In his 15 years in real estate, Gregory D. Smith has developed healthcare, hospitality, residential and office properties with a collective value exceeding $500 million. Mr. Smith is currently involved in the development, construction, finance, and management of all Maplewood Senior Living communities. He is proud to sit on the board of directors of the Alzheimer’s Association of Connecticut, where he also serves on the development committee. In addition, Mr. Smith is a board member at Danbury Hospital’s Development Fund, Inc, which is part of the Western Connecticut Health Network. Lastly, Mr. Smith serves as a board member of Ability Beyond Disability in Connecticut and New York.
With more than two decades of work in pain management, Dr. Lefkowitz advises Maplewood on clinical services and strategic partnerships. He has over 25 years of clinical experience in interventional pain management. A native of Waterbury CT, Dr. Lefkowitz is Board Certified in Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology and is recognized as one of New York’s Top Doctors.
Mr. Miller joins Maplewood with over three decades of experience practicing law in Connecticut. Mr. Miller will handle all legal issues pertaining to Maplewood Senior Living, its entities and related businesses. His specialties include commercial real estate and commercial lending. Most recently, he was a partner at Tierney, Zullo, Flaherty and Murphy, PC in Norwalk. A Stamford native, Art has lived in Newtown for nearly 20 years.
Mr. Gaston has worked for 25 years in real estate, including 16 years dedicated to the senior housing sector. Most recently serving as Vice President at Benchmark Assisted Living in Wellesley, Mass., he headed development and acquisitions, and worked on underwriting and capitalization of new projects. Mr. Gaston co-founded Northbridge Assisted Living in Burlington, Massachusetts, and has managed the development of more than a thousand senior living units over his career.
Mr. Herlet oversees all daily operations for Maplewood Senior Living. With a master’s degree in Gerontology from Miami University in Ohio, his career spans nearly 20 years in the senior housing industry, including executive leadership roles at Benchmark Senior Living and HCR ManorCare. Herlet’s experience includes extensive focus on turn-arounds and start-ups. He is known in the industry as a catalyst for operational excellence in the senior housing industry.
Michael Toce brings his extensive healthcare experience to lead the clinical operations for Maplewood Senior Living. Mr. Toce is known for establishing and managing high performance clinical teams, focused on superior service delivery, resident safety and quality care. Previous to his time at Maplewood, he was Director of Healthcare Operations at Benchmark Senior Living. Prior to that, Mr. Toce spent time at Yale University School of Medicine, Aetna and Travelers.
Elissa serves as VP of Human Resources, where she will be leading this function for all of Maplewood Senior Living, including its communities and affiliated entities. Elissa joined Maplewood Senior Living through her affiliation with Operations, Inc., where she was closely involved with HR systems and processes. Elissa’s experience includes nearly 25 years Human Resources, including employee relations, development, recruitment, and benefits. Originally from New York, Elissa lives in Wilton with her husband and two children.
In two decades as a marketing and communications executive in the luxury senior housing and healthcare industry, Andrea Ellen has served as an executive or consultant to Hillhaven Corp., Vencor Corp., Kindred Healthcare, Sun Healthcare Corp., CareMatrix Corp., Benchmark Senior Living, Five Star Quality Care, The Mediplex Group, and others. Ms. Ellen is responsible for all communications and marketing initiatives for Maplewood Senior Living and its communities. Ms. Ellen serves on the board of The Continuum of Care in New Haven, a not for profit foundation providing psychiatric, housing and healthcare services to adults throughout Connecticut.
With more than 12 years in both sales and operations, Ms. Davis’ ability to build strong sales talent is well known in the industry. Prior to joining Maplewood Senior Living, Davis was a sales director for Benchmark Senior Living, where she oversaw occupancy and revenue for dozens of assisted living communities during her tenure there. She is known for her hands on approach and for building award winning sales teams.
With more than 22 years of memory care experience, Mary Underwood is a Mark T. Sheehan Hall of Fame inductee for work with those with dementia, is a repeat recipient of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Outstanding Caregiver Award and has presented at the statewide, national and international Alzheimer’s Association conferences. She is a support group leader and Memory Walk committee member, and has previously served as an Alzheimer’s Association board member and Secretary.
For nearly 20 years, Doug Graham has managed commercial real estate for some of the nation’s top investment and development firms. He most recently served as Controller with Stanley Seligson Properties in Norwalk, overseeing all financial and accounting operations.
