He's young, he's enthusiastic, and he loves new ideas. Meet Jay Prince, the new executive director of MapleCreek, Lutheran Social Services of Michigan's "full continuum of care" senior living community in southeast Grand Rapids. He steps into a position that was held for 10 years by Susan Lemon, until her recent promotion to vice president of Senior Adult Services for Lutheran Social Services of Michigan. Under Lemon's leadership, the campus received extensive $32 million expansion and renovation and rebranding makeover, 2007-2009.
Prince is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., with a degree in Healthcare Administration. "I chose this field because I was determined to foster change in the healthcare industry," he said. Since 2006, Prince has worked for Life Care Services in Ohio, Michigan and California. Licensed by Michigan and Minnesota as a nursing home administrator, Prince served as health care administrator at Vista Grande Villa in Jackson, Michigan, 2007-2011. In 2010, the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) recognized his facility as one of the best nursing homes in the country with "The Excellence in Caring Award." Based on his work at Vista Grande Villa, the ACHCA gave Prince its 2011 Facility Leadership Award, which recognizes outstanding nursing home administrators who have met superior health care standards.
In January 2011, Prince's employer moved him to San Diego, California to be an administrator at La Costa Glen, a large, exclusive for-profit retirement community. "I learned a lot about high end customer service," he said. Now he is coming back to the Midwest. "San Diego is nice, but I love the snow," he said. "When I lived in Jackson, I always hoped for real northern Minnesota cold weather."
Prince appreciates the opportunities and various leadership roles he has had at senior living communities. "Each one presented unique challenges, including organizational debt restructuring, strategic planning, occupancy enhancement and stability, regulatory compliance, senior advocacy, community partnerships, and systems implementation across the continuum of care. I welcome the opportunity to bring experience and energetic leadership to MapleCreek as executive director, and will work hard to sustain the vision, goals and values of Lutheran Social Services of Michigan."
Welcome, Jay!
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