and a minor in economics. He holds professional certificates from the Erickson School at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in the following disciplines of the Seniors Housing and Care executive education program: Seniors Housing Executive, Finance, Sales and Marketing. Ryan is active with industry associations and is a member of the Assisted Living Federation of America, CFO Executive Roundtable, and sits on the Operator Advisory Board for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing. 

Prior to entering operations in Senior Housing, Sevy’s investment banking career spanned a decade of lending and structuring debt solutions for Senior Housing & Healthcare. She began her career in Public Finance at Natcity Investments and moved to Chicago as an SVP for 5/3 Securities. Later at Merrill Lynch Capital she focused solely on balance sheet lending in Senior Housing. In 2009, she and her family changed their career directions as they saw a larger need in the affordable and publicly funded sector, as the growing demands in senior housing lacked private pay funds.

With her banking experience, she focused on identifying viable properties, producing lenders and investor pro forms & budgets that provided turn-around plans, including assistance in securing & structuring debt for the properties in areas that support alternatives to private-pay assisted living.

Priority Life Care currently focuses on 3rd party management partnerships and provides all services available to our seniors in Independent, Assisted Living and Memory Care communities. Their focus historically has been on buildings that require significant turnaround that includes licensing, rehab, additions of specialty care units and census growth. These 12+ years of operational expertise has since lent to operations of new developments, receivership appointments by financial institutions and operations of high-end private pay market rate communities further expanding PLC’s focus of supporting Independence of Seniors throughout the country.

As a family owned & operated business, she, her family, and management team have worked to create a family-centric model that permeates to the building level. Culture, career advancement & evolving training platforms are part of the cornerstone for co-workers who join the PLC team.<p>As CEO, Sevy is also charged with leading the company in pursuit of its purpose to support independence. She strives to empower and inspire her management team as well as Community level employees to be mindful of the importance of their roles serving their residents in their homes daily. 

Ms. Sweeney is responsible for setting and directing Blue Moon Capital Partner’s investment strategies and jointly responsible, with Co-founder Susan Barlow, for setting the firm’s long-term strategic direction and the interim tactical plans. Ms. Sweeney is Chairperson of Blue Moon’s Advisory Board and a member of the Management and Investment Committees. She has been an active investment advisor and manager in the senior housing industry since 1997.

Prior to forming Blue Moon, Kathryn was Principal at Great Point Investors where she was responsible for strategy development of the Firm’s senior housing investment business. Previous to Great Point, Kathryn was Managing Director of The GPT Group’s US senior housing portfolio. GPT Group is one of Australia’s largest diversified listed property groups. Kathryn’s senior housing career began with AEW Capital Management, when in 1997 she began investing development capital on behalf of opportunistic investors and ultimately became the senior housing portfolio manager at AEW for the CalPERS senior housing separate account.

Early in her career Kathryn worked for The Boston Company Real Estate Counsel, one of the pioneers of the institutional real estate investment business. Kathryn served on the NIC Board of Directors for seven years and as Chairperson for two years. Kathryn also serves on the Board of Directors of Vi Living.

Kathryn earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics at Boston University and a certificate in Risk Management and Strategic Decisions from Stanford University. Blue Moon Capital Partners was formed in 2013 by Kathryn Sweeney and Susan Barlow to invest across the risk/return spectrum with leading senior housing operating partners. Providing private equity capital, Blue Moon seeks to partner with leading operators to provide and sustain next generation senior living environments.

Jay is a Senior Managing Director and Seniors Housing Group Leader at JLL Capital Markets. Mr. Wagner joined the company in 2023 and is responsible for all Senior Housing related Capital Markets activities including, investment sales, equity joint ventures, and debt financings. During his career Jay has overseen over 375 transactions, representing more than $20 billion of investments/financings.

Prior to JLL, Mr. Wagner led Cushman & Wakefields Senior Housing Capital Markets team. Prior to that he served as a Vice President at Boston-based Pappas Enterprises, Inc., a commercial and residential developer, where he was responsible for acquisitions as well as all corporate and real estate related financing activities. Prior to Pappas, he served as a Director with CIBC World Markets’ New York based Structured Finance and Leveraged Finance teams, where he worked in an advisory capacity helping to develop capital markets strategies with the firm’s large corporate and public sector clients in North America, Europe and Asia.

Mr. Wagner holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Columbia University. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and sits on the Lifestyle Residential Development Council – +55 and on the Boston/New England Market Council. He is a Rising Leader with the American Senior Housing Association. Mr. Wagner serves on the Finance Committee as a Trustee for Hebrew Senior Life, the third largest non-profit system in Massachusetts. He resides in Newton, MA with his wife and four children.

Lauren Wilson has a diverse work experience spanning multiple industries. Lauren is currently serving as the VP of Sales and Marketing at TSOLife. Prior to this, they worked at iN2L as the Director of Enterprise Sales, where they held positions such as Director of Enterprise Accounts. Lauren also worked at Relatient as an Enterprise Sales Executive. In addition, they held roles at West — TeleVox Solutions as an Enterprise Sales Executive and Medical Sales Executive. Lauren also worked at LexisNexis Risk Solutions as a Strategic Account Executive, where they managed a suite of data and predictive analytic solutions to support population health management. Earlier in their career, Lauren worked at Intel Corporation as a Senior Marketing Buyer and Buyer/Planner, and at E. & J. Gallo Winery as a Key Account Sales Representative.

Lauren Wilson attended the University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business, where they pursued a double major in Marketing and Business Administration Management. Lauren obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in these fields, although no specific start or end years were mentioned.

Holly Ballarotto is Chief of Staff at Brandywine Living. Brandywine is the leading provider of luxury senior living in the Mid-Atlantic region, including assisted living, independent living, and memory care. Holly is a member of Brandywine’s Executive Committee and is actively involved in a wide range of business activities impacting company operations and growth, including sales and marketing, recruitment, workforce training and education, new community development, and more. She also leads numerous corporate branding initiatives, expanding and managing the company’s website and social media presence.

Holly graduated with a B.S. in Recreation and Leisure Studies from the University of Georgia, following which she began her career working in guest relations at the Ritz Carlton. She went on to join the Event Services Team at SmithBucklin, an association management company, where Argentum (formerly ALFA), the largest national senior living industry association, became one of her key clients.

Today, Holly is an active participant in Argentum as a member of the LEAD Steering Committee and Women in Leadership Committee. She is also a member of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) where she was recently selected to the Future Leaders Council.

As NIC’s president, Ray Braun oversees overall strategy, volunteer leadership governance, organizational performance, culture, and mission delivery.

Prior to joining NIC, Mr. Braun served as the Dean of the Allen W. and Carol M. Schmidthorst College of Business at Bowling Green State University where headed all aspects of the college’s vision, strategic direction, planning, operations, and budgeting. Prior to his deanship, Mr. Braun served as the president and CEO of Cogdell Spencer and president of Health Care REIT, Inc. (now Welltower) where he was inducted into the Stifel Nicolaus Senior Housing & Healthcare Real Estate Hall of Fame.

Additionally, Mr. Braun served as a board member to NIC during 2000 – 2007 serving as its chair for the last two years of his term. During his term, he served as the NIC MAP Task Force Co-chair, helping to bring data transparency to the sector.

Mr. Braun holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting & Economics from Bowling Green State University.

Lawrence Brin is a Managing Director in MidCap’s Real Estate Lending group. He joined MidCap at its inception in 2008 and focuses on underwriting and executing healthcare real estate transactions. Prior to joining MidCap, Lawrence was a member of the real estate underwriting team of Merrill Lynch Capital Healthcare Finance, and subsequently GE Capital Healthcare Financial Services after its acquisition of Merrill Lynch Capital. He also worked as an underwriter in the structured finance group at CapitalSource Inc. Lawrence began his career practicing corporate law at the New York law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. He holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and a B.A. with Honors in English from the University of Michigan.

Kai was previously Senior Managing Director – Senior Housing Properties at HCP Inc. (NYSE: HCP) a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that invests primarily in real estate serving the healthcare industry.

Prior to HCP, Kai served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Holiday Retirement, the second largest senior housing operator in the United States, growing the company’s occupancy, NOI and EBITDA through organic growth and acquisitions, recapitalizing the company through triple net and third-party management transactions, and centralizing operationally intensive functions.

During his tenure at Holiday, Kai held several leadership positions, including overseeing operations, field support functions, acquisitions and new business strategy. Previous to Holiday, Kai worked at Macerich (NYSE: MAC), a retail REIT, where he worked in operations, marketing, and both ground up developments and redevelopments. And prior to Macerich, Kai worked at world-renown spa resort, Canyon Ranch, where he focused on new hospitality and real estate developments.

Kai serves as a member on the Argentum (previously known as the Assisted Living Federation of America, ALFA) Board of Directors and is on the Executive Board of the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA). He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Arizona.

Eclipse Senior Living is a national 3rd party manager of Independent, Assisted and Memory Care communities across the United States under various brands, including Elmcroft and Embark.

As President of Belmont Village Senior Living, Mercedes Kerr is responsible for the performance and expansion of the company’s premier portfolio, the growth and opportunity of its employees and the care and satisfaction of its residents. A well-recognized health care and real estate professional, Ms. Kerr has more than 20 years of experience in the seniors housing sector.

Prior to joining Belmont Village in 2019, she was Executive Vice President of Welltower, Inc., where she worked for more than a decade to establish enduring healthcare partnerships to build innovative, wellness-focused care delivery. Prior to her time at Welltower, Ms. Kerr was Vice President of Acquisitions at HCP, Inc. for nearly 10 years. Before joining HCP, she was a member of the consulting division of Ernst & Young LLP. Ms. Kerr has served on boards of leading national and state organizations dedicated to setting policy and standards for seniors housing and care. She was recently named to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Master Plan for Aging Stakeholder Advisory Committee. Ms. Kerr began her career in real estate development in her native Mexico. She is a graduate with honors from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara and earned a Master of Real Estate Development degree from the University of Southern California.

Maria Nadelstumph is the Senior Vice President of the Brandywine Center of Excellence for Brandywine Living, a market leader in luxury senior living, including assisted living, memory care and independent living. Since joining the company in 1999, Maria supported the company’s strategic growth through development and acquisitions and service line development, such as, the company’s signature memory care program (Reflections) and its strategic healthcare partnerships with several major health systems.

Maria successfully developed and leads the Brandywine Center of Excellence, a companywide program and business unit designed to increase workforce development and retention, leadership training and engagement, quality assurance, acquisition and integration initiatives, and service line innovation throughout the company’s 32 community portfolio across seven states (PA, NJ, NY, CT, DE, MD & VA). As an active member of Argentum, Maria assisted in the development of the Executive Director Certification, Standards for Senior Living and serves as Chair of the Memory Care Executive Round Table. She has an M.A. in Organizational Development and B. S. in Therapeutic Recreation and Gerontology. ​ 

Ms. Nickels is a Senior Vice President focused exclusively on supporting the acquisition and asset management activities of the healthcare business of Artemis. She is responsible for the acquisition of both stabilized and opportunistic investments, as well as asset management of the firm’s healthcare assets. Ms. Nickels is based in Atlanta, GA.

Ms. Nickels has 9 years of experience in underwriting and acquisition of healthcare real estate and post-acute healthcare businesses. Previously, Ms. Nickels served in an acquisitions role for Formation Capital, most recently as a Vice President. She was involved in closing over $1.8 billion in transactions while with Formation. Prior to 2012, she worked in real estate acquisitions and development across all major asset classes including healthcare, first as an acquisitions Analyst for The JBG Companies and later as an Associate in the US Fund Investment Management group for J.E. Robert Companies (JER Partners).

Ms. Nickels attended the University of Virginia, where she received a BS in Commerce with concentrations in Finance and Management from the McIntire School of Commerce. Ms. Nickels is also an active member of the Future Leaders Council for the National Investment Center for the Senior Housing and Care Industry (NIC).

Kurt Read, Principal, RSF Partners, oversees RSF’s fund and corporate development. RSF is a real estate private equity firm that is actively investing its latest fund, RSF Partners VII ($450 million in committed equity), in senior living and opportunistic commercial real estate. Over the past two decades RSF has managed over $1B in equity commitments in seven discretionary funds. Mr. Read has opportunistically invested in operating intensive real estate assets and companies for over 30 years and has been a director of a number of private and public senior living and hospitality companies including the Forum Group, Inc., Omega Healthcare, Inc. and Bristol Hotels and Resorts.

Mr. Read is the immediate past chair of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care (NIC) Board and is Chairman of the Board of NIC MAP Vision, the leading data provider to the senior living industry.

John P. Rijos is a Co-Founder/Operating Partner of Chicago Pacific Founders, a private equity firm that specializes in investments across the healthcare spectrum with offices in Chicago and San Francisco. He is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CPF Living Communities, their seniors housing subsidiary. Prior to that, Mr. Rijos spent thirteen years as Co-President and Chief Operating Officer of Brookdale Senior Living, Inc., the largest senior living company in the United States. During his tenure, the company grew from 22 communities to approximately 650 communities serving residents in independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and large campus continuous care retirement communities.

Prior to Brookdale, Mr. Rijos spent 20 years as President and Chief Operating Officer of Lane Hospitality, owner and operator of more than 40 hotels and resorts and its affiliate, High Country Corporation. During that time, he spent three years as Chairman of ITT Sheraton’s Owners Council.

During his distinguished career, Mr. Rijos has served on numerous boards and advisory committees in senior living and universities. He is Chairman Emeritus of the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) and is a founding board member of the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures. He has also recently been elected to the Board of the National Investment Center (NIC). He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in hotel administration and has a CHA designation.

Kenneth C. Segarnick is Chief Corporate Officer of Brandywine Living, a premier provider of high-end senior living, including assisted living, memory care, and independent living. As a member of Brandywine’s executive management team, Ken oversees operational and enterprise growth of the company’s platform – currently expanding to 30 communities in seven states with capacity to serve over 3,000 residents.

Ken has guided the company through substantial portfolio growth; during his tenure, Brandywine has more than tripled in size and established its position as a brand leader for quality and hospitality-driven senior living services throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Previously the predecessor company’s Assistant General Counsel, Ken rose to Managing Director of Business Development & General Counsel in 2006, and played a key role in reshaping the business by facilitating an exit of the skilled nursing and ancillary service divisions to increase concentration in the private pay sector. Ken assumed his current role in 2010 upon the closing of Brandywine’s initial venture with Welltower, Inc. (NYSE: WELL), an S&P 500 company, and recapitalization of the company’s former primary stockholder, Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm.

Prior to Brandywine, Ken practiced law with the Philadelphia law firm of Dilworth Paxson, before joining United Messaging, a venture backed enterprise email hosting and solutions provider. As United Messaging’s Vice President & General Counsel, Ken developed an expertise in the then-burgeoning area of workplace email privacy and testified before the U.S. Congress on privacy legislation.

Ken is chair of the Operator Advisory Board for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) and a member of the NIC Board of Directors. He is also past co-chair of the planning committee for the NIC Spring Investment Forum, a premier industry conference attracting over 1,400 senior care and financing executives. Ken holds a B.A. and J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

Lucinda (“Cindy”) Baier is the President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board of Directors of Brookdale Senior Living, the nation’s premier operator of senior living communities. As of year-end 2020, the $3.5 billion company operates nearly 700 senior living communities and has the ability to serve approximately 60,000 residents through its independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s and other dementia care, and continuing care retirement communities and through its comprehensive network of services. The company’s 40,000+ employees are taking care of America’s seniors and, in 2020, Fortune magazine ranked Brookdale as one of the top 200 largest publicly listed employers in the country.

Ms. Baier became Brookdale’s President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board of Directors on February 28, 2018. From the beginning, she initiated the company’s operational turnaround strategy and developed the “Winning Locally” action plan. Within her second year, the company’s Net Promoter Score® increased 20%. In her third year as CEO in 2020, J.D. Power recognized the company as #1 in customer satisfaction (in a tie) in assisted living/memory care communities. As CEO, she led the company through the largest public health crisis in 100 years by prioritizing the health and well-being of its residents, patients, and associates. She focused the company’s efforts on increasing diversity, including the Board and executive leadership team approaching gender parity in 2020.

Ms. Baier led Brookdale’s efforts to negotiate and restructure leases with its largest three REIT partners. She led the company through the sale of assets, including Brookdale’s interest in the unconsolidated entry CCRC ventures and the majority share of its home health, hospice, and outpatient therapy business. These deals unlocked significant value for Brookdale and shareholders. In 2022 Baier published her first book Heroes Work Here: An Extraordinary Story of Courage, Resilience, and Hope from the front lines of COVID-19 in which she shares how she and her team led Brookdale through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ms. Baier has served more than a decade as a board member for public and private companies. Currently, she is on the board of directors of Argentum, the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), and the Nashville Health Care Council, where she serves as Vice-Chair. She is a member of the NYSE Board Advisory Council, which identifies and connects diverse board candidates to NYSE-listed companies seeking new directors, and serves on the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Board.

A number of organizations have recognized Ms. Baier. Some of her awards and honors include Amazon Best Selling Author, CEO Forum Group’s 2021 Top 10 CEOs Transforming Healthcare in America; Nashville Medical News’ Class of 2021 “Women to Watch ”; Corporate Citizenship 2020 Award from the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board; one of McKnight’s 2020 “Women of Distinction”; and Nashville Business Journal’s “Most Admired CEO” list for two consecutive years.

Before becoming CEO of Brookdale, Ms. Baier was the company’s Chief Financial Officer beginning in December 2015. In addition to experience as a seasoned chief financial officer for several companies, she has been responsible for multi-billion-dollar operations, the chief executive officer for a publicly-traded retailer, and served as an executive officer of a Fortune 30 company.

Ms. Baier is a Certified Public Accountant and a graduate of Illinois State University, with Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Accounting.

Holly Ballarotto is Chief of Staff at Brandywine Living. Brandywine is the leading provider of luxury senior living in the Mid-Atlantic region, including assisted living, independent living, and memory care. Holly is a member of Brandywine’s Executive Committee and is actively involved in a wide range of business activities impacting company operations and growth, including sales and marketing, recruitment, workforce training and education, new community development, and more. She also leads numerous corporate branding initiatives, expanding and managing the company’s website and social media presence.

Holly graduated with a B.S. in Recreation and Leisure Studies from the University of Georgia, following which she began her career working in guest relations at the Ritz Carlton. She went on to join the Event Services Team at SmithBucklin, an association management company, where Argentum (formerly ALFA), the largest national senior living industry association, became one of her key clients.

Today, Holly is an active participant in Argentum as a member of the LEAD Steering Committee and Women in Leadership Committee. She is also a member of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) where she was recently selected to the Future Leaders Council.

Kai was previously Senior Managing Director – Senior Housing Properties at HCP Inc. (NYSE: HCP) a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that invests primarily in real estate serving the healthcare industry.

Prior to HCP, Kai served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Holiday Retirement, the second largest senior housing operator in the United States, growing the company’s occupancy, NOI and EBITDA through organic growth and acquisitions, recapitalizing the company through triple net and third-party management transactions, and centralizing operationally intensive functions.

During his tenure at Holiday, Kai held several leadership positions, including overseeing operations, field support functions, acquisitions and new business strategy. Previous to Holiday, Kai worked at Macerich (NYSE: MAC), a retail REIT, where he worked in operations, marketing, and both ground up developments and redevelopments. And prior to Macerich, Kai worked at world-renown spa resort, Canyon Ranch, where he focused on new hospitality and real estate developments.

Kai serves as a member on the Argentum (previously known as the Assisted Living Federation of America, ALFA) Board of Directors and is on the Executive Board of the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA). He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Arizona.

Eclipse Senior Living is a national 3rd party manager of Independent, Assisted and Memory Care communities across the United States under various brands, including Elmcroft and Embark.

Lynne Katzmann is Founder and President of Juniper Communities, which invests in, develops and manages senior living and long-term care communities. With 20 properties in four states and more than 1200 employees, Juniper, has $65 million in revenues. Celebrating its 27th Anniversary, Juniper is ranked #14 by Crain’s New York on its Top 50 ranking of woman-owned companies for the New York tri-state area. Juniper is the only woman- founded, owned and led business among the top 40 national assisted living companies. Katzmann launched the business when she was 32, with six years’ experience in the health care industry and a PhD in economics. An active leader in the social entrepreneurship movement at its beginning, she was a firm believer in the so-called double bottom line: doing well by doing good.

Katzmann leads an organization known for resident-centered, personalized care. Juniper’s priorities and its many award-winning innovations are consistent with her belief: “Aging and its challenges are a natural part of our life cycle. Quality of life in this third stage should be enjoyed to its fullest according to each person’s choosing. There is no reason that a frail body should not allow a life of joy and meaning.” Katzmann has been involved in the health care industry for almost 30 years, working in the public and private sectors in the United States and Europe. ​

Ms. Nickels is a Senior Vice President focused exclusively on supporting the acquisition and asset management activities of the healthcare business of Artemis. She is responsible for the acquisition of both stabilized and opportunistic investments, as well as asset management of the firm’s healthcare assets. Ms. Nickels is based in Atlanta, GA.

Ms. Nickels has 9 years of experience in underwriting and acquisition of healthcare real estate and post-acute healthcare businesses. Previously, Ms. Nickels served in an acquisitions role for Formation Capital, most recently as a Vice President. She was involved in closing over $1.8 billion in transactions while with Formation. Prior to 2012, she worked in real estate acquisitions and development across all major asset classes including healthcare, first as an acquisitions Analyst for The JBG Companies and later as an Associate in the US Fund Investment Management group for J.E. Robert Companies (JER Partners).

Ms. Nickels attended the University of Virginia, where she received a BS in Commerce with concentrations in Finance and Management from the McIntire School of Commerce. Ms. Nickels is also an active member of the Future Leaders Council for the National Investment Center for the Senior Housing and Care Industry (NIC).

Matt Ruark is a Senior Vice President, Head of Commercial and Healthcare Mortgage Production in the Real Estate Capital Market Group of KeyBank. Additionally, Matt leads the Investor Placement team, which he started at Key in 2011. As Head of Commercial and Healthcare Mortgage Production, Mr. Ruark oversees multiple teams of mortgage bankers and analysts. The teams work with all of KeyBank’s corporate real estate offices nationally in the origination of permanent debt placements. These groups originated more than $4 billion of fixed and floating rate permanent mortgages in 2019. Matt is also part of the Commercial Mortgage Group’s management team.

Additional responsibilities internally at KeyBank include: Diversity & Inclusion Co-Champion for the Corporate Bank and Advisory Committee Member for the Commercial/Corporate Bank.

Mr. Ruark has worked in the Commercial Mortgage Banking industry for more than 20 years. Responsibilities throughout his career have included originating debt and equity financing for private and public real estate owners through relationships with a variety of capital sources, including insurance companies, investment banks, governmental agencies, commercial banks and credit institutions.

Mr. Ruark has served on the NIC Planning Committee for the past two years (2019, 2020). He has previously served on the Olathe Kansas Economic Development Council board, The Northeast Industrial Association board, Kansas City Industrial Council, and was an affiliate member of the Kansas City CCIM Chapter. Matt is a graduate of Kansas City’s Chamber of Commerce Centurion Leadership Program, and was recognized by Ingram’s magazine in 2007 as one of Kansas City’s “40 Under 40” business leaders.

Mr. Ruark earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska (Finance, major and Mathematics, minor), and an MBA from Rockhurst University (dual focus Finance and Marketing).

Jennifer Wong is a Vice President – Acquisitions at AEW Capital Management, responsible for sourcing, underwriting, structuring, negotiating, and managing AEW’s investments in the Senior Housing fund series. Ms. Wong is responsible for the acquisition of both stabilized and opportunistic investments. Prior to AEW, Ms. Wong was an acquisitions officer at Bain Capital and Harvard Management Company, where she invested in and asset managed several major property types including senior housing, life science, hotel, retail, industrial, and student housing totaling over $1bn in acquisition value. Ms. Wong also held the role of Director of Finance of the Altamarea Group where she developed and opened ten restaurants globally in NYC, Hong Kong, London, and Istanbul. Ms. Wong began her career at Goldman Sachs as an investment banking analyst in the real estate group, where she was involved in the restructuring of Sunrise Senior Living and managed a sell-side process of a $200m AL/MC portfolio.

Ms. Wong attended Cornell University, where she received a BS with Distinction. Ms. Wong is a member of the Women’s Leadership Initiative at the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

Lawrence Brin is a Managing Director in MidCap’s Real Estate Lending group. He joined MidCap at its inception in 2008 and focuses on underwriting and executing healthcare real estate transactions. Prior to joining MidCap, Lawrence was a member of the real estate underwriting team of Merrill Lynch Capital Healthcare Finance, and subsequently GE Capital Healthcare Financial Services after its acquisition of Merrill Lynch Capital. He also worked as an underwriter in the structured finance group at CapitalSource Inc. Lawrence began his career practicing corporate law at the New York law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. He holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and a B.A. with Honors in English from the University of Michigan.

Bre Grubbs is Leisure Care’s Chief Strategy Office as well as a Partner in the company. In her current role, Bre guides strategy for Leisure Care’s business development, sales and marketing, and human resource initiatives. Her focus is on collaboration with all company disciplines and external partners, guiding her teams in utilizing data, market research, and community-level experiences to maximize performance and drive responsible growth. Leisure Care’s philosophy of making a positive impact on the company’s residents, families, employees, and business partners is a driving force in all Bre does. She’s extended this philosophy to her contributions outside of the office as well, with the goal of sharing the career opportunities that existing in senior living with a broader audience. In support of these endeavors, she is Chair Emeritus of the Steering Committee for Washington State’s Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living, the first operations-focused, hospitality-guided senior living program in the US.

She is also actively involved with the NIC, serving on the Fall Conference Planning Committee and the Future Leader’s Oversight Committee. Outside of work, Bre can be found at a baseball field, watching her teenage son play or taking in a Mariner’s game with her family.   

Chuck Harry is responsible for guiding all of NIC?s research efforts, including the analysis function of the NIC MAP® Data & Analysis Service. As a managing director of NIC and a member of its Executive Team, Chuck ensures that NIC is delivering on its mission of facilitating informed investment in the seniors hosing and care industry. Prior to joining NIC in 2010, Chuck worked in the Global Capital Markets Group of Cushman & Wakefield, where he held the positions of managing director, Investment Strategies, and managing director, Analytics. His 25+ year career is comprised of institutional investment management across the various property types with an emphasis on the apartment/multifamily sector. Early on in positions with both RREEF (now Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management) and Metric/SSR Realty Advisors (now BlackRock), he helped solidify the apartment sector as one of the core property types for institutional investors.

At the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF), where he was director of real estate, Chuck expanded the association?s product lines with new indices and developed public outreach as well as market education programs. At Cushman & Wakefield, in addition to forecasting and monitoring economic and real estate market trends, he helped establish global infrastructures to facilitate cross-border transactions and the firm’s emerging investment management operations. Chuck received his Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his Bachelor of City Planning from the University of Virginia?s School of Architecture.

Bob Kramer is Co-founder, former CEO, and now Strategic Advisor at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). He is also the Founder and Fellow of Nexus Insights, a thought leadership platform dedicated to the dissemination of ideas and models that challenge the status quo and contribute to the transformation of housing and aging services for older adults. He is broadly recognized as one of senior living’s most influential and high profile thought leaders and connectors. With over 35 years of industry leadership, he has earned the reputation of “agent provocateur” in the seniors housing and care industry. Mr. Kramer has been described as an “ice-cutter” and scout in identifying industries and trends that will disrupt the future of seniors housing, aging services and aging more broadly.

In 1991, Mr. Kramer co-founded NIC to advance access and choice in seniors housing and care by attracting capital to grow the sector. Under his leadership, NIC became the go-to resource for data and analytics for the rapidly expanding seniors housing and care industry and an acknowledged thought leader for new ideas and trends impacting the provision of housing, services and care for older adults. He stepped out of the CEO role in 2017 and continues to serve NIC in the role of Strategic Advisor.

In 2019, Mr. Kramer conceived of and championed “The Forgotten Middle,” a landmark study of the health and socioeconomic status of middle-income adults who will be 75+ in 2029 and their ability to afford private pay senior housing and care. The report on the study, published in Health Affairs, was the 5th most read article appearing in this leading health policy monthly journal in 2019.

In April 2020, Mr. Kramer launched Nexus Insights to “rethink aging from every angle.” The organization engages a network of leading thinkers and thinking leaders to develop provocative insights and actionable models to catalyze the next generation of housing and aging services.

Mr. Kramer was educated at Harvard and Oxford Universities and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary.

Mr. Lessard became the Chief Operating Officer of Belmont Village Senior Living in April 2015. He has 20 years of experience with the company in operations, investments and finance. Belmont is a national developer, owner and operator of high-end senior living communities that offer independent living, assisted living and memory care services on a monthly rental basis. Belmont is backed by institutional capital and currently operates 28 communities in seven states.      

Prior to joining Belmont, Mr. Lessard spent six years in Public Accounting and Internal Audit and held various roles in the real estate, education and healthcare industries. Mr. Lessard received his BS in Business Administration from Arizona State University in 1983.    

Mr. Lessard currently serves as a member of the NIC Future Leaders Council Oversight Committee and CALA Board members.  

Susannah Myerson is a Director in Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.’s Senior Housing Finance (“SHF”) group, a specialized lending division that provides financial products and services to senior housing owners and operators. She joined the group in 2015 and is primarily responsible for underwriting loan opportunities and working with clients to evaluate property performance, understand local market conditions, and project future cash flows. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Ms. Myerson served as a Vice President of ProMatura, a leading research and consulting firm specializing in the aging market. She also worked in the areas of finance and development for more than 12 years with national senior housing providers including Watermark Retirement Communities and Sunrise Senior Living.

Ms. Myerson has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Arizona. She is a past member of the Future Leaders Council of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care (NIC) and continues to be a volunteer leader with NIC. She lives in Tucson, AZ and is also an active volunteer with organizations such as Southern Arizona Senior Pride and The Friends of the Pima County Library. When not at work, Ms. Myerson can usually be found outside hiking, attending college basketball games, or spending time with her partner and two sons.