Board of Directors

Retired Partner, Benesch Attorneys at Law | Columbus, OH

Janet retired after a distinguished 33-year career at Benesch Law, where she concentrated her practice on healthcare law. Her broad experience includes long-term care survey and certification, state and federal regulatory compliance, physician and nursing practice issues, and fraud and abuse matters involving hospitals, suppliers, insurers, and physicians.  During her tenure at Benesch Law, she delivered more than 500 presentations on health law and related topics, with focus on post- acute care.

She has been a licensed registered nurse for more than 40 years, including developing experience in critical care nursing with a focus on cardiac ICUs. Her nursing background also includes service as a nursing home surveyor for the State of Missouri, the first Director of Nursing for a new 120-bed nursing home, Assistant Administrator of a 408-bed nursing home, and a Vice President overseeing clinical operations for 28 facilities within a company that operated 55 nursing homes across nine states.

Janet earned her Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Missouri. Janet is a past president of the American Association of Nurse Attorneys and remains actively involved with several healthcare-related boards.  She maintains an active registered nursing license and assists health care providers as an independent contractor.  

Vice President of Operations, Friendship | Fincastle, VA

Brandon Evans serves as VP of Operations for Friendship, a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community in Virginia. In this role, he oversees a broad continuum of care services, including skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care, independent living, home care, adult day services, outpatient therapy, and wellness programs.

With more than 20 years of experience in post-acute and long-term care, Brandon has held progressive clinical, operational, and executive leadership roles. He is recognized for his expertise in operational excellence, clinical quality, regulatory compliance, reimbursement strategy, and leadership development across the senior care continuum. A licensed nursing home administrator, registered nurse, and RAC-CT certified professional, Brandon began his healthcare career as a certified nursing assistant before advancing through multiple clinical and leadership positions.

Passionate about developing future leaders and advancing quality care for older adults, Brandon is committed to strengthening the post-acute care profession through collaboration, innovation, and service.

President, RLH Consulting | Long Grove, IL

Throughout her career, Robin has been involved in all aspects of facility operations, including ownership roles. She is currently the President of RLH Consulting, which provides operational and reimbursement consulting to providers of skilled nursing, assisted living and intellectual or developmental disabilities. She is a nationally recognized expert on payment system design, quality measurement and the Resident Assessment Instrument, and was actively involved in the design of the Patient Driven Payment Model implemented Oct. 1, 2019. Robin is Past Chair of both the Ohio Health Care Association (OHCA) and its Educational Foundation (EFOHCA), and has served on the OHCA Board of Directors since 1998. She served on the Board of Governors and Executive Committee of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and continues to serve on the Reimbursement Cabinet. She also serves on the AAPACN Expert Advisory Panel. She was a recipient of the 2018 AANAC Contributor of the Year award, the 2015 AHCA Joe Warner Patient Advocacy award, and the 2004 OHCA President’s award. 

Owner/Operator, Pappalardi Consulting | Albany, NY

Jackie Pappalardi has over 45 years of experience in the executive leadership for nursing home and assisted living member association, government agency and private healthcare delivery system with demonstrated leadership competence in regulatory oversight, lobbying, and corporate leadership. With a clinical background as a registered nurse, Jackie has been a strong advocate for ensuring patients, residents, and clients receive quality health care through access to effective and competent programs. Her vast experiences working across the healthcare continuum with staff, facility, government, and community leaders have shaped her positive approach to the value of enhancing local, state, and national partnerships to achieve regulatory compliance and accreditation, to develop and implement emergency management programs and to build strong quality improvement practices with providers. 

Jackie started a consulting company to work with nursing home and assisted living providers as needed to ensure their readiness to changes in state and federal regulations, develops action plans demonstrating standards of quality improvement and fosters the growth of strong collaborative partnerships throughout the healthcare continuum. Jackie served as President of the Junior League of Albany, is an active member of the Professional Advisory Committee for Long Term Care Services for St Peter’s Health Partners, part of Trinity Health, Albany NY and volunteers in her community.

President and CEO, Celtic Consulting, LLC | Torrington, CT

Maureen McCarthy is the President and CEO of Celtic Consulting, LLC, nationally recognized as a luminary amongst long-term care operators and clinicians for reimbursement and regulatory matters, audits and analysis, enhancing operational efficiency, education, and litigation support. Maureen combines clinical expertise with regulatory acuity to assist clients with developing sustainable remediation plans. She is a registered nurse with over thirty years of work experience, including direct patient care, MDS Coordinator, Director of Nursing, Rehab Director, and Medicare biller.

Recognized for thought-leadership, Maureen presents to many long-term care associations including the American Health Care Association (AHCA), American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN), and the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA). She has trained thousands of clinicians, financial professionals, and administrators. Additionally, she delivers webinar presentations and seminars on topics relevant to long-term care industry organizations and has published in leading industry journals including McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, PPS Alert, and Skilled Nursing News. Maureen also serves on multiple committees and is a sitting member of the Board of Directors for several organizations. 

Senior Director of Quality, Elevate Therapy Consulting Group |  Louisville, KY

Liz is a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CRRN) with over 30 years of experience in the skilled nursing facility (SNF) industry, with a strong focus on rehabilitation therapy services. Throughout her career, she has held a variety of leadership roles, including case manager, marketing director, senior director of quality, and vice president of clinical services. Passionate about education, Liz has dedicated much of her professional life to teaching and mentoring healthcare professionals, particularly within the post-acute care space. In her current role as senior director of quality, she partners with clients to strengthen clinical performance through accurate MDS coding, focused attention to quality measures, and targeted education and training that support interdisciplinary collaboration and high-quality, person-centered care.

Also a published author, Liz continues to advocate for a person-centered approach to care, a theme central to her speaking engagements and work. She is an active contributor to the field through her service on the AAPACN Board of Directors, as a member of the AAPACN NAC Expert Advisory Panel, and ongoing involvement with several state-level healthcare associations.

Director of Operations, University of Tennessee Audio and Speech-Language Pathology | Vonore, TN

Colleen Oakley is the Director of Operations at the University of Tennessee Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology. She is an Occupational Therapist with over 30 years of healthcare experience including pediatrics, home health, outpatient, acute care, and LTAC but considers geriatrics and long-term care her passion. Colleen received her Nursing Home Administrator license in 2010 and her RAC certification in 2020. With expertise in operations, clinical reimbursement, and people development, she has great analytical skills and is passionate about clinical care that results in outstanding outcomes. Colleen has worked with teams to identify areas of opportunity and develop strategies for process improvement, enhanced MDS coding, and reimbursement optimization. She has headed up numerous initiatives that structure and standardized processes for better efficiency and effectiveness.

Regional Vice President, Broad River Rehabilitation | Mocksville, NC

Adrienne has dedicated 27 years of experience to the skilled nursing industry. She holds a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology and started her career as a clinician in skilled nursing facilities. Adrienne has held many leadership roles within the SNF setting, including rehabilitation director, area manager, and senior director of operations. In her current role of regional vice president for Broad River Rehabilitation, she supports skilled nursing facilities in several states and works with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the quality provision of therapy care to all of the residents in the communities she serves. Adrienne also holds a RAC-CT, which she obtained in 2017; and specializes in improving access to quality therapy services while maximizing reimbursement.

Chief Nursing Officer, Venza Care | Raleigh, NC

Lisa Chubb serves as Chief Nursing Officer for Venza Care, a multi-state skilled nursing organization, where she leads clinical strategy, quality outcomes, regulatory readiness, and leadership development across the enterprise. A transformational nursing executive, she is known for building cultures where clinical teams practice at the top of their license while maintaining a strong hospitality-driven approach to patient care. Her leadership philosophy blends accountability, education, and empowerment, translating regulatory expectations into practical bedside behaviors that improve both outcomes and staff engagement.

Prior to joining Venza Care, Lisa served as Chief Clinical Officer for Brickyard Healthcare, where she oversaw clinical operations and quality across the organization and partnered with regulatory agencies to ensure compliance and high standards of care. Throughout her career, she has successfully led large-scale clinical turnarounds, improved CMS Five-Star performance, strengthened survey readiness programs, and implemented systems that reduce rehospitalizations, falls, and skin breakdown. Her work consistently focuses on sustainable systems rather than short-term fixes.

President and CEO, Care Central VNA and Hospice, Inc. | Gardner, MA

Holly is a seasoned healthcare executive with over three decades of progressive leadership experience in the home care and hospice sectors. She currently serves as CEO of Care Central VNA and Hospice, Inc. in Massachusetts. Her extensive professional background encompasses all facets of post-acute care, including home care, hospice, private duty services, assisted living, and adult day care, within both for-profit and non-profit environments.

Holly brings deep expertise in organizational strategy, operations management, clinical service delivery, technology integration, and mergers and acquisitions. She has collaborated extensively with Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), health systems, and post-acute care providers across the continuum, leading initiatives such as the development of preferred provider networks, the implementation of innovative care delivery models, and the oversight of complex risk-based contracting arrangements. 

In addition to her executive leadership, Holly has demonstrated success in consulting engagements, guiding organizations from initial development through full operational execution. Her work has consistently focused on enhancing financial performance, ensuring organizational sustainability, and driving long-term growth. Most recently, she led the implementation of an artificial intelligence–enabled documentation initiative for home care clinicians, reflecting her commitment to advancing healthcare delivery through technology and innovation.

Chief Clinical Officer, Aperion Care | Schererville, IN

Patricia Britton-Schutz is an accomplished healthcare executive with extensive experience in long-term care, post-acute services, regulatory compliance, and clinical operations. As Chief Clinical Officer for Aperion Care and Alta Rehab, she provides strategic leadership and clinical oversight for multiple skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers across the Midwest.

Throughout her career, Patricia has been dedicated to improving quality outcomes, enhancing resident care, developing clinical leaders, and driving operational excellence. She has extensive expertise in regulatory compliance, CMS survey preparedness, quality assurance and performance improvement (QAPI), infection prevention, hospital readmission reduction, workforce development, and clinical program implementation.

Patricia is passionate about mentoring healthcare leaders and fostering a culture of accountability, compassion, and continuous improvement. She works closely with executive teams, physicians, regional leaders, and interdisciplinary care teams to implement innovative clinical initiatives that improve resident outcomes while maintaining compliance with state and federal regulations.

Chief Clinical Officer, TCM Consulting & Management | Arlington Heights, IL

Michelle is a Registered Nurse with a Doctorate in Nursing practice and over 40 years of experience post-acute care including short and long-term care, ventilator units, behavioral health, dementia care and assisted living. Throughout her career, she has held a variety of clinical leadership roles, including Director of Nursing, Administrator, Nurse Consulting, Chief Education Officer, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Clinical Officer.  Michelle has also spent time mentoring individuals pursing their undergraduate, Masters and Doctorate degrees, serving as a preceptor for multiple individuals working towards their degrees in Public Health, Community Health, Nursing Education and Doctor of Nursing Roles.  

In her current role as Chief Clinical Officer, she works with facilities to provide quality care to residents through education and training, policy, process and program development and reimbursement. Michelle’s strives to advance the profession through her work on the AAPACN Nurse Expert Advisory panel as well as her work through other state and national organizations.