Diane Doumas - Managing Partner

Operations and Organization Development Specialist

e-mail: dianedoumas@vantageadvisorygroup.com

Ms. Doumas is cofounder of Vantage Advisory Group. She has 25+ years in the senior living industry; most spent managing communities that comprise the full spectrum of independent, assisted, and dementia care services. Her expertise includes field operations, program development, and training and leadership development from Sunrise Senior Living. Since the inception of Sunrise, she played a key role in creating the organization’s operational policies and procedures, and pioneering programs such as specialized activities for assisted living and memory care residents. She is a veteran of skillfully turning around challenged properties, and routine facility operations, with extensive experience managing multidisciplinary teams of senior care and ancillary service providers.

With a keen understanding of the transforming senior living marketplace, Ms. Doumas has developed and executed effective sales and marketing strategies for multiple senior living projects including independent, assisted living, and memory care. She is a skilled trainer and expert at leadership and organization development, group facilitation, and training design and implementation. Ms. Doumas is a licensed Assisted Living Administrator in the Commonwealth of Virginia, earned her Bachelor of Science in Gerontology from the University of Texas, and Master of Science in Organization Development / Knowledge Management from George Mason University.

Philip J. Downey Jr.

Project Development Specialist

Mr. Downey has played a strategic role in the birth and maturation of the American seniors housing industry, and was a pivotal leader in the national rollout of multi-brand businesses for two industry-leading firms—Sunrise and Marriott. He has expertise in strategic planning, product conceptualization, market feasibility analysis site selection, and project programming. Under his direction, product development and market analysis initiatives resulted in the creation and roll-out of over $2 billion of multi-branded seniors housing communities in the U.S. & Canada. Further, he created and implemented national real estate development strategy and metro-area market plans resulting in growth from start-up to 30,000 units in over 200 senior care communities.

Mr. Downey is a seasoned real estate executive and certified professional planner (AICP) with a broad scope of intelligence in all major U.S. and Canadian markets. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois, and his Master of City and Regional Planning at Rutgers University.

Dianne Willoughby

Director of Project Development – Beijing, China

Centers China Limited

Ms. Willoughby is established in the commercial real estate market in Beijing, China to develop senior living projects. Over the past 19 years, she has built an impressive portfolio developing commercial real estate projects in both China and Hawaii, USA. Her portfolio also includes philanthropic community development projects for non-profit organizations in both Hawaii and Beijing. Her areas of expertise include real estate development, investment analysis and brokerage, market research, and financing and management advisory services.

Ms. Willoughby is a U.S. citizen, well versed in the Chinese language and culture. She is a member of the International Association of Homes and Services for the Ageing (IAHSA), and has been Membership Ambassador to China since 2005. She earned her BA and MA at Western Kentucky University, as well as the Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute (CCIM) designation, and has acted as the CCIM Ambassador to China.

Sean P. Ambrose - President, Artisan Land Group L.L.C.

Project Development Specialist

Mr. Ambrose has over 25 years experience in real estate, development and construction. During his 10 years as Senior Vice President of Development for Sunrise Senior Living, he developed over half a billion dollars of senior housing, playing a key role in identifying target markets, locating potential sites and negotiating contracts in Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana and the District of Columbia. Mr. Ambrose led a comprehensive development group and managed an interdisciplinary team of outside specialists including architects, engineers, environmental consultants and zoning attorneys. He also managed the zoning and development approval process in each of these jurisdictions and served as the liaison with local government officials, County planning staffs, Boards and neighborhood civic groups. Mr. Ambrose coordinated all aspects of the development process thru construction to grand opening of each facility. Prior to Sunrise, Mr. Ambrose was Vice President of Development at Morningside Development, a privately held assisted living company based in Leesburg, Virginia. He was also an associate at Randall Hagner, a Washington D.C. based real estate and mortgage banking firm.

C. Mark Hannan - Principal, MAGNOLIACompany

With more than 20 years as a senior sales and marketing executive in the health care and senior living space, C. Mark Hannan has the extraordinary ability to translate core business functions into successful human capital solutions. With his enthusiastic, optimistic and versatile approach, Mark has led organizational transformation, increased revenue and client sales, or improved overall occupancy as Vice President of Sales and Marketing in organizations including Cigna Healthcare, ManorCare Health Services and Sunrise Senior Living. As an Organizational Consultant for the past five years, he has increased sales for his many clients from an average of 67% to 93%. In addition, Mark is currently a member of the faculty at both The George Washington University and Montgomery College, Maryland. Mark earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Ohio University, and is a Doctoral Fellow at GWU.

Kristy Kennedy - Sales and Marketing Specialist

Organizational Leadership and Development Coach

Ms. Kennedy is a results oriented sales leader with a significant and diverse background in sales management and strategic planning, budget development and oversight, coaching, training and development. Her 19 years of experience includes six years of regional oversight as Area Sales Manager for 13 Sunrise Senior Living communities encompassing services from independent living, assisted living, dementia care and skilled nursing. Designated as a “Global Resource”, within Sunrise, Ms. Kennedy served on many task forces within the organization and guided the development and execution of numerous strategic initiatives, including the organization’s Sales Training Manual.

Ms. Kennedy has extensive expertise in the development and delivery of custom-designed training programs. She is an expert in designing curriculums to improve sales performance and results for senior living organizations. She graduated with honors from the Dale Carnegie Sales Advantage Program, is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach through The Coaches Training Institute, is a member of the International Coaching Federation, and a certified Predictive Index Analyst. Ms. Kennedy earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Appalachian State University in North Carolina.

Danny Taglienti - President, The Push Group

Marketing, Public Relations and Creative Design Specialist

Mr. Taglienti is a creative visionary and a business-driven leader with more than 14 years of experience in design, marketing, public relations, advertising, and business management. He has worked with a diverse collection of national and international firms that provide services for seniors including Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Sunrise Senior Living, Volunteers of America, Good Samaritan Society, WellAWARE Systems, and Marriott/Host International Inc., to create compelling marketing, advertising, and branding that enhances corporate image while targeting specific audience demographics.

Mr. Taglienti has a strong background in strategic and creative development combined with a thorough knowledge of web-based technology; innovative and effective design modeling, outstanding communication and management skills, and exceptional client relations. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Advertising Design from the University of Maryland.

Carolyn Inman - RN, BSN

Clinical and Wellness Specialist

Ms. Inman has 35 years of nursing background that includes acute hospitals and clinical settings, with the majority of her experience as a resident care expert with Sunrise Senior Living. Her expertise includes direct coordination of resident health care services; quality assurance planning and implementation; medication distribution program development and implementation; field operations management training and oversight for nurses, medication aides and direct care staff; assessment tool design and implementation; and regulatory compliance.

Since the inception of Sunrise, she played a key role in creating the organization’s clinical policies and procedures. Ms. Inman has extensive experience interfacing with local and regional regulatory agencies, and is skilled at successfully implementing plans of correction for properties with licensing challenges. She is a seasoned manager of multidisciplinary teams of senior care providers, health care professionals, and ancillary service providers including home health, physical therapy and hospice. Ms. Inman is an approved trainer in the Commonwealth of Virginia for several key topics required by assisted living regulations for front-line and management staff.

Cheryl Lundin - RN

Clinical and Wellness Specialist

Ms. Lundin has 25+ years experience working in clinical operations for CCRC’s, skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, and hospitals. As a Legal Nurse Consultant she has developed and implemented quality assurance programs in 42 facilities located in nine different states. She has extensive experience with state licensing agencies working through various plans to bring facilities into regulatory compliance. Ms. Lundin offers operations experience with experience as a skilled nursing home and assisted living facility Administrator. Her diverse background also includes expertise in risk management, loss prevention and service recovery programs.

Prior to working in the long-term care industry, Ms. Lundin served as a hospital staff nurse, having earned her nursing and bachelors degrees in Michigan. Ms. Lundin is licensed in multiple states as a registered nurse and nursing home administrator and is also certified as a risk manager and legal nurse consultant.

Laurel Thomas

Human Resources Specialist

Ms. Thomas is an Human Resources professional with more than 15 years of comprehensive strategic and tactical experience in the senior living and retail industries. As Regional Human Resources Director for Sunrise Senior Living she guided the overall human resources functions including recruitment, on-boarding, training and regulatory compliance from preopening through post opening during development of multiple new senior living communities in several Mid Atlantic states. She also similarly supported new retail store openings while serving on regional management teams at Staples and Hechinger Company.

In addition to her accomplishments recruiting and retaining outstanding executive and line staff positions, Ms. Thomas is accomplished in succession planning, employee relations and mediation, training and leadership development, full-cycle performance management, total compensation, benefits, workers compensation and unemployment administration. She has experience assisting in the development and launching of key programs such as the Gallup Employee Engagement surveys, International Targeted Selection Interviewing Methods, Assisted Living Leadership Training, and Union Avoidance Training. She also co-developed multiple Sunrise Senior Living company-wide policies and procedures including the Sunrise Safety Manual and other training procedures to meet various state regulatory requirements. As an expert in change management, Ms. Thomas has provided hands on guidance and support throughout her career during acquisitions and divestitures with regard to communication and due diligence, and has worked with state and federal agencies to successfully mediate employee relations, workers compensation and unemployment issues.

Greg Tinios

Food and Beverage Operations Specialist

Mr. Tinios has worked in the food management industry for more than thirty years. His senior living experience comes from premier organizations such as Erickson Retirement Communities and Sunrise Senior Living where he has been instrumental in shaping and insuring quality dining operations. In his work as a regional director of dining services with multi-site/multi-state responsibility, Mr. Tinios has successfully supported a wide range of dining operations meeting the needs of seniors ranging from independent living to skilled nursing.

With development of multiple new properties of varying concepts in his portfolios, Mr. Tinios has been responsible for preliminary and final licensing of food operations, punching out new kitchen construction, development of menus that meet client and regulatory requirements, establishing product specifications, small wares and equipment ordering, establishing production control systems, sourcing all vendors, and recruitment and training of dining services professionals. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at The Johns Hopkins University, and is a current member of and Certified by the National Restaurant Association as a Food Management Professional (FMP).

Kate Caldwell - MAG

Founder, ElderTree, LLC

Dementia Care Specialist

Kate Caldwell has almost two decades of experience serving the senior population at a variety of levels including home care, skilled nursing/rehab, assisted living and hospice care. As a specialist in Alzheimer’s and memory impairment, she assisted in the development and launch of new dementia care programming, and acted as a mentor for dementia training at one of the Sunrise Senior Living flagship communities. Her entrepreneurial spirit inspired her to found ElderTree Geriatric Care Management Services in 2004, a firm dedicated to providing quality care management coordination for seniors with Alzheimer’s and Memory Impairment and their families/caregivers.

Kate is a long time member of the National Capitol Alzheimer's Association Speaker's Bureau and Support Group Leader. She is Vice President of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. Kate earned her Master’s degree in Gerontology and Long-Term Care Administration at San Francisco State University, and her B.A. at the University of Dayton.

Sarah Benson

Dementia Care and Activity Programming Specialist

Sarah Benson’s 12 years in the senior living field has focused on her expertise for developing and implementing all areas of programming. As a Senior Programming Manager for Sunrise Senior Living, Sarah provided leadership and training in company policy and state regulations for over 130 communities covering the continuum of senior living care from Independent and Assisted Living to Dementia Care and Skilled Nursing. In addition to supporting the development of programs at a corporate level such as staffing models, assessment tools and activity design, Sarah effectively supported implementation and compliance in the field.

Sarah is a skilled trainer, knowledgeable in a range of topics covering the full spectrum of programming in senior living. Her areas of expertise include design and implementation of specialized dementia care activity programming, staffing and scheduling models designed to maximize expense control, as well as resident assessment and care management tools that focus on quality care delivery and revenue enhancement. Sarah is an active support group leader for the Alzheimer’s Association. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont.