Speakers

Get to know the Virtual Executive Director Leadership Institute speakers.

JoAnne Carlin, MSN, RN, NHA, CDAL

Vice President Clinical Risk Services, Willis Towers Watson

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Covering Your Assets: Practical Risk Management Strategies, Parts One and Two

JoAnne is the Vice President for clinical risk services for Willis Towers Watsons’ Senior Living Center of Excellence. She provides thought leadership to clients and the senior living industry by creating educational materials including presentations and webinars to help manage risk. Her operational experience in senior living supports her practical approach to selecting and implementing risk management strategies that are sustainable, reduce loss and promote resident care.  She has led initiatives on topics such as active shooter readiness, falls management and infection control and prevention assessments.  Her ongoing focus is on systems and tools that are designed to help clients and the entire senior living industry with strategies to reduce liability and manage risk.

William Dieter, PT, DPT, GCS, FSOAE

Director of Physical Therapy Clinical Services and the Geriatric Residency, FOX Rehabilitation

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Resident Engagement & Socialization
Wednesday, November 18 | 3:30-4:45 PM ET

Dr. William Dieter received his doctorate in physical therapy (DPT) from Thomas Jefferson University in 2011 and graduated summa cum laude as a member of the Alpha Eta Honor Society. He has been the Director of PT Clinical Services at FOX Rehabilitation, overseeing the clinical practice of several hundred physical therapists, since 2014. He more recently became the Director of the FOX Geriatric Residency in Physical Therapy, from which he graduated in 2013 and obtained his board certification in geriatric physical therapy. He is also adjunct faculty at Rutgers University and has performed original research and presented on the topics of translational research and quality improvement in various settings. Two of his original research papers, on the topic, have been accepted for peer-reviewed publication.

He is an active APTA member and, since 2013, he has presented at state level APTANJ district meetings, semi-annual conferences, APTA’s Combined Sections Meeting, APTA’s NEXT Conference, and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Annual Meeting. His main areas of interest are falls and balance, quality improvement in geriatric physical therapy, and residency/fellowship education.

Jay Fathi, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine

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Living with COVID-19
Thursday, November 12 | 2:30-3:15 PM ET

Jay Fathi, MD is a family physician and recognized community and health care leader across Washington State.  After serving for 12 years as a full spectrum family doctor at the 45th Street Community Health Center, he founded and served as the Senior Medical Director of Community Health at Swedish Health Services.  Jay then helped lead the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Washington as President and CEO of Coordinated Care, a managed care health plan that provided health coverage to over 250,000 mostly low income individuals across Washington state, including all 25,000 children, youth, and young adults in foster care.

Jay holds an appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, has served on numerous local, state, and national boards and committees, and has been recognized locally and nationally for teaching, leadership, and dedication to the health and wellbeing of the underserved.  Jay also works as a consultant and advisor to local and national provider, social service, government, labor, and both privately held and non-profit entities working toward system improvements and health equity.

Tana Gall

President, Merrill Gardens

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Balancing Missing and Margin
Thursday, November 12 | 3:30-4:45 PM ET

Tana Gall has more than twenty years of experience working in leadership roles at three top senior living companies in the Northwest. She started in the industry in 1994 in sales and marketing, holding the titles of public relations manager, staff training and development director, marketing director, senior vice president and president. Her growth with these leading companies gave her a well-rounded, big-picture view of the industry, and prepared her well for overseeing the daily operations and growth as president of Blue Harbor and Merrill Gardens. Tana is focused on creating a culture where employees thrive and residents’ lives are enhanced.

Tana has also worked very closely with Argentum. She has served as a board member and on a variety of committees, and is currently involved in the Argentum Executive Director Leadership Institute (EDLI). She is on the board of the Bellevue College Healthcare Management and Leadership program, where students are introduced to assisted living and senior care management as a career. She also is actively involved 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 where she works with students in becoming change agents and contributing members in their communities upon graduation.

Chris Guay

President and CEO, Vitality Senior Living

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Balancing Missing and Margin
Thursday, November 12 | 3:30-4:45 PM ET

 

Senior housing veteran Chris Guay is Vitality Senior Living’s President and CEO. With more than 18 years of operations, management and leadership experience in the Senior Living Industry, his broad background was achieved through leadership roles starting at the community level through senior executive positions with the industry’s largest providers, Emeritus and Brookdale Senior Living. Most recently, Guay served as Brookdale’s Northeast Division President where he was responsible for the oversight of 275 communities across 18 states, serving over 21,000 seniors and families daily

Joel Goldman

Senior Partner, Hanson Bridgett

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Covering Your Assets: Practical Risk Management Strategies, Parts One and Two

Joel Goldman is a Senior Partner in the San Francisco office of Hanson Bridgett.   Joel joined Hanson Bridgett in 1980 after earning his law degree with high honors from the University of California Berkeley.   For the past 20 plus years, he has focused his practice almost exclusively on the representation of operators, owners and developers of senior care communities.   Joel has established a reputation as one of the leading national experts on licensure, regulatory and operational issues for assisted living communities.    

Joel is one of the founders of the California Assisted Living Association and has served on CALA’s Board of Directors since CALA’s inception in 1994.   He is a frequent speaker at conferences around the country.  In addition, his practical approach to legal problems has made him a popular presenter at in-house training programs for his clients. 

Lacy Jungman

Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Heritage Communities

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Achieving a High Impact Sales Culture
Wednesday, November 18 | 2:00-3:15 PM ET

As the Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Lacy Jungman is responsible for brand management, marketing strategy and sales outcomes for Heritage Communities. Lacy has over 13 years of experience in the senior living industry, serving in both executive director and sales director roles, prior to joining the Executive Leadership Team in 2014. She recently received Argentum’s Best of the Best award for her work co-authoring the book, In a Good Place; A novel written from an adult daughter’s perspective of the senior care journey. Known for loving a good brainstorm session, Lacy excels in crafting unique solutions that drive results through innovation and collaboration.

Beth Burnham Mace

Chief Economist and Director of Outreach, National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC)

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The Here and Now and There and Then for Seniors Housing
Thursday, November 19 | 3:30-4:45 PM ET

Beth Burnham Mace is the Chief Economist and Director of Outreach at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC).  Prior to joining the staff at NIC, she served as a member of the NIC Board of Directors for seven years and chaired NIC’s Research Committee.  Ms. Mace was also a Director at AEW Capital Management and worked in the AEW Research Group for 17 years.   Prior to joining AEW in 1997, Ms. Mace spent ten years at Standard & Poor’s DRI/McGraw-Hill as the Director of the Regional Information Service. She also worked as a Regional Economist at Crocker Bank, the National Commission on Air Quality, the Brookings Institution and Boston Edison.

Ms. Mace is a member of the National Association of Business Economists (NABE), the Urban Land Institute (ULI), ULI’s Senior Housing Council and New England Women in Real Estate (NEWIRE/CREW). In 2020, she was inaugurated into the McKnight’s Women of Distinction Hall of Honor.  In 2014, she was appointed a fellow at the Homer Hoyt Institute and was awarded the title of a “Woman of Influence” in commercial real estate by Real Estate Forum Magazine and Globe Street.   Ms. Mace is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College (B.A.) and the University of California (M.S.). She has also earned The Certified Business Economist™ title (CBE) from the National Association of Business Economists (NABE).  Ms. Mace is often cited in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Seniors Housing Business, Seniors Housing News and McKnight’s Senior Living and has a bi-monthly column in the National Real Estate Investor.

Jonross Neptune, MS, CCC-SLP

Director of SLP Clinical Services, FOX Rehabilitation

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Resident Engagement & Socialization
Wednesday, November 18 | 3:30-4:45 PM ET

 

Jonross received his Master's degree from West Virginia University in 2007 and started his career as a Clinical Fellow working in a sub-acute rehabilitation facility.  Through his time as a clinical fellow he began carving out his career as a geriatric Speech-Language Pathologist. Jonross is a LSVT Loud clinician and has worn many different hats during his tenure with FOX Rehabilitation such as treating clinician, Director of Rehab, and SLP Clinical Coordinator.  Currently, Jonross is the Director of SLP Clinical Services with FOX Rehabilitation and provides development and training to a group of highly skilled Speech-Language Pathologists.  He is active in the American Speech-Hearing Association and has had the opportunity to present clinical knowledge in many forums.

Lana Peck

Senior Principal, National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC)

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The Here and Now and There and Then for Seniors Housing
Thursday, November 19 | 3:30-4:45 PM ET

Lana Peck, a senior principal at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), is a seniors housing market intelligence research professional with expertise in voice of customer analytics, product pricing and development, market segmentation, and market feasibility studies including demand analyses of greenfield developments, expansions, repositionings, and acquisition projects across the nation. Prior to joining NIC, Lana worked as director of research responsible for designing and executing seniors housing research for both for-profit and nonprofit communities, systems and national senior living trade organizations. Lana’s prior experience also includes more than a decade as senior market research analyst with one of the largest senior living owner-operators in the country. She holds a Master of Science, Business Management, a Master of Family and Consumer Sciences, Gerontology, and professional certificates in Market Research from the University of Georgia, and Real Estate Finance and Development from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

 

Christopher Ridenhour

Christopher Ridenhour
All Hands, All Hearts, All In! | Race, Class, Culture and Creating Real Teamwork in Aging Services

Chris works as Director of Workplace Culture for a Pennsylvania-based CCRC and Social Services Management Company. He’s held many titles and descriptions across his career, including accountability coach, expert team energizer, the most interesting in-services trainer in the world, czar of leadership retreats, certified staff whisperer, and most importantly – mom’s favorite!

Chris has traveled across North America for the past 20 years, keynoting at numerous senior living leadership events. During this time, he has established a well-earned reputation for sharing his insights in a high-energy, high-impact fashion.

Jenn Ruoff, MS, OTR/L

Director of Occupational Therapy Services, FOX Rehabilitation

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Resident Engagement & Socialization
Wednesday, November 18 | 3:30-4:45 PM ET

Dr. Ruoff graduated from Chatham University in 2018 with her doctorate in occupational therapy. She began her career in 2008 in FOX’s Emerging Professionals Program and quickly found a passion for teaching and training. She became an AOTA Certified Fieldwork Educator in 2009 and has mentored over 20 students and new graduates in the field. Jennifer was chosen to attend AOTA’s Middle Manager Training in 2016 and obtained her LSVT BIG certification the following year. In 2017, she obtained her Board Certification in Gerontology and launched FOX’s Geriatric Fellowship in Occupational Therapy in 2018. Dr. Ruoff has presented at numerous state and national conferences throughout her career.

Austin W. Whiles

VP of Business Development, Capstone Healthcare

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Living with COVID-19
Thursday, November 12 | 2:30-3:15 PM ET

Austin Whiles was born and resides in Overland Park, KS. He attended Missouri Southern State University, where he played collegiate soccer. He majored in Biology with a minor in chemistry and immediately joined the healthcare sales industry after college. Austin has over 12 years of laboratory experience. Since that time, he has specialized in leadership, management, and business development. He has been on the Capstone team since 2013 as the Chief Sales Officer and later in 2019 transitioned to SVP of Business Development.

Mark Woodka

President & CEO, OnShift

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Developing Your Community's Workforce
Thursday, November 19 | 2:00-3:15 PM ET

Mark Woodka is CEO of OnShift, a leader in human capital management software for post-acute care and senior living. In this role, he works closely with providers on strategic staffing initiatives to increase efficiencies and control labor costs while improving resident care. Mark has over 25 years of experience in enterprise software executive management, sales and marketing, having worked for start-up organizations as well as Fortune 500 companies. Mark has been a frequent speaker on staffing strategies for operational, financial, and quality improvements and has authored articles on long-term care trends and issues.