Working for You

Dr. Bredesen is internationally recognized as an expert in the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. He graduated from Caltech, then earned his MD from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. He served as Chief Resident in Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) before joining Nobel laureate Stanley Prusiner’s laboratory at UCSF as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow. He held faculty positions at UCSF, UCLA and the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Bredesen directed the Program on Aging at the Burnham Institute before coming to the Buck Institute in 1998 as its founding President and CEO.

Harry S. Dent Jr. studied economics in college in the ’70s, but found it vague and inconclusive. He became so disillusioned by the state of his chosen profession that he turned his back on it. Instead, he threw himself into the burgeoning new science of finance where identifying and studying demographic, technological, consumer and many, many other trends empowered him to forecast economic changes.

Chuck Bongiovanni, MSW, MBA, CSA, CFE, CPRS has been a pioneer in the senior placement and referral industry for almost 30 years. He is the President of the National Placement and Referral Alliance, which is the national trade association for the senior placement industry. He is the founder of CarePatrol Franchise Systems, the largest senior placement company in the nation which was acquired by the private equity group, The Riverside Company / Best Life Brands in 2018. He is currently the co-founder of Majestic Residences Residential Care Home Franchise System. Chuck is a recognized name within the assisted living and residential care home industry and brings with him a lifetime of unique, innovative and disruptive marketing concepts which have filled well over 100,000 assisted living and residential home beds across the country. He has spoken over 100 times on the subject of patient choice in regional and national healthcare conferences and has been the recipient of numerous assisted living franchise business awards.

Jack York is co-founder of It’s Never 2 Late (iN2L), a company dedicated to helping older adults realize the full benefits of adaptive technology. Originally, Jack did not envision iN2L as a business; the impetus for what became the company was a philanthropic idea—to donate computers to assisted living communities and nursing homes in Southern California. With a 15-year background in the Silicon Valley, he saw a vast potential in fostering these connections, but also saw that conventional technology was too difficult for virtually all residents to use in a meaningful way. As a result, in 1999, Jack retired as VP of Strategic Sales for Vishay Intertechnology and started what has become a successful gerontechnology company. He is a sought after national and international speaker on technology being used to create personalized experiences that engage and connect residents to their loved ones and the world specifically individuals with dementia.

Dr. Lorn Miller is a board certified neurologist with over 35 years experience in the medical field. He is contracted by clinics & universities across the country from Florida to Alaska and has served on numerous boards and has held academic affiliations at multiple colleges & universities. He has been featured on local radio and television programs as well. Dr. Miller joined the Lighthouse Personal Care Home team in 2017.

Jan Dougherty is a nursing expert and leader in dementia care crafting award winning innovative programs to support people living with dementia and their family caregivers across the care continuum. For over 3 decades, Jan has pioneered unique dementia programs being used in Arizona, nationally and internationally. These programs include Dementia Care Paths, Best Practices for Dementia Care Management, Hospice Care for Dementia, Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia, Arts and Dementia; and the Native American Toolkit for Alzheimer’s disease. Most recently, Jan is on the forefront of the Dementia Friendly Community movement making Tempe, Arizona, the first Dementia Friendly Community in Arizona. Her new book, “Travel Well with Dementia” offers the first comprehensive guide to assist families and persons living with dementia to plan and execute successful travel. Jan is a noted speaker and author in the field of dementia and has received numerous state and national recognition wards for her work.

Michelle is an attorney focusing on construction, land use, and matters related to residential assisted living facilities. A former trial lawyer, Michelle brings experience in risk assessment and management, as well as advocacy at the regulatory level for licensing and zoning. Michelle offers specialized legal assistance and market analyses for assisted living businesses and investors across the nation. Michelle and Brian have been recognized with the Industry Innovators Award by the Residential Assisted Living Academy in 2018. Michelle has represented developers, owners, and construction managers in matters related to construction defects, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and insurance coverage. On the policy level, Michelle has helped governments develop policy and implement reforms in construction permitting, land use, informal construction, and housing. She is called upon by the United States government as a special consultant for construction issues. Michelle has founded and operated legal and consulting businesses, as well as an NGO.

Rocky McKay is the CEO/President of Peak Care Assisted Living Homes. Peak Care Assisted Living Homes specializes in operating Residential Assisted Living Homes for investors. Rocky is also President of Arizona Assisted Living Homes Association (AALHA) a nonprofit organization that helps and educate owners and managers of Residential Assisted Living Homes in Arizona. Rocky is experienced in managing service organizations and multi-million dollar projects, while going through expansion and increasing profitability in challenging business environments including start-up, turnaround and growth. Rocky has sound business insight, combined with strong relationship management and an ability for energizing, organizing and developing teams that achieve goals within highly competitive industries. Rocky has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management. Rocky is a Residential Assisted Living Specialist

Dana is a registered nurse with 18+ years medical experience. Along with medical office management, she has a background in ICU, Critical Care, & Neurology. She is the co-founder of Lighthouse Personal Care Homes. After earning her Residential Assisted Living Specialist Certification through RAL Academy she has focused her efforts on becoming a memory care and dementia specialist. She is currently a Virtual Dementia Tour Facilitator and is in the process of becoming a PAC certified trainer. As an owner operator of a memory care home, she emphasizes education and support for staff, resident families, and local communities.

Jim Guarino is co-author of the Amazon #1 best-seller “The Insider’s Guide to Investing in Senior Housing”. Jim serves as lead business and financial advisor for the RAL Academy client support team and is president of Senior Housing Investment Partners.com, a capital formation/syndication firm specializing in senior housing.

Jamie is a seasoned entrepreneur with an extensive background in financial advising and real estate investments including property acquisition and disposition. Jamie earned his Residential Assisted Living Specialist Certification in 2016 and now mentors and coaches other RALA students.

Jill Vitale-Aussem is currently the President and CEO of Eden Alternative. She has more than 20 years of experience in senior living leadership, along with a master’s degree in hospitality from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Alfred University. Jill is also a licensed nursing home administrator, a certified assisted living administrator, a 2014 LeadingAge Leadership Academy Fellow, and a Certified Eden Alternative Educator. Throughout her career, Jill often assumed leadership of challenged communities and led each organization to success, with outcomes such as 100% occupancy and improvements to net operating margin ranging from 40 to nearly 120 percent. Jill joined Christian Living Communities (CLC) in 2009 as the Executive Director of Clermont Park, where she led the community through a $75 million redevelopment project and a complete cultural transformation. Jill is passionate about creating community cultures of innovation, possibilities, inclusivity, growth and empowerment and writes and speaks nationally on the topics of culture, leadership and ageism.

Veronica has a degree in accounting, is a Licensed Practical Nurse and has over twenty years in health care. She joined Florida Assisted Living Association after working in senior living for over fourteen years as a Resident Services Director, Executive Director, Regional Director of Operations and lastly Vice President of New Operations servicing multiple states. Prior to those positions, she worked in home health, long-term care, and acute care settings in clinical and administrative roles since 1994. Her experience provides current and new members with an added resource to assist in their communities. Veronica also serves as a traveling administrator to assist members in need of a temporary administrator.

Dr. Siegel, who prefers to be called Bernie, not Dr. Siegel, was born in Brooklyn, NY. He attended Colgate University and Cornell University Medical College. He holds membership in two scholastic honor societies, Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha and graduated with honors. His surgical training took place at Yale New Haven Hospital, West Haven Veteran’s Hospital and the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He retired from practice as an assistant clinical professor of surgery at Yale of general and pediatric surgery in 1989 to speak to patients and their caregivers. Visit http://berniesiegelmd.com to view more information and view other accomplishments.

Eileen Doherty has been the Executive Director of the Colorado Gerontological Society (The Society) since 1982. As the first and only Director, it has been her privilege to develop a responsive organization to the needs of professionals, elders, and consumers. Eileen views her role as needing to have strong working relationships in the community, as well as knowledgeable and expert board members, staff and volunteers who can meet the needs of Colorado elders and their families. With a degree in sociology and advanced study in organizational structures and public administration, Eileen has led the organization to assume a leadership role in education, training, public policy, and advocacy in the field of aging. Her goal is to have The Society meet the challenges of integrating mission, resource acquisition, and strategic service delivery for elders in Colorado and the nation both now and in the future.

Jane Rohde believes in a global cultural shift toward person-centered solutions for healthcare and environments for aging and sits on various healthcare and sustainability committees supporting research, advocacy, and humanistic approaches to care. In evaluating changes needed within the aging marketplace, Jane Rohde has also founded Live Together®, Inc., a non-profit organization that supports the development of intergenerational care models. In 2015, Jane was the first Changemaker Awardee for Environments for Aging from The Center for Health Design. In 2018, she received the ASID Design for Humanity Award, was recognized as an Honorary Alumni of Clemson University’s Architecture + Health program, and honored as one of top ten Women in Design for leadership in healthcare design. In 2020 she received the Pioneer Award from the Facility Guidelines Institute and in 2021 was honored as a Green Globes Fellow from the Green Building Initiative.