People in the news, March 9 – Companies

Holland Home announces leadership promotions

Grand Rapids, MI-based senior living and care nonprofit Holland Home has announced several promotions among its executive leadership team.

Troy Vugteveen, former executive vice president of operations, has been promoted to chief operating officer. He has been with the organization for seven years.

David Tiesenga will transition from chief financial officer to chief strategy officer, effective in April. He has been with the organization for 35 years. In his new position, he will oversee the strategic planning process while being a resource to the senior executive leadership team.

Adam Kinder, director of finance, has been promoted to chief financial officer, effective in April. He has been with Holland Home since 2016. Previously, Kinder was the director of finance and interim CFO at Agility Health. Before that, he was an audit manager at Crowe LLP. Kinder is a certified public accountant and a member of several national, state and local associations.

Steve Quist, director of accounting, has been promoted to vice president of finance, effective in April. He has more than 12 years of progressive financial experience with Holland Home. The two positions of director of finance and director of accounting are being combined into this new position.

Rene Wheaton has been named executive vice president of home- and community-based services and will succeed Carolyn Flietstra, who is retiring in May. Wheaton has been with the organization since 2003 and was the executive director of Faith Hospice. She has 28 years of home health and hospice experience and holds a nursing home administrator license.

Pines Village Retirement Communities names Martin Sonnenberg CEO

Martin Sonnenberg has been selected to serve as CEO of Pines Village Retirement Communities, a nonprofit retirement community in Valparaiso, IN. The appointment is effective April 1.

Sonnenberg succeeds acting CEO Denise Schroeder and CEO Emerita Laurie Mullet, whose tenure at Pines Village ran from 1997 to 2021.

Sonnenberg has spent more than 15 years of his career in senior leadership roles, including CEO, president and chief operating officer at Task Force Tips. In that time, he also gained experience in human resources, information technology and strategic planning.

Sonnenberg earned his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting at Valparaiso University, going on to further his education at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2011 and the advanced management program of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 2016.

Transforming Age names Jeff Slichta executive vice president of housing, hospitality

Jeff Slichta was named executive vice president of housing and hospitality for Bellevue, WA-based senior living provider Transforming Age.

In his new role, he will be responsible for Transforming Age’s market rate division, which includes senior rental and continuing care retirement communities.

Slichta brings more than 25 years of senior living leadership experience. He joins Transforming Age after 10 years with Sunrise Senior Living, where he was senior vice president of housing for the West Division, responsible for 150 senior living communities, 15,000 residents and 13,000 employees. There, he spearheaded initiatives to enhance employee experience and resident satisfaction.

Grace Point Place appoints Allison Rackow as executive director

Allison Rackow has been appointed executive director for Grace Point Place, an Anthem Memory Care community in Oak Lawn, IL.

Rackow previously was executive director at Sunrise of Palos Park, Palos Park, IL. She also previously held positions as associate executive director for Sunrise at Fountain Square, Lombard, IL, and as executive director at ResCare Premier Illinois.

Avalon Park names Meghan Schmitz director of resident services

Meghan Schmitz has been named director of resident services of Avalon Park, an Avalon Park Senior Living independent living community opening this summer in Cottleville, MO.

In her new role, Schmitz will be responsible for achieving and maintaining resident census goals and facilitating the transition of residents into the new community, which is for active adults aged 62 or more years.

She has more than 17 years in the senior living industry, with experience ranging from marketing new construction projects to helping seniors do well in community life.

Watermark at Brooklyn Heights names Mariany Colombo business office director

Mariany Colombo has been named business office director of  Brooklyn, NY-based luxury senior community The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights, part of the Elan Collection managed by Watermark Retirement Communities. The community opened in October.

Colombo will manage the billing and collection systems and will be responsible for preparing monthly statements and reviewing operating finances. She also will assist in prospect conversion and member retention through training and  supervision of the concierge team.

Before joining Watermark at Brooklyn Heights, Colombo was the business office manager and human resources director for The Fountains at Rivervue, a Watermark community in Tuckahoe, NY. Before that, she was a business director at Atria Senior Living.

Legacy Healthcare Services appoints Joe Sardoni as Florida regional director

Joe Sardoni has been named Florida regional director of business development by Raleigh, NC-based national therapy services provider Legacy Healthcare Services.

Sardoni brings more than 40 years of experience in the healthcare industry to his new position, with more than 20 years of experience specifically in business development. He will be responsible for capturing new business opportunities in Florida.

Sardoni most recently was director of business development for HCA Hospitals, where he sought new business opportunities for the company’s behavioral health initiatives for alignment with the hospital to help build census. Before that, he served the industry in roles focused primarily in senior care.

Legacy Healthcare Services is a therapist-driven provider of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and wellness services for assisted living, independent living and memory care providers.

Benedictine executives Becky Urbanski, Patricia Nott announce retirements

Two Benedictine executives have announced their upcoming retirements from the Minneapolis, MN-based Catholic, mission-based network of Catholic senior living communities and senior care services.

Becky Urbanski, Ed.D., senior vice president for mission integration and marketing at Benedictine, plans to retire July 1. 

During her time at Benedictine, Urbanski served as resident brand expert, leading the 2003 initiative to move Benedictine from a collection of individual brands to Bendictine’s name and brand architecture change. She has represented Benedictine at the national level for organizations, such as Catholic Health Association, where she served on two committees, published articles for “Health Progress” magazine, and provided presentations on long-term care mission integration.

Patricia Nott, senior vice president for people development, will retire May 31.

During her time at Benedictine, Nott has redesigned the department redesign, revised the employee welfare benefits package, implemented an online benefits enrollment process, created an international RN recruitment program and a new education department, led the annual fall conference, revised human resource policies, published the first comprehensive employee handbook, streamlined benefits administration for all communities, and developed and implemented a centralized recruitment program.

Landis Homes board adds three members 

Lititz, PA-based Landis Homes, an affiliate of Landis Communities and home to 850 residents, has appointed three new members to its board of directors: Janet Brenneman; Lisa Clark, RN, BSN; and Gerald Horst.

Brenneman, a resident of Landis Homes, is a retired pastor who was a mission worker in Honduras and Guatemala for most of her career. She has served on several boards and currently serves on the advisory board for SEMILLA, Latin American Anabaptist Seminary, where she taught.

Clark is a registered nurse at University of Pennsylvania / LG Health in the Community and Corporate Health Wellness Center. She worked at Landis Homes early in her career.

Horst is president and owner of residential home builder Horst & Son. He has served on various nonprofit boards and is now serving on the Goshen College Board.

The new board members will join Board Chair Daniel Mast.

Ziegler appoints Linda MacDonald to Healthcare Advisory Committee

Linda L. MacDonald has been appointed to specialty investment banker Ziegler’s Healthcare Advisory Committee. The committee is an independent group of industry experts who help advance the firm’s growth strategies and diverse practice areas within the healthcare services and information technology sectors.

MacDonald is senior vice president and corporate treasury officer of Spectrum Health System. She is responsible for asset and liability management for the West Michigan-based not-for-profit integrated health system. She also is the primary representative of Spectrum Health to the financial and investment community.

Creating Results names Travis Bridges account director

Travis Bridges has been named account director for Woodbridge, VA-based marketing agency Creating Results.

Bridges brings 17 years of experience in client service in technology, problem-solving and communication. He began his career as a media buyer at PlattForm Advertising (now Thruline Marketing). He previously was marketing manager at Staples Promotional Products, marketing and merchandising specialist at Spyder/SM Products and email marketing specialist at DEG. He most recently was an account director at GlynnDevins.

Bridges has experience working with continuing care retirement / life plan communities, life care communities, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, rental communities and blue-sky expansion projects.