Summer Blizzard
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
CHI Living Communities
Summer Blizzard is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for CHI Living Communities. CHI Living Communities is the senior living management division of Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, a nearly $30 billion health system created in a 2019 merger between Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI). The combined system operates more than 700 care sites and 142 hospitals in 21 states, plus research programs, virtual care services, home health programs and senior living communities.
She previously served as Vice President of Sales and Business Optimization for Independent Healthcare Properties, LLC, a developer, owner, and operator of assisted living and memory care communities across the southeast. In this role Summer oversaw the sales, data analytics, and procurement teams.
Prior to joining IHP, Summer spent eight years with Elmcroft Senior Living in numerous positions, including Director of Marketing Strategy and Business Optimization. During that time she collaborated with leaders to develop and implement strategic business initiatives and technologies designed to streamline processes and provide access to real-time data to make business decisions.
Summer is an alumna of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) Future Leaders Council, serving as co-chair in 2018. Further, she was named a top leader in the senior housing industry under the age of 40 by Argentum in 2019.
Summer currently serves on the advisory board for the master’s in data analytics program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and is a member of Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute.
She earned a bachelor’s in business management with a focus on marketing from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Jason Tijsseling
Vice President – Information Technology
Leisure Care
Jason Tijsseling is the vice president of information technology at Leisure Care. He has worked at Leisure Care for over seven years and in the IT industry for 16 years.
Jason was born in northern California and lived most of his life in Nevada. He went to college at the University of Nevada Reno and majored in Computer Information Systems (CIS). Moving to Vegas after college, Jason worked in tech support at The Venetian Hotel Casino for four years and then for six years at McCarran Airport (in tech support and project management) for Clark County, TSA and the FAA. Jason then moved to Seattle and joined Leisure Care in the Senior Housing Industry.
Jason has been married to his lovely wife for ten years and the couple have one small fur child (dog) named Barley. In his spare time, Jason competes in triathlons and is an avid cyclist and performance bike builder. He also volunteers at the Seattle Humane Society and other local pet rescue facilities.
Joe Velderman
MCP, Vice President of Innovation
Cypress Living
Joe Velderman serves as the Vice President of Innovation at Cypress Living - supporting Cypress Cove and Cypress at Home. As VP of Innovation Mr. Velderman has an external focus, leading IT-powered digital innovation, while building and supporting the innovation capabilities of the organization. In addition to the innovation efforts, Joe is responsible for all technology operations within the Cypress brand; guiding strategy and direction for all infrastructure, enterprise applications, and data initiatives.
Part of my role is to keep the trains on track and keep them moving. The most important facet of my role is to perpetually ask “Where is this train going?” “How fast should it be going?” “Should we even be on a train or a rocket ship?” Mr. Velderman has always had an affinity for seniors and is passionate about developing and leveraging technology tools as a means for helping seniors age in a healthy and graceful way. He is a gifted, forward-thinker and strategist with a keen sense for how technology can and will be used in the future.
Mr. Velderman resides with his wife Jennifer and son Hunter in Fort Myers, FL. In his spare time he enjoys smart-home technologies, fishing, boating and automotive detailing. Mr. Velderman’s son, Hunter, is an avid iPad navigator and at just 4 years old he is working to master a new toy…”The Code-a-Pillar.
Donny Friday
Director of Technology
Sun Health
Chip Burns
CIO
Sun Health
Chip Burns has over 44 years’ experience in the Information Technology field, specializing in technology for the senior living industry since 1997. Currently Chip is the Virtual CIO for Sun Health in Arizona. Mr. Burns serves as a commissioner for the Center for Aging Technologies (CAST) for over 10 years and was a co-founder and sponsor of the LeadingAge HackFest. He has also been a guest speaker at several senior living conferences, including the national LeadingAge conference as well as local LeadingAge conferences in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Tennessee.
Mr. Burns has a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems Management from the University of Maryland University College.
Geert Houben
CEO
Cubigo
Geert Houben received master degrees in both Computer Science and Business Economics at Hasselt University in Belgium. In 2011, after a successful exit of his first startup, he co-founded Cubigo. Cubigo is a software platform for non-clinical services in Senior Living, active in North America and Europe. The company works with the largest Senior Living organisations in the world and is a leading player in the digital transformation of the industry.
Shawn Richard
Vice President of Resident Experience
Holiday Retirement
Shawn Richard is the Vice President of Resident Experience for Holiday Retirement. In this role, Shawn provides leadership for the dining, activities, housekeeping, and resident relations.
Before being named to this position, Shawn lead Dining and new business initiatives for Holiday Retirement, including Milo and Silver Chef's launch. Before joining Holiday, Shawn worked for Panera Bread, Darden Restaurants, and Earl Enterprises. Shawn brought over 20 years of restaurant business experience in leadership roles to the organization.
Shawn is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. He is also certified in Prosci Change Management.