Strong Governance to Guide Our Future
Strong governance is critical to strong operations and a long-term sustainability. The board is the primary force guiding Asbury to do all the good we can with integrity, transparency, and grace. Board duties include strategic planning, reviewing organizational structures and system operations, monitoring Asbury’s growth plans, and ensuring transparency of audit information and other financial reports.
The Asbury Communities Board of Directors represents the Asbury parent corporation, which provides management services to its related organizations. As directors of a not-for-profit organization, board members ensure that Asbury fulfills its Mission and tax-exempt purpose, as well as meets its obligations to all of its constituencies.
Asbury owes a debt of gratitude to these dedicated Board members who bring business acumen, leadership, and commitment to building our organization’s future.
Meet the Asbury Communities, Inc., Board of Directors
R. Scott Coolidge, Chair
Scott has spent over 40 years as a senior corporate executive, Partner at a premier human resources consulting firm, and most recently as an Executive Leadership Coach and Board Member. In addition to managing a private executive coaching practice, Scott is affiliated with two organizations: MyNextSeason and Human Capital Advisors. Before joining MyNextSeason and Human Capital Advisors, Scott spent 13 years at Freddie Mac, where he served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources and played a pivotal role in developing and implementing talent management strategies to assist the organization in navigating the turbulent waters of the financial crisis that began in 2008. As a Partner at Towers Perrin, a major human resources consulting firm, Scott’s accountabilities included new business development, client relationship management, and delivery of innovative solutions to clients’ human capital, total rewards, and compensation challenges. On an individual level, Scott has also engaged in various coaching and consulting opportunities, including serving as interim CHRO at numerous small and mid-sized companies, a strategic HR consultant, and an executive leadership coach. Scott currently serves as Chairman of the Board at Asbury Communities, a major integrated services senior living organization, and is a Board member of Flat Rock Opportunity Fund, Flat Rock Core Income Fund, and Flat Rock Enhanced Income Fund, which are all alternative asset management funds. Scott received a BA from Harvard University and is certified as an Executive Leadership Coach from Georgetown University. He and his wife, Joda, enjoy spending time with their four adult children and spouses, along with six grandchildren. They currently reside in the mountains near Hendersonville, NC, and also spend time during the winter in Anna Maria, Florida. Scott enjoys a full range of outdoor activities, travel, as well as the cultural and social opportunities each region has to offer. View Scott on LinkedIn.
Julie Gilbert, Vice Chair
Julie Gilbert is a 25-year plus global proven CEO and Fortune 50 business growth senior executive, and a successful serial technology entrepreneur currently partnering with select private equity and family offices globally to design and execute accelerated growth and operational efficiencies to exit, stock accretion, and/or IPO in each portfolio company including full AI reviews and also C-suite talent and board composition. She most recently served at McKinsey & Company as a Partner and CEO-in-residence designing, building and scaling new disruptive growth businesses in heritage clients. She was the most distinguished and experienced CEO-in-residence also shaping and building their business building capability globally. Starting her career at Deloitte, Julie quickly made her mark as a key leader on the team in challenging mergers and acquisitions. She engaged on these complex operations and also proactively drove the creation and development of an industry-first software program designed to automate the intricate process of tax restructuring treatment for the firm’s largest M&A clients. Julie is a 30-year active and licensed CPA with deep experience in designing and executing joint ventures, deal flow, and all aspects of mergers and acquisitions. Transitioning to Best Buy as the Senior Vice President of Growth, Julie’s impact was immediate and remains impactful to the organization. She was instrumental in leading the design and build of Magnolia Home Theater, transforming it into a flagship offering, scaling it to 365 stores along with the creation of the first company-owned higher-end design, installation, and delivery service business. These both significantly enhanced Best Buy’s market position and remain so. Her efforts keenly contributed to Best Buy’s revenue growth—from $15 billion to $45 billion— during her tenure. Julie also spearheaded the creation of Virgin Mobile, marking both the industry’s first prepaid phone and Best Buy’s first joint venture, demonstrating her capacity for innovation and strategic partnerships. She also built the first strategic alliance capability for the organization. She played a pivotal role in transforming the company’s approach to target the female demographic leading the creation and global execution of WOLF, leading to an incremental revenue of $4.4 billion as well as many powerful positive cultural changes. Furthermore, Julie led a comprehensive reinvention of the company-wide sales training and digital ecommerce marketing with a customer-human-focused approach. This included the creation and launch of the “Learning Lounge” Technology Learning Platform, which boosted engagement by 18% as well as her leading the company-wide retail leadership forum career development capability. From there, Julie then founded two impactful businesses independently, Wolf Means Business and PreciouStatus. Wolf was a global strategy and business growth consulting firm; it served a diverse client base globally ranging from private start-ups to Fortune 50 companies building significant growth top-line and bottom. It excelled in driving business expansion into new segments, regional territories globally and facilitating turnaround growth for heritage brands, significantly enhancing stock valuations and overall business performance across five continents. PreciouStatus, a ‘first of it’s kind’ new technology company, was Julie’s vision she designed, founded, and led, a venture that quickly set a new standard for global SaaS companies. Julie’s leadership developed B2B2C business models within the consumer and healthcare sectors, introducing two distinct encrypted software platforms and apps. These platforms, equipped with large data lakes, AI-driven back-end monetization engines, and applications for a variety of use-cases and sectors, catered to users in 178 countries, enabling private provider-to-consumer communication. PreciouStatus, recognized for its award-winning, AI-enabled, mobile encrypted technology, achieved a successful exit, marking another milestone in Julie’s career. Her exemplary leadership for driving growth financially has been profiled in Harvard Business Review, IMD Switzerland, Bloomberg, Business Week, Time Magazine, and more than 25 books and periodicals. A recognized company strategy architect, Julie’s achievements span healthcare, retail, financial services, entertainment, fitness and sports, consumer products, banking, and services. She is repeatedly tapped to architect turnarounds and reinventions with a strong direct to consumer business model and cultural inclusion expansions for Fortune 500 B2C and B2B organizations and start-ups. She has been recognized as a Henry Crown Fellow by the Aspen Institute and is well-known for delivering keynote speeches at TED conferences, focusing on unconventional business strategies, transformation, and exponential growth. Additionally, Julie established and led the Global Founders Club and the Lighthouse global network at McKinsey, a platform featuring a video podcast that connects leading founders, builders, and investors. On a personal note, Julie attributes her entrepreneurial spirit to her upbringing in her parents’ multichannel retail and distribution businesses and has a foundation helping executive military veterans transition to civilian careers. Julie is a Governance Fellow with the National Association of Corporate Directors and board Trustee for the University of Minnesota A mother to a son, and sports and racing afficionado, Julie is also a passionate advocate for nature and is a former competitive ballroom dancer. View Julie on LinkedIn.
Christina (Chris) Croll
Christina (Chris) Croll is a seasoned leader with 30 years of corporate and advocacy work experience. Her consulting projects include business strategy, communications, original content development, business process reengineering, and market research. She has held senior roles at Gartner, Network Solutions, Quest Communications, The Walt Disney Company, America Online, Jones Intercable, and several technology startups. Chris has led projects in the media, education, technology, legal and healthcare sectors. She has been recognized for her community advocacy work promoting teen mental health, childhood cancer research, diversity in education, LGBTQIA+ rights, and support for families raising high-needs children. Chris currently serves on the Board of Directors for Asbury Communities and the Ithaca College Alumni Association Board of Directors. She recently served on the Loudoun County School Board which governs the second largest school division in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Ryan Bartel Foundation, a regional youth suicide prevention nonprofit. She earned a Master of Professional Studies degree from New York University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Ithaca College. She is a member of the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps and holds dual US/EC citizenship. Chris lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two teenage sons. . View Chris on LinkedIn.
Jeffrey Ernico
Jeffrey is Senior Counsel at Abom & Kutulakis based in Carlisle, PA. His multi-faceted experience enables him to provide legal counsel in a number of areas. He advises corporate, commercial and individual clients on a broad spectrum of legal matters ranging from corporate issues, real estate transactions and administrative law to estate planning and taxation. He also has extensive experience as a solicitor for boroughs, townships and zoning hearing boards. Jeff has an in-depth understanding of complex business transactions including mergers, acquisitions relating to corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships. He frequently assists his corporate clients in a broad range of business-related matters including strategic planning and succession planning. A prolific author and lecturer on estate planning, taxation and real estate law, Jeff has addressed national and local audiences. A dedicated advocate of pro bono work, he is the recipient of the Louis Goffman Pro Bono Award of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation. In recognition of his efforts to provide legal services to all, the Bar Association created the Jeffrey A. Ernico Award, which recognizes attorneys for exceptional pro bono achievements. View Jeffrey on LinkedIn.
Melissa Fors Shackelford
Melissa Fors Shackelford brings over 25 years of experience as a healthcare marketing executive, having held key roles at industry leading organizations including Optum, Hazelden Betty Ford, and Cigna’s Health Services Business, Evernorth. Melissa recently joined LetsGetChecked as Senior Vice President of Marketing, where she leads the development and execution of comprehensive marketing strategies across the US healthcare sector and international markets. LetsGetChecked is a global healthcare solutions company specialized in home health testing, virtual care, genetic sequencing, and medication delivery for diverse health and wellness conditions. During her tenure at Cigna’s Evernorth Health Services, Melissa led strategic marketing for Express Scripts’ pharmacy benefit management and specialty pharmacy services, contributing significantly to market expansion and customer engagement strategies. Melissa’s career highlights include her role as Vice President of Marketing at Hazelden Betty Ford, where she led the strategic marketing functions. Before joining Hazelden Betty Ford in 2013, Melissa was at UnitedHealth Group’s Optum in a number of marketing leadership roles for six years. Recognized as a thought leader in healthcare marketing, Melissa is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and a prolific writer for leading publications, focusing on topics such as healthcare branding and marketing ethics. Her contributions have significantly advanced the field and earned her the prestigious Nonprofit Marketer of the Year award from the American Marketing Association in 2019 and the Women’s Health Leadership TRUST Award in 2020. Melissa holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a BA from the University of Minnesota. She actively contributes to the healthcare community as a member of the American Hospital Association’s Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD) editorial advisory board and serves on the boards of the Women’s Health Leadership TRUST and Asbury Communities, Inc., where she chairs the Governance and Nominations Committee. View Melissa on LinkedIn.
Jean Machart
Jean is a Digital Health Executive, who creates health solutions for better lives. She is known for leading growth strategies, developing truly innovative experiences and products, and leading Digital & AI Transformation, located in the Greater Minneapolis area. She is the Chief Operating Officer at Children’s Cancer Research Fund and an Expert at Residence at DigitalDX, where she selects start-ups that are applying AI for early diagnosis. Previously, she was Vice President at UnitedHealth Group within the payer and provider spaces, where she played key Digital, Artificial Intelligence, and Operations roles in strategy development, roadmap alignment, and leading global cross-functional teams. Jean also served in executive roles at Ameriprise Financial where she led the largest mutual fund advisory program with P&L responsibility, and successfully led large-scale change as the Product Executive for New Brokerage Platform program, partnering with additional executives and teams, enabling an enterprise-wide growth acceleration of high-net-worth clients and process digitization, and integrating an integration, and at American Express Financial Advisors, she held positions in finance and platform delivery. Jean holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management in Information Technology and Operations, and a BBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Finance and Mathematics. In her free time, Jean enjoys international travel, reading, and hiking with her family. View Jean on LinkedIn.
Larry Parks
Larry is a growth business leader, executive compensation and rewards adviser, and expert in human capital management and board governance. He joined Asbury Communities governance in 2015 and has held various leadership roles including most recently past Board Chair. He has also served as the Vice Chair, Chair, Compensation Committee and Vice Chair, Finance and Investment Committee. Larry is currently a Principal in SullivanCotter’s Executive Workforce Practice, focusing on providing advisory services to the health care industry. He is also a proven adviser and facilitator with extensive experience serving hundreds of United States and international public, private and not-for-profit boards and management teams, across almost all industry sectors. He brings significant experience and insight to a broad spectrum of executive and board-level issues including the design of innovative executive total rewards strategies to support organization-wide goals and drive financial, operational and workforce results. Larry is experienced in developing strategies and harmonizing executive programs for organizational transactions including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and spin-offs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University. Larry has also served on additional boards that primarily focus on primary and higher education. Larry and his wife, Kathy, split their time between homes in Northern Virginia and Williamsburg, VA. and enjoy history, travel and being with family, including their daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. View Larry on LinkedIn.
Richard Shuman
Rich Shuman is Founder and President of the Business Advisory Firm AP’OGEE. With strengths in Financial, Operational and Brand-Centric Strategies, Rich is experienced in the strategic positioning of companies and brands, acquisitions, start-ups and change management. Through his career, spanning more than 30 years, Rich has had the opportunity to engage leaders in developing, from ground zero, a new natural foods division, during his 13-year tenure with Kellogg’s, a Fortune 200 FMCG Company. To being President of a privately held company with leading Market Share in the U.S. Pain Management C-Arm Imaging and Ultrasound Examination Table Market. Today, his leadership is a unique combination of Fortune 200 skills and process, married to experience in driving change in an entrepreneurial environment. Rich Holds an MBA from St. Joseph’s University of Philadelphia in Finance and a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration from Elizabethtown College. Husband to Kendra, Rich is a proud father of two and resides in Lancaster, PA. He has served various organizations in the capacity of board and committee member and enjoys serving those we lead. View Richard on LinkedIn.
Efonda Sproles
Efonda Sproles serves as the Vice President of Scouting & Casting and Brand Ambassador at Life Time, a health way of life company, that provides members with a whole-person approach to wellness through its health clubs, digital membership, coaching and more. Through his 30 years at Life Time — and more than 40 years of experience in the health and fitness industry — Efonda has kept a guiding principle in mind: people first. His strengths in building relationships and talent identification have been instrumental in helping Life Time scale and attract top talent across North America. Efonda’s broad expertise includes leading and working in every facet of club management, from grand openings to daily operations at Life Time’s now 170-plus clubs in North America. With certification as an Executive Coach through Stakeholder Centered Coaching, SCC, Efonda also has significant experience in leadership growth, sales training and coaching, and public speaking. In 2020, he joined Life Time’s Inclusion Council Board as a founding member to make the organization a place of Belonging. Among his initiatives were expanding the brand’s presence in underserved communities, businesses and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). With credentials in Diversity and Inclusion Training from Ashton College as well as his experience in the field, Efonda’s multifaceted contributions showcase his unwavering dedication to empowering individuals and fostering inclusive communities. In addition to his work with Life Time, Efonda also has lent his talents to nonprofit boards, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and as a founding board member of both The Sanneh Foundation and Literacy Matters, a group that aims to making reading accessible to underserved students in grades 1 through 3. As a champion of excellence in customer service and intentional, thoughtful care of clients, Efonda enjoys his role with Asbury Communities and the contributions he can make in continuing its superior facilities and programs in senior care. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Northern Iowa, where he also was an All-American wrestler. He is a husband, proud father of three young adults, step-father to three young adults, and grandfather who resides in Minnetonka, Minn. View Efonda on LinkedIn.
C. Eric Winzer
Eric is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Immunomic Therapeutics, a privately held biotechnology company based in Rockville, MD. He is a 30-year veteran of life sciences companies where he has addressed a wide array of financial issues including raising capital, SEC reporting, investor relations, banking, taxation, mergers and acquisitions, international operations and financial planning, analysis and accounting operations. Eric has helped raise over $1 billion in debt and equity transactions and has served private and public companies ranging from start-ups to operating companies with revenues of $1 billion. Eric’s work experience includes service with OpGen Inc, Avalon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Invitrogen Corporation, Life Technologies, Inc., and Genex Corporation principally serving as Chief Financial Officer. In addition, Eric serves as a member of the board of directors and Audit Committee Chair for Nuo Therapeutics, Inc. View Eric on LinkedIn.
Doug Leidig, Ex Officio Voting: View Doug on LinkedIn.
* The Baltimore-Washington Conference United Methodist Church acts as an Ex-Officio Non-Voting Advisor.
Asbury Atlantic, Inc. and Board Members
Asbury Atlantic, Inc., is the owner and operator of Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg, Md., Asbury Solomons in Solomons, Md., Bethany Village in Mechanicsburg, Pa., and Springhill in Erie, Pa., and is the provider and legal entity responsible for providing services to the residents of these communities. Learn more about Asbury Atlantic, Inc.
