Board
Current Officers and Executive Committee
Audrey Wathen, Chair
Victoria Walker, Vice Chair
Lisa Thomson, Treasurer
Dana Ritchie, Secretary
Board Members
Jodi Eyigor
Debbie Hommel
Patrick Luib
Tracey Moorhead
Cynthia Morton
Erin O’Brien
Doug Olson
Alison Rainey
Dana Ritchie
Kezia Scales
Alex Spanko
Lisa Thomson
Victoria Walker
Audrey Wathen
Shennoy Wellington-Robers
Faith Wiggins
Chad Worz
EX-OFFICO MEMBERS
Barbara Bowers
Penny Cook
Christopher Laxton
Jay Sackman
LEGACY OF LEADERS
In addition to its diverse membership, Advancing Excellence has a legacy of active and engaged leadership. Board chairs have included:
2006 – 2009
Larry Minnix, former President & CEO, LeadingAge
2009 – 2012
Mary Jane Koren, MD, MPH, former Vice President of Delivery System Reform, The Commonwealth Fund
2012 – 2014
David Gifford, Senior Vice President, Quality & Regulatory Affairs, American Health Care Association
Cheryl Phillips, Senior Vice President, Public Policy & Advocacy, LeadingAge
2014 – 2016
Beverley Laubert, Ohio State LTC Ombudsman; past-president, National Association of State LTC Ombudsman Programs
2016 – 2018
Jay Sackman, Representative, The New Jewish Home
2018 – 2021
Chris Laxton, Former Executive Director, AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine
2021 – 2022
Barbara Bowers, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing
2023 – 2022
Penny Cook, Chief Culture Officer, Center for Innovation
2024 - Present
Audrey Walker
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Larry Minnix 2006 – 2009former President & CEO, LeadingAge
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Mary Jane Koren 2009 – 2012MD, MPH, former Vice President of Delivery System Reform, The Commonwealth Fund
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David Gifford 2012 – 2014Senior Vice President, Quality & Regulatory Affairs, American Health Care Association
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Cheryl Phillips 2012 – 2014Senior Vice President, Public Policy & Advocacy, LeadingAge
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Beverley Laubert 2009 – 2012Ohio State LTC Ombudsman; past-president, National Association of State LTC Ombudsman Programs
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Jay Sackman 2016 – 2018Representative, The New Jewish Home
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Chris Laxton 2018 – 2021Former Executive Director, AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine
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Barbara Bowers 2021 – 2022Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing
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Penny Cook 2022 – 2023Chief Culture Officer, Center for Innovation
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Audrey Walker 2024 – Present