The Center for Innovation Team
The Green House Project and Pioneer Network are now part of the Center for Innovation, the new home of eldercare transformation in the United States and around the world.
The CFI team consists of experts in the fields of aging services, business and finance, communications, marketing, and health care. With many years of culture change experience, the team has developed relationships with thought leaders, policymakers, and other key stakeholders to expand CFI’s reach and deepen our impact.
Susan has spent decades working with elders as a nurse and change agent. She has worked in a variety of eldercare settings and helped to lead her previous organization’s transformation to culture change by assessing industry innovation and developing strategic and educational protocols.
For 30 years Penny has provided education, training, and advocacy related to the care and support of older people. She worked with the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program in the Denver region, Telligen, the Quality Improvement Organization for Medicare beneficiaries in Colorado, and Colorado Access, a Colorado-based non-profit health plan.
Marla has more than 30 years of experience advocating for change and working to create person-directed organizations where elders and those working with them can thrive. Beginning as a long-term care ombudsman and later as a culture change advocate, Marla utilizes her skill set to educate, support, and impact eldercare.
Colleen Kammar is a certified public accountant with more 30 years of professional experience working with public, private, and non-profit organizations. She has held senior management positions at several high-growth organizations, with extensive work in operations, investment, and large-scale mergers. Colleen has worked for CFI since June 2017.
Jim Clark oversees financial modeling for Green House communities under development. He also currently serves as the senior director of portfolio management and analytics at Bausch & Lomb in Rochester, N.Y. In his earlier role as CFO for St. John’s Living, he provided financial support for the Penfield Green House community in the Rochester suburbs.
Drawing upon her 35 years of experience in the senior living industry, Kathleen possesses a keen understanding of the senior living market and focuses on helping clients to create distinctive experiences and environments for elders and care teams — with a focus on operational and financial viability. Kathleen works with national sponsors and many Green House adopters during the early stages of development.
Carol has spent over 35 years working with elders working as a C.N.A, LPN, RN, Nurse Manager, Assistant Director of Nursing, and Director of Nursing. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, a Master’s Degree in Health Care Leadership and Doctoral Degree in Executive Leadership. She is passionate about improving the quality of life that elders experience.
Mary worked for 19 years in corporation communications before she decided to get her master’s at UMBC’s Erickson School of Aging Studies and pursue a career with elders. In her role as Education Coach, Mary helps organizations implement The Green House model successfully, providing the tools, resources, and education necessary for a deep and slip-resistant transformation.
Ella has experience in a wide variety of non-profit fields, from civic engagement to public radio to aging services. Most recently, she spent a year with Little Brothers — Friends of the Elderly (LBFE Chicago) as a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. A former intern at The Green House Project, she has also volunteered for many years in nursing homes and is committed to changing our culture’s relationship to aging.
Anne Montgomery is an experienced policy strategist and health services researcher specializing in long-term care and support systems for older adults and individuals living with disabilities. Now an independent consultant, Anne served the U.S. Congress for a decade as an analyst for the Senate Special Committee on Aging and the House Ways & Means Committee. She has also worked at the Government Accountability Office, the Alliance for Health Policy, and as a managing director of the Center for Eldercare Improvement at Altarum.
Rebecca collaborates with senior living leaders to advance cultural transformation with design, financial modeling, regulatory application, and project management. Through creative problem-solving approaches, Rebecca collaborates with leaders to successfully bring about sustainable change in a highly regulated industry where margins and mission must both live.
Alex works to educate a variety of stakeholders – including policymakers, elected officials, reform advocates, and industry groups – on the benefits of person-directed care and small-home alternatives to traditional nursing homes. He is an experienced writer and editor who helped launch Skilled Nursing News, a leading industry trade publication with a specific focus on finance and reimbursement, in 2017. Alex’s work has also appeared in the Boston Globe and the Boston Business Journal.
Debbie has spent her entire career as a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, engaging in and leading transformative change in the field of long-term care. Her experience in operations, culture change, design, and education, provides the necessary insight to partner with visionary leaders desiring the best future possible for elders.
Janet has spent more than 20 years in the aging services field, in admissions, sales, and outreach capacities. She holds numerous education certificates from the Alzheimer’s Association, Argentum, and other sales and marketing educational entities. Most recently, Janet served as director of admissions at Brook Grove Retirement Village, a CCRC in Sandy Spring, Md.