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2026 Senior Living Symposium

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM | Registration and Breakfast

8:30 AM – 8:45 AM | Opening Remarks

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8:45 AM – 10:15 AM
The State of Senior Living and Senior Capital Markets

Speakers:
Dan Hermann, President & Chief Executive Officer, Ziegler
Keith Robertson, Managing Director, Ziegler
Katelyn McCauley, Vice President, Head of Senior Living Research, Ziegler

This opening session provides a macro-overview of the state of the not-for-profit senior living and care sector. Topics include workforce trends, sector growth, diversification of services, peer best practices, innovative technology solutions, and the current economic and capital lending environment. The session offers timely education and research to support leadership teams as they consider future strategic direction.

Learning Objectives

Participants will identify key operating and financing trends shaping the not-for-profit senior living sector, examine major disruptors and catalysts affecting senior services, and assess how national and regional dynamics are influencing Massachusetts providers and long-term strategic planning.

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10:15 AM – 10:45 AM | Morning Networking Break

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10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
Financing the Future of Long-Term Services and Supports

Speakers:
Marc A. Cohen, PhD, Co-Director, LeadingAge LTSS Center at UMass Boston
Katherine Howitt, Vice President of Policy and Research, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA Foundation
Bree Bernat Shems, MBA, Senior Director of Policy, Strategy, and Innovation, Executive Office of Aging and Independence

The cost of long-term services and supports (LTSS) has been structurally unsustainable for decades, placing increasing strain on individuals, families, providers, and public systems. With potential reductions in federal Medicaid funding and growing demand for care, Massachusetts is examining alternative financing strategies. This session reviews findings from the 2025 LTSS Feasibility Study and explores tradeoffs among access, cost management, sustainability, and out-of-pocket exposure.

Learning Objectives

Participants will identify structural factors that have contributed to long-term financing instability, explain key findings from the Massachusetts LTSS Feasibility Study and related policy tradeoffs, and assess what future financing approaches must address to reduce pressure on providers, public programs, and individuals.

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11:45 AM – 12:45 PM | Lunch

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12:45 PM – 1:45 PM
The System Under Pressure: Innovation and Shared Solutions as Federal Support Declines

Speakers:
Amy Rosenthal, Undersecretary for Health, Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Robin Lipson, Secretary, Executive Office of Aging and Independence
Valerie Fleishman, Executive Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association
Keely Benson, Director, Massachusetts eHealth Institute

This forward-looking discussion explores how providers and policymakers can respond to shrinking resources amid rising need. The conversation centers on innovation, shared problem-solving, and strategic adaptation to sustain mission-driven services in a constrained funding environment.

Learning Objectives

Participants will identify areas where aging services systems must adapt in response to sustained financial pressure, explore how providers and policymakers can rethink priorities and approaches, and apply collaborative insights to consider practical paths forward for sustaining services.

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1:45 PM – 2:00 PM | Afternoon Break

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2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Home and Community-Based Services as a Foundation for the Future

Speakers:
Chris Sintros, Chief Executive Officer & President, New England Deaconess Abundant Life Communities
Alex Johnson, Executive Director, Newton at Home

A strong system of home and community-based services (HCBS) is central to meeting consumer preferences and supporting independence. This session explores how HCBS fits within a modern aging services continuum and how home-based services, community models, and residential settings can work together to support individuals across changing needs.

Learning Objectives

Participants will identify the core benefits of HCBS in supporting independence, describe opportunities for providers to develop or expand home-based and community models, and evaluate how coordination across service settings strengthens continuity and long-term sustainability.

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3:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Afternoon Break

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3:15 PM – 4:15 PM
When Residents and Leaders Shape the Work Together

Speakers:
Aline Russotto, President & CEO, Orchard Cove
Mike Rambarose, President & CEO, Whitney Center

Residents are not only recipients of services but essential partners in shaping strong, responsive aging services organizations. This moderated panel explores how meaningful partnership strengthens governance, decision-making, organizational culture, and mission alignment.

Learning Objectives

Participants will identify the strategic value of resident partnership in governance and culture, examine practical approaches to engaging residents as organizational partners, and apply insights from leadership experience to strengthen collaboration within their own communities.

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4:15 PM – 6:00 PM | Closing Reception
Sponsored by

  

Director
Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI)
Massachusetts Technology Collaborative

Keely Benson is the Director of the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative,  a quasi-public economic development agency. In this role she works to promote health innovation by bringing together early-stage companies, research institutions, healthcare organizations, investors and government to accelerate the development of technology solutions to address critical healthcare challenges.  She brings more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare sector, spanning digital health, interoperability initiatives supporting clinical and public health use cases, and healthcare payer operations at the MA Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS).  At MeHI, Keely has concentrated on building healthcare partnerships through her work with hospitals, community health centers, primary care, organizations providing long term services and supports, and groups dedicated to advancing the innovation ecosystem in Massachusetts.

Senior Director of Policy, Strategy, and Innovation
Executive Office of Aging and Independence

Bree Bernat Shems leads policy development and strategic initiatives supporting aging services modernization and long-term care system reform in Massachusetts. Her work focuses on financing strategy, cross-agency collaboration, and public program innovation. She provides administrators with insight into emerging state-level funding strategies and system redesign efforts that directly affect provider sustainability and service delivery.

Co-Director
LeadingAge LTSS Center, UMass Boston

Marc Cohen is a nationally recognized expert in long-term services and supports financing and aging policy. He leads research examining insurance models, public financing strategies, and sustainability challenges in long-term care systems. With decades of policy research and advisory experience, he offers rigorous analysis of reimbursement pressures and structural reform considerations impacting providers and administrators.

Executive Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer
Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association

Valerie Fleishman leads innovation and system transformation initiatives for the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association. Her work centers on healthcare redesign, technology integration, and cross-sector collaboration to strengthen sustainability and performance. She provides strategic insight into how aging services providers can adapt to fiscal constraints and evolving care delivery models.

President & Chief Executive Officer
Ziegler

Dan Hermann serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Ziegler, a national investment banking firm specializing in healthcare and senior living finance. With more than three decades of experience, he has structured and led hundreds of senior living financings and advises organizations on capital markets strategy, refinancing, and long-term financial positioning. His expertise supports executive leaders navigating market volatility and long-term sustainability planning.

Vice President of Policy and Research
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation

Katherine Howitt leads policy research focused on healthcare coverage, affordability, and system sustainability. Her work includes Medicaid analysis and evaluation of long-term care financing models. She brings expertise in assessing cost, coverage, and sustainability tradeoffs affecting providers and public systems.

Executive Director
Newton at Home

Alex Johnson is the executive director of Newton at Home, a nonprofit membership organization that helps older adults in Newton to age-in-place with independence, dignity, and connection through community support. She previously worked as the assistant director of the Center for International Human Rights at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (where she received her M.A. in International Crime & Justice), and prior to this she was a senior OSINT analyst and supervisor for the Western Jihadism Project -- a DOD- and DOJ-funded social sciences lab based out of Brandeis University. She also spent three years as the associate editor of the peer-reviewed journal Human Rights Review and has worked on numerous initiatives in both MA and NY to counter human trafficking, primarily through providing training to law enforcement and healthcare workers. Her hobbies include video games, Dungeons & Dragons, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.

President and Chief Executive Officer
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation

Kaitlyn Kenney Walsh leads the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, advancing healthcare financing policy and coverage reform initiatives. Her leadership spans Medicaid strategy, cost analysis, and health equity policy. She offers executive-level perspective on long-term services financing challenges and sustainability considerations affecting providers.

Secretary
Executive Office of Aging and Independence
Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Robin Lipson leads statewide aging policy and long-term services strategy for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She oversees home and community-based service initiatives, regulatory development, and cross-agency coordination. Her expertise informs provider adaptation to Medicaid reform, federal funding shifts, and system modernization efforts.

VP, Senior Living Research
Ziegler

Katelyn McCauley joined Ziegler in 2025 as Vice President, Head of Senior Living Research. She utilizes her strong foundation in predictive analytics, hypothesis testing, and strategic planning to support Life Plan Communities. Katelyn began her career in senior living as a Research Analyst and Project Manager. After roughly two years, she was promoted to Director of Senior Living Research, and then again to Director of Research and Operations. During this time she gained valuable insight into how to operationalize and implement data-driven decisions, while also building relationships with senior living executives. Katelyn holds a Master of Science in Psychological Science from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. She is passionate about answering real-world questions through transforming complex data into actionable insights.

President & Chief Executive Officer
Whitney Center

Mike Rambarose leads Whitney Center, a not-for-profit Life Plan Community providing a full continuum of senior living services. He brings executive experience in governance, financial stewardship, and operational leadership. His expertise in mission-driven sustainability and capital planning supports administrators navigating regulatory and funding pressures.

Managing Director
Ziegler

Keith Robertson advises not-for-profit senior living providers on capital structure evaluation, refinancing strategy, mergers and affiliations, and long-range financial forecasting. His experience provides practical guidance for executive leaders navigating capital markets and strategic repositioning.

Undersecretary for Health
Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Amy Rosenthal serves as Undersecretary for Health at EOHHS, where she provides leadership on statewide health policy, program implementation, and system coordination. Her work focuses on public health strategy, behavioral health integration, and healthcare access initiatives. She offers perspective on funding environments, regulatory oversight, and system-level transformation intersecting with aging services delivery.

President and CEO
Hebrew SeniorLife
Adam Scott began his career as a consultant in the health care provider sector with Cap Gemini Ernest and Young, then Kaufman Hall. In 2012, he joined Aetna, eventually becoming president & CEO of its ActiveHealth Management subsidiary. From 2018 to 2024, he served as senior vice president of health care services for Tufts Health Plan, senior vice president of health care services for Point32Health (parent company of Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care), and president of diversified businesses, a $450 million business line for Point32Health. 

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Chris Sintros

Chief Executive Officer & President
New England Deaconess Abundant Life Communities

Chris Sintros leads New England Deaconess Abundant Life Communities, overseeing strategic direction, operational performance, financial management, and regulatory compliance. He brings executive expertise in workforce management, governance collaboration, and sustainable operations within mission-driven senior living organizations.