2023-2024 Leadership
Grant Linacre – Chair
Executive Director, Emerald Heights, Redmond
Grant Linacre has served Emerald Heights as its Executive Director since October 2015. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the community.
Mr. Linacre earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Central Michigan University and began his career in senior living in 2000 as a Social Services Assistant for a national skilled nursing provider. Prior to joining Emerald Heights, Mr. Linacre held a variety of positions with increasing responsibilities with national senior living providers, and has held a Nursing Home Administrator license in Washington, Indiana, Maryland and Michigan.
During his tenure with Emerald Heights, Mr. Linacre has overseen Master Planning, campus development and renovation projects, and sound fiscal performance ensuring the community is well-positioned for on-going success.
Mr. Linacre is an active member of LeadingAge Washington, serving on the Life Plan Community Cabinet, the Workforce Solutions Council, the Finance and Audit Committee, and the LeadingAge Washington Board. He has also presented at both state and national conferences.
Jim Maxwell – Chair-Elect
President and CEO, Rockwood Retirement Communities, Spokane
Jim Maxwell has worked for Rockwood Retirement Communities since August 2004. Prior to joining Rockwood, he served as a Senior Reimbursement Manager at Providence Health & Services, and as a Manager in the healthcare department of the regional accounting firm of LeMaster & Daniels.
Mr. Maxwell holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with dual emphasis in accounting and financial management from the University of Montana. He has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1994. Mr. Maxwell is a member of the Washington State Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and, for 13 years, served as an accreditation surveyor for CARF International.
Mr. Maxwell is a graduate of the 2016 Leading Age Larry Minnix Leadership Academy, served as the Spokane Town Hall convenor, and has served on Leading Age Washington’s SNF Cabinet as well as participating in the Life Plan Community Cabinet.
He and his wife have four kids with the youngest going to be a senior in high school next year. He enjoys his time with family and friends at the lake, snow skiing and golfing.
Lynette Ladenburg – Immediate Past Chair
CEO, Martha and Mary, Poulsbo
Lynette Ladenburg has served as the Chief Executive Officer for five corporations of Martha & Mary Lutheran Services in Poulsbo, Washington since November 2016. These corporations include Martha & Mary Lutheran Services, Senior Living, Home Care Services, Health & Rehab Services and Child Care Services.
Lynette began her career in long-term care as the Chief Financial Officer for a Tacoma based Life Care Community in 1997. There she obtained her MBA, earned her Nursing Home Administrators License and continued as the Chief Operating Officer through 2012. In Lynette’s quest to learn and positively impact the lives of seniors in Washington State, Lynette joined LeadingAge Washington where she served as the Chief Financial & Strategic Officer until her transition to Martha & Mary in 2016.
Outside of work, Lynette enjoys time with her family, traveling, reading and knitting hats for patients at a local cancer care clinic.
Charles “Bill” Strader – Secretary
CEO/CFO, Panorama, Lacey
Bill holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Evansville and has been a licensed CPA since 1987. Bill has served as Panorama’s Chief Executive Officer since 2016 and Chief Financial Officer since 2005.
Prior to Panorama, Bill served as Regional Director of Finance for the Hillhaven Corporation (Tacoma, WA); Director of Ancillary Services for ManorCare (Gaithersburg, MD); Chief Financial Officer for Avamere Healthcare (Wilsonville, OR); and Vice President of Internal Audit for Sun Healthcare (Albuquerque, NM).
Bill is a member of the LAWA Board of Directors, and serves on the Nursing Home and Life Plan Community cabinets. Bill is also a member of the St. Martin’s University School of Business Advisory Board, where he serves as the Chair Elect.
Judy Dunn – Treasurer
President and CEO, Franke Tobey Jones, Tacoma
Judy serves as the President and CEO at Franke Tobey Jones, a CCRC/Life Plan Community in Tacoma, leading strategic planning, campus redevelopment and other initiatives. Prior to serving in the role of CEO, she was the Vice President of Finance.
Her background prior to working in long term care includes non-profit health care management, working in finance, administrative and operation roles at a regional hospital organization and a national healthcare provider. Graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Judy earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting and is a licensed Nursing Home Administrator.
Currently Judy is a member of the LeadingAge Washington Finance and Audit Committee and has previously served on the LeadingAge Washington Board as its Treasurer and a member of the Governance Committee. She has also volunteered with various community non-profit organizations as Treasurer and Board of Director.
Dianna Reely
Chief Administrative Services, Providence Health & Services
Dianna Reely has over 30 years of Executive level healthcare leadership experience in settings across the care continuum including acute care, home health and hospice, skilled nursing and assisted living, and other home based and clinic settings.
She has been with Providence for 15 years serving as the Vice President of Quality for Home and Community Care before transitioning in 2019 to the role of Chief of Administrative Services and the Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Service Line. In this capacity Dianna provides leadership to over 25 Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living facilities and multiple home health, hospice, home infusion and pharmacy and PACE programs across 6 states.
Dianna’s history of volunteering includes serving as President on the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce Board; volunteering with Catholic Charities; leading several teams, through the Providence International and Domestic Partnership program, and in collaboration with Medical Teams International, on service and mission trips to various villages in Guatemala; and volunteering with Esperanza in Tijuana, Mexico to assist families with their own land build housing in newly formed communities.
Dianna is a Seattle native and has been married to her husband, Dan, for 40 years. They raised their 2 adult children, Nick and Jessica, in Sammamish, WA and now experience the joy of being grandparents to Cutler (8), Baylor (5) and Crosby (3)
Gary Dewhirst
Executive Director. Warm Beach Retirement Community, Stanwood
As we all know, working in the Long-Term Care industry is not a job, it’s a calling. Gary was fortunate enough to hear that call well over 30 years ago and has spent his entire career learning from those we serve. From working as a skilled nursing activity assistant, up through the ranks of skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care, adult day, operations, marketing and consulting he has experienced the tremendous tidal wave of change that continually shapes our industry. As Executive Director of Warm Beach Senior Community Life Plan Community, he is thankful to continue his journey within a faith-based setting. To him, this makes all the difference and helps focus his previous experience into leading with a purpose and missional mind-set.
Gary and his wife are most proud of the family they have raised together and enjoy watching them with their own dreams, passions and families (although long distance grandparenting is a bummer). When not engaged with his adopted resident family, you can find he and his wife on a trail somewhere or on the hunt of finding great live music to soak in.
Matt Fleming
Matt Fleming has a longtime career in long term care beginning with working as a CNA in skilled nursing in 1994. Matt attended college at Eastern Washington University where he received his degree in Health Service Administration. He then went on to work for over 15 years as a skilled nursing home Administrator in Lewiston ID (Royal Plaza Retirement and Care Center) and Spokane WA (Royal Park Health and Rehab). He spent two years as a Regional Vice President for Regency Pacific, managing a number of their WA SNF. He then spent 4 years serving at Optum as VP of Institutional Products and also as VP of Operations managing a special needs Health Plan for UnitedHealth Care serving our long term residents in over 65 facilities in WA state. During his time with UnitedHealth Group his responsibilities were to oversee the short term UnitedHealth Care network in the State of WA.
Matt’s current role is Chief Operating Officer of Sunshine Health Facilities in Spokane Valley WA. He oversees all the business lines for the company – Skilled Nursing, Assisted Living, Home Health, Behavior Health and Adult Family Homes. He has been instrumental in executing a strategic plan to innovate the business and reduce staff turnover.
Matt has served as a Board member for the Washington Health Care Association and held key positions on the board over the past 15+ years. Matt is thrilled to be now part of the Leading Age Board and excited for the future of Leading Age.
Jen Drake (Van Vechten)
Business Development Director, Cascade Park Communities
Jen Drake (Van Vechten) has worked in senior living sales and marketing for 12 years now and joined Tacoma’s Cascade Park Communities in 2018 as Director of Business Development. She is responsible for creating and growing programs and revenue to keep the mission going: serving 400 Medicaid Seniors in 3 locations and 6 unique programs. She enjoys playing chess and strategic games and this translates into a strategic passion of new revenue generation that keeps the mission alive. Jen oversees assisted living, memory care, behavioral health, mental health and adult day health new revenue and closed on a strong partnership with Tacoma Housing Authority and MultiCare Health System to expand services to Seniors. She was a 2021 graduate of LeadingAge’s Leadership Academy and lobbies with LeadingAge WA in both DC and local legislative sessions. As a former lobbyist herself, she understands key relationships can push forward legislative wins for the industry.
Side hobbies include reading books (historical fiction is a favorite), gardening with her husband and daughter, and on sunny days she and her family can be found stand-up-paddle boarding on the Puget Sound.
Heather Lewis
Director of Nursing Services
Christian Health Care Center, Lynden
Heather Lewis is a Registered Nurse who has been with Christian Health Care Center since 2015 as the Director of Nursing. She holds national certification in Wound Care. She has over 30 years of experience in skilled nursing including primary care, Staff Development, Restorative care, Infection Control, MDS/RAI coordination, both instructor and program director for Nursing Assistant Training program. Heather has also served for over 10 years as a member of the nursing program advisory boards for both Bellingham Technical College and Whatcom Community College and is currently the chair person for both. She has volunteered for over 10 years with the Arthritis Foundation as a board member and served as the chair person for 2 consecutive terms. She also was the chair person for the Bellingham Jingle Bell Run committee an event that raises over $150,000 with over 3000 participants to support arthritis education and research.
Heather and her husband, Steve, have 2 adult children and enjoy spending their free time with family and traveling.
Heather Turner
Executive Director, Timber Ridge at Talus, Issaquah
Inspired by seniors from a young age, Heather Turner focused her education on long-term care administration, obtaining a B.S. in Health Services Management from Winona State University, a B.A. in Management and Entrepreneurship from Buena Vista University and an M.H.A in Health Management from the University of Missouri. After completing internships in the Midwest, she joined Life Care Services LLC in 2001 and moved to the East Coast.
Since joining the LCS, Heather has served seniors in more than 10 communities across the United States in varying administration and executive leadership roles. In 2013, she relocated to Washington to be the Executive Director of Timber Ridge at Talus. Over the past 22 years, she has had the opportunity to lead communities through expansions, hurricanes and, most recently, a pandemic.
On a corporate level, Heather has participated in numerous initiatives, such as EverSafe 360˚, an LCS Signature Experience designed to elevate the safety and wellness of both residents and employees. Timber Ridge has also been a site for numerous technology initiatives, implementing Servi, WellScreen and the Whiz in an attempt to supplement staffing and maintain quality services for our residents.
Heather is excited about the opportunity to continue to serve seniors and health care professionals locally, regionally and nationally.
Ketty Hsieh
CEO, Kin On Health Care Center, Seattle
Ketty Hsieh joined Kin On Health Care Center as its Chief Executive Officer on June 1, 2022, leading a team of 300 employees providing culturally and linguistically appropriate healthy living and healthcare services to Asian seniors in the greater Seattle metropolitan area. Kin On offers a culturally sensitive continuum of senior care, including community-based wellness and social services programs, Home Care, Assisted Living, Adult Family Home, and Rehab and Care Center. Hsieh has also been serving on the Kin On Board and in the Finance Committee since January 2021.
Hsieh has 28 years of experience in finance and strategic planning, including 12+ years in the health care industry, partnering with operational and clinical leaders to identify business opportunities and improve financial performance. Before joining Kin On, she was the Vice President of Finance for Western Washington at Optum, leading the finance teams at the Polyclinic and the Everett Clinic, both part of Optum, with combined net revenues of over $900 million.
As a seasoned finance executive working closely with operations, Hsieh has led numerous transformative and strategic initiatives to improve performance and optimize operational efficiency throughout her career. Prior to joining Optum, Hsieh served as the Transformation Analytic Consultant at Providence St. Joseph Health Systems and was the Vice President of Finance, Care Delivery, for Kaiser Permanente of Washington. She completed her Bachelor of Mathematics in Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. She also received her MBA at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. Hsieh grew up in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and speaks fluent Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese.
Matthew Powondra
Administrator, The Mary Schwartz Summit, Seattle
Matthew Powondra is Administrator of The Mary Schwartz Summit, Kline Galland’s senior residential care community. With more than 16 years of experience, he has contributed to both acute and post-acute care operations working at both domestic and foreign hospitals, before shifting his career to the post-acute, skilled, and long-term residential settings. Before becoming Administrator of The Mary Schwartz Summit in 2022, he worked in different roles for a large multi-faceted senior living campus in San Francisco.
Matthew serves on Kline Galland’s Center for Applied AgeTech Committee, is a member of LeadingAge Washington’s Assisted Living Cabinet Committee, and is an alumni of the Larry Minnix Leadership Academy (class of 2017). Matthew holds a B.S. in Health Studies from Michigan State University and a M.S. in Health Systems Management from Rush University.
Matthew lives in Renton with his wife Amanda, and their three young children.
Don Smith, Jr. – Strategic Appointment
Donald Smith has recently retired as an Administrator for Sunshine Health & Rehab in Spokane Valley; a position he has held for almost 5 years. He is a transplant from the state of Texas where he has spent most of his adult life. He moved to Washington state in July 2015 to fill the Dietary Manager position for Sunshine Health. In 2017, he was selected to fill the position as Administrator, the latest in a broad range of career pursuits which has included police officer in a major metropolitan area, biomedical researcher, chef and now healthcare administration professional. He is an avid learner having spent a significant number of years pursuing formal education leading up to the receipt of his Doctoral Degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He is driven by a passion to serve his community in any way possible.
He is married to a beautiful woman who has stood by him for 12 wonderful years. He has two grown sons in Texas who are both very successful in their careers. He and his wife Chelsey, are very active, pursuing any number of outdoor interests including baseball/softball, bicycling, and hiking (especially in the mountains). He is trained as a chef with a culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Dallas, so he spends a lot of time in his kitchen (a perk for his wife and friends). And, finally, he has recently begun a project that has been on his bucket list for several years. He has begun writing his first book which he hopes to have completed by this time next year.
