Rochester, N.Y. April 1, 2015- Jewish Senior Life (JSL) is pleased to announce that Mike King has been named President and CEO effective immediately. King has served in a senior leadership role with JSL for 10 years, most recently as Chief Operating Officer. King is succeeding former President and CEO Dan Katz, who recently resigned for medical reasons after an extended medical leave. King had been Acting President and CEO since January.
“The Board is thrilled to have someone of Mike King’s character and experience to lead the organization,” said Ted Axelrod, Chairman of Jewish Senior Life. “Mike and Dan have worked side by side for more than 10 years, guiding Jewish Senior Life through numerous expansion and operating initiatives on behalf of our residents, employees, and the greater Rochester community. The Board is unanimous in its support of Mike and confident that he is the ideal leader to guide JSL on its continued mission to deliver the highest quality and most comprehensive level of services for healthy aging.”
Axelrod added: “The Board also extends its sincere thanks and appreciation to Dan Katz for his years of service and leadership to our organization. Dan was instrumental in bringing a number of important programs at JSL to life, including the Physician House Calls Program and enhanced memory care at both Marian’s House and The Lodge at Wolk Manor. His vision has been a driving force behind our planned campus expansion. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dan and his family, and we wish him a complete and speedy recovery.”
In his new role as President and CEO, King has announced three other senior leadership promotions.
Joel Weiss has been named Senior Vice President of Advancement. Weiss joined JSL in 2013 as Vice President of Advancement and has guided the successful “Power of One” campaign that is supporting the transformation and expansion of JSL’s Brighton campus and community services. Weiss has more than 35 years of nonprofit leadership and fundraising experience.
Susan Bussey has been named Senior Vice President of Housing. As Vice President of Housing, Bussey has guided JSL’s operations at The Summit at Brighton, an independent living community; Wolk Manor, an assisted living community; and The Lodge at Wolk Manor, a specially designed assisted living community for memory care. Michele Schirano has been named Senior Vice President/Administrator of The Jewish Home of Rochester and will now lead operations at the Jewish Home, including nursing services. Schirano has been instrumental in various nursing leadership positions at the Jewish Home for the past 20 years, including her most recent role as Vice President of Nursing Services.
“The leadership and vision provided by Joel, Susan and Michele has been key to our success on many fronts,” said King. “Please join me in congratulating them on their accomplishments at JSL. I am excited to work with them to serve our residents and families.” King now leads one of the area’s largest nonprofit employers with more than 1,000 employees.
About Jewish Senior Life:
Serving people of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds, Jewish Senior Life is guided by the values of honoring family and emphasizing aging in place—allowing people to remain in the place of their choice longer. Jewish Senior Life is a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), offering all levels of care from independent living to skilled nursing care on a single campus:
- The Summit at Brighton for independent living;
- Wolk Manor for assisted living;
- The Lodge at Wolk Manor for assisted living memory care;
- The Jewish Home of Rochester for long-term, transitional, and memory care;
- Transitional Care at the Jewish Home for short-term rehabilitation;
- Atkin Center for Outpatient Rehabilitation;
- Marian’s House daytime retreat for those with memory loss; and
- a variety of community programs and services such as Living Well Companion Care and Physician House Calls that enable people to age and live safely, either on campus or another place that they call home.
Jewish Senior Life is the only senior care provider in the Rochester area to offer Life Care, a program which eliminates worries about unforeseen care needs and medical expenses throughout the full continuum of care.
Jewish Senior Life is CARF accredited for its high quality and customer satisfaction, and has been named a 2017 Top Workplace by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Jewish Senior Life is a member of the Alliance for Senior Care of Greater Rochester, Leading Age, Leading Age New York, and the Association of Jewish Agency Services.
For more information, please visit www.jewishseniorlife.org.
