MARC VORKAPICH,
PRINCIPAL & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Marc’s calling to senior living began in 1991 during a volunteer experience that instilled a passion for ensuring excellence in serving seniors.

Prior to assuming executive leadership roles, Marc honed his skills working with some of the nation’s leading health care providers developing a depth and breadth of knowledge in start up and turnaround initiatives, sales, and operations management. As VP of Sales and Marketing, Marc developed the “RISE model” to drive a collaborative approach to strategic planning. Working with teams in identifying opportunities for improved performance Marc has launched reorganization strategies resulting in explosive census growth during times of economic downturn and industry-wide occupancy decline.

As a first time Chief Operating Officer and then President and CEO of a regional operating company, Marc focused his efforts on cultivating Servant Leaders. By inspiring trust his teams enjoyed dramatic improvements in Net Operating Income (NOI), record high occupancy levels, and won numerous national awards for excellence. Marc was honored to receive the Servant Leadership Award from his peers in recognition of his significant contributions in successfully driving culture change across the company.

Today, Marc brings to Watercrest Senior Living Group more than 20 years of accomplishment in acute care, long-term residential, and outpatient settings. Leading a team of well established industry experts in the design, development, and operations of senior living communities, Watercrest’s new community development pipeline is approaching $500 million and more than 30 communities throughout the southeast.

When asked what the he believes is the key to success? Marc is quick to say, “Our people.” Adding… “Our collective values will determine the extent to which our collective vision is realized.  Being a beacon of quality in senior living is the result of welcoming, caring for, and serving others.”

Marc holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology from Virginia Tech and is currently considering thesis topics in completion of a Masters in Health Care Administration from Pennsylvania State University. Additionally, Marc is driven to publish the “RISE Model” as well as other practical applications of Value Centered Leadership for aspiring executives. Residing in Vero Beach, Florida, Marc is blessed with the love of his life, Kathryn, their son, Chandon, daughters, Palmer and Saylor.

JOAN (“JOANIE”) WILLIAMS,
PRINCIPAL & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

When presented with the opportunity to enter the senior living industry in 2007, Joanie was thrilled to bring her 25 plus years of leadership experience to serving seniors. She is a seasoned operationally oriented CFO with a successful track record of bringing financial discipline and leadership to each of high growth, well-established, startup and turnaround situations. Joanie brings to Watercrest Senior Living Group the ability to make immediate improvements on cash flow, operating efficiencies, financial reporting and controls, human resource utilization, and strategic planning. She oversees Watercrest’s finances with the highest level of compliance, integrity and credibility in financial reporting. Joanie has comprehensive, in-depth knowledge and experience across all Corporate Finance functions, accounting, Treasury, Risk Management, Information Systems and Human Resources. Drawing on her relationships with clients, investors and bankers, Joanie brings significant experience to Watercrest Senior Living Group in M&A and raising capital (private equity, private debt, bank debt and bond financing).

Joanie has built very strong teams using her keen ability to recognize talent and develop and mentor associates. Her passion is to share her knowledge and best practices with her teams enabling them to excel and attain their personal goals. She has a Servant heart and works tirelessly to improve systems and trains continually to ensure excellence. “I understand that everything I do as CFO should ultimately translate into higher quality of care for our seniors.”

Joanie holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University in Washington, DC and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Southern California. Joanie has been married to her husband Phil for 39 years and they have two wonderful children, Jackie and Blake.  Joanie and Phil enjoy their home on the water and traveling to exotic places whenever Phil can get Joanie off the golf course.

ROSE PIETRAS,
VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING

Rose’s experience in sales and marketing extends over twenty years, with proven consistency in improved profitability and quantifiable results. Her career in senior living began in 1999 at a premier assisted living and dementia care community in Palm Harbor, Florida, where she successfully grew and maintained a stable census for five years in a highly competitive market.

“A clear understanding of the consequential effect between operations and sales is essential to the success of an effective marketing plan and sustained profitability,” says Rose. A desire for comprehensive industry knowledge, coupled with passion for serving seniors, led her to attain proficiency in assisted living administration, resident services, budget planning and procedure development. Driven by a commitment to generate a positive impact in challenging environments, her achievements include significant census growth and exceeding business plan expectations in independent and assisted living communities from 99 to 450 units.

Her leadership style is based on a foundation of trust and total commitment to community, residents, families and associates. “I believe that community success is built upon a foundation of God given talent, commitment and passion – and teamwork is the keystone that solidifies its structure,” says Rose.

A Certified Senior Advisor and Florida Assisted Living Administrator, her accomplishments have been recognized by industry leading companies and include numerous sales, operational and customer service awards. Her talents for sales growth, census management, and market strategy have resulted in company-wide implementation of personally developed annual business and marketing plans, competitive analysis, and sales event planning practices.

Rose and her husband Chet have been married over thirty-eight years, and have lived in Florida since 1985. Blessed with two sons, Jarrod and Justin, and a daughter, Holly, they enjoy family gatherings and getaways whenever possible.

Michael Marlow,
Vice President of Sales Education

After over a decade of successful direct medical sales with Bristol Myers-Squibb, Mike was approached by an unfamiliar company, Hillhaven and an equally unfamiliar industry – senior living. At the time, Hillhaven was the largest provider of skilled nursing services in the country and their Vice President of Sales had heard Mike speak at a national conference on wound care. The topic was “An Atypical Approach to Selling Wound Care Products” and this Vice President wondered if this unique selling approach would translate to senior living. The answer was “yes” and Mike’s 28 plus year career in senior living was off an running!

Mike has served in various roles of increasing responsibility in this industry with which he had fallen in love. These roles range from Regional Sales Director to National Sales Training Manager to National Vice President of Sales. But no matter the role, there has been one consistent  theme throughout. “We must see and engage with people as the unique individuals that they truly are and then sell to that uniqueness. Always remembering, if we cannot sell them, we cannot serve them!” And service has been at the heart of Mike’s dedication to our wonderful industry and he often talks about how blessed he feels to have found a career that scratches his servant leadership itch. “Working with salespeople who help our direct customers make the best choices for themselves or for their loved ones is a huge responsibility and challenge.” But by utilizing the atypical selling behaviors contained in Mike’s programming, salespeople are empowered with a highly ethical approach to selling which also has been proven to be extremely effective.

Mike has also presented at over one hundred national and international conferences throughout his career. He is also a nationally published author and the on-line version of Mike’s sales training program was awarded the “Best of the Best” Award by the Assisted Living Federation of America in 2014.

Mike is a proud graduate of the University of Kentucky with a degree in communications and marketing and also holds a certificate in pedorthics from Oklahoma State University. Mike lives in Louisville, KY and has been married for 35 years to his wife, Julie and counts as his greatest accomplishments, his two children, Bradley and Jill!

Bradley is a Physical Therapy Assistant at Beacon Orthopedics in Erlanger, KY. Bradley and his wonderful wife, Lauren have also allowed Mike and Julie to experience the joys of grandparenting. Avery is 4 and Owen is almost 2. Dr. Jill White was recently married to the love of her life, Tyler and is an Occupational Therapist at Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, TN.

Mike is also very active in his church having served as a Sunday School teacher for the past 20 years, mostly with pre-teens. Other activities include running, biking and recently, pickleball.

JEREMY CAIRNS,
VICE PRESIDENT OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

Jeremy’s introduction to construction was through hands on field experience. He holds a Construction Management Associates Degree from Alamance Community College. He then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he studied Business.

From 2008 to 2015, he worked under the leadership of Benjamin Wilhelm, at the Shiel Sexton Company. Mr. Wilhelm instilled in Jeremy two life lessons. First, success is measured by how well you handle the cards you are dealt. Secondly, you must always love what you do.

In the last 16 years, Jeremy has managed over 450 million dollars’ worth of Construction projects. These projects have ranged from residential, government, and every aspect of commercial buildings.

At Watercrest, as the Vice President of Construction Management, Jeremy is responsible for overseeing the construction and design process from start to finish. His management responsibilities include design assistance, financial models, budgeting, contracts scheduling and asset management. His day to day role is to work directly with the entire Watercrest Team and their contractors, to ensure each project is delivered on time, on budget, and upholds the Watercrest quality standard. It’s through this culture and extremely high standard that he has happily found Watercrest home. It is a company that truly believes in every single member of their team and embraces everyone for what they bring to the table. For this organization, it’s not about another project breaking ground, it’s about building another home for the next Watercrest Family Member. It’s about community. It’s about care. It’s about making someone’s next home as comfortable, safe, and beautiful as their last.

Jeremy resides in Charlotte, NC. He is married to the love of his life, Kelly, and has two beautiful daughters, Kennedy and Lanie. Jeremy works hard to play hard. He enjoys his time with his family, traveling, attending sporting events and playing golf as much as possible.

STEPHANIE L’HEUREUX,
DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTING

Stephanie (“Steph”) comes to Watercrest with an extensive background in Senior Living Accounting, including expertise in Skilled Nursing, Cost Reporting, and Profit and Loss Analysis. She started her accounting career in the hospitality industry with Starwood Hotels where she worked as Accounting Manager for a large scale waterfront Conference Center in New Hampshire, also working with the owners on the development project of a new Westin Hotel in the same area.

Following her success in hospitality, she brought her talents to the Senior Living industry as Regional Accountant where her responsibilities included financial statement preparation and analysis of 8 assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing communities located in Florida, South Carolina, Michigan and Alabama. Steph’s experience also includes construction project accounting, cash management, revenue analysis, budget compilation, Medicare and Medicaid cost reporting, extensive profit and loss analysis, and general ledger maintenance.

Steph has a passion for sharing her knowledge and training with her colleagues on a variety of accounting and industry specific topics while helping them succeed. tephanie is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, with a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from the Whittemore School of Business, and now enjoys the Florida lifestyle spending free time at the beach and paddle boarding with her three children Drew, Taylor and Corey.

JOHNITA JACKSON,
Regional Director of Clinical Operations

I was born in Philadelphia, PA and moved to Florida at the age of 10. I have always had a passion for helping people. I started my career in the healthcare field as a Medical Assistant for over 20 years. Over those years I worked for many physicians throughout Palm Beach County, FL. Becoming a Registered Nurse was my childhood dream and in 2006 I decided to return to school to pursue this dream. I received my Nursing Degree in 2009at which time I began my career in senior care as a floor nurse in a skilled nursing facility before being promoted to Nurse Manager for the Rehab Unit. It is in this role that I fell in love with caring for seniors. After 4 years as a nurse manager I accepted a position as the Health and Wellness Director for a 175 bed Assisted Living Facility. In this role I excelled as a leader. I am passionate about Nursing Leadership because I love to assist nurses in reaching their full potential and providing exceptional care to our seniors during their “Golden Years”. I am a mother of 4 young adult children. I currently reside in Port Saint Lucie, FL with my husband. I enjoy hosting gatherings for family and friends, cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles Football team and shopping for my daughter’s clothing boutique.

SHELLEY BEVILLE,
REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL OPERATIONS

Shelley brings to the Watercrest Family 33 years of experience in health care with over 19 of those years being dedicated to serving seniors as this is her passion.
She at age 3 wanted to be a nurse for Halloween and her grandmother made a cape and a nurse’s hat and from that day forward knew her direction. Shelley attended Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina where she graduated with her registered nursing degree.

Shelley has had the opportunity to work in a variety of healthcare settings which have all had an integral role in her development as a leader. She believes that leadership is not just a role but a duty and a privilege. She is passionate about building teams that work collaboratively and empowering employees, ensuring they feel valued, respected, and motivated.

Shelley was born and raised in Titusville Florida, where she currently resides with her love Joe, she has three beautiful children, daughter Michaela 25, son Ashton 22 and son Tucker 18. Shelley is so very proud of her children and describes them as her greatest joy and the best gifts given to her.
Shelley loves spending time with her family and also enjoys being outdoors at the beach or on the river or simply relaxing on the back porch. She loves football!!! Alabama, Roll Tide and the Jacksonville Jaguars!!!

SHEENA JEFFRIES,
Regional Director of Engagement

Sheena Jeffries, TRS, CADDCT, began her tenure at Watercrest Senior Living in 2016 as the Memory Care Director at Watercrest Lake Nona, and now serves as Watercrest’s Engagement Specialist, supporting her initiatives with respect to dementia services and programming.

Sheena’s core value, Collective Cooperation, is practiced through her leadership by working alongside her fellow Memory Care Team. Sheena is a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist with a focus on adaptive methods and technology, to improve the quality of life for individuals with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Under the guidance of leading researcher and renowned NIH researcher, Sheena lead trial and analysis programs for Montessori Methods within dementia care. On the Dementia Excellence Committee, she acted as an employee advisor and dementia educator for senior care communities in Cleveland Ohio, and in 2010 Sheena was featured in the Future Age Magazine for her “Learn and Create” fine arts program for individuals with memory impairment.

In her free time, Sheena loves spending time with her fiancé Robert and 3 years old son Israel. Education through play is one of her family’s favorite things to do, and they can often be found exploring, learning, and sharing experiences in their community that fosters that passion.

Shannan Rhodes,
Regional Sales Manager

Shannan’s career with Seniors started in Bartlett, TN 20 years ago when she and her family moved back to Tennessee from St. Louis Mo. She had always been in a sales role but answered an ad for a Community Development Director position at an assisted living down the street from her home. She knew nothing about the industry and had never been in an assisted living before and fell in love immediately. She started doing outside professional development and quickly moved into a position where she was marketing 2 communities in the area. Her passion for the industry grew until she was working in a community and traveling to assist, train and troubleshoot other communities within the company.

After a merge of two larger companies and a short time marketing hospice, Shannan left the industry for a few years and pursued other sales leadership positions. In these positions the focus was leadership, personal development and sales. The years spent doing this gave Shannan her desire for personal growth, leading others to be the best version of themselves and her increased love for Christ.

In February 2020 Shannan was given the amazing opportunity, through a friend and former co-worker, to join the Watercrest family. She felt like Watercrest was the answer to everything she had been looking for. They felt like a merge between her passion for senior living and her love for serving and leading others.

Shannan is married to Lee, the boy next door, literally he was her neighbor. They live in Somerville TN and have been together for 34 years, have two amazing children, a son Boomer, a daughter Hunter and a beautiful daughter in law, Rebecca. Boomer is an agent with Farm Bureau and Rebecca is an attorney in Martin, TN. Hunter owns her own salon in Cordova, TN and has a spoiled dog named Izzy. Shannan’s hobbies include anything DIY, refinishing furniture in her shop when she isn’t traveling, playing her cello, learning the piano and drinking wine.