Meet our new Life Care Leaders - 4th edition

At Life Care Centers of America, we know that great leaders can help people do great things. And that’s why we are proud of the administrators we have chosen to lead our facility care teams.

Below are a few Executive Directors who have recently joined the Life Care family in order to lead, inspire and change lives!

Heather Savela, Executive Director at Life Care Center of Skagit Valley

Heather has a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management and more than six years of experience working in healthcare. She has worked as a licensed nursing home administrator since July 2022 and began leading our center on Aug. 1.

“My experience so far working with the team here has been wonderful,” Heather said. “There’s such a wealth of knowledge, experience and compassion on this team. I came to Skagit Valley because I was very impressed with the mission and values, and it’s important for me to work with people who are committed to serving our residents. I have been very excited to start this journey and know that we are going to be able to make Life Care Center of Skagit Valley an even greater place for our residents and their families.”

Heather’s goals are to build on the center’s strong foundation of quality care, positive resident experience and excellent customer service.

“I really love getting to meet our residents and their families and talking to them about their experiences,” she said. “I also enjoy getting to know the staff and being able to help them learn and develop their skills and abilities. I think happy residents and happy staff are the biggest rewards that I can achieve as an administrator.”

Anita Carroll, Executive Director at Life Care Center of Waynesville

Anita has a master’s degree in business administration and has led several facilities as both assistant and head administrator. She comes to our center with more than 30 years of experience working in healthcare.

“My first few weeks at Life Care Center of Waynesville have been a positive experience,” Anita said. “Both the staff and the residents have been very welcoming.”

Anita joined the center because she was familiar with its excellent reputation and because she enjoys working in senior care.

“Long-term care is my passion,” she said. “Although I have worked in various roles in healthcare, I have always found my time in long-term care to be what I enjoyed most and where I can have the most positive impact.”

Anita’s goals are to continue to provide the highest quality of care to each resident by meeting their individual needs and providing excellent customer service to everyone the center comes in contact with.

“This type of customer service and care will enable Life Care Center of Waynesville to continue to grow in the future,” she said.

Maurice Gaines, Executive Director at The VossWood Nursing Center

Maurice has a bachelor’s degree in business and long-term health care administration and comes to our facility with more than 19 years of experience as an administrator. He previously worked at Life Care Center of Lawrenceville, Georgia, and Life Care Center of Haltom. Beginning in May, he served our center as interim executive director until he was promoted on Aug. 1.

“My favorite part of the job is the patient interaction,” Maurice said about being an administrator. “It brings me extreme joy to know that the work that I do has the ability to impact lives daily for the betterment of residents’ medical, spiritual and personal well-being."

Maurice said his goals are to increase census and become the facility of choice in the Houston community. He also praised our center’s team and abilities.

“I have enjoyed myself at The Vosswood up to this point,” Maurice said. “My team has a host of talents and is passionate about patient care. Together, the best days are before us.”

Jeffrey Ricks, Executive Director at Life Care Center of Hixson

Jeff has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bryan College. He comes to the center with more than 20 years of experience working in long-term care and has worked as a licensed administrator since 2017. He began leading our center on July 24.

“The team here at Life Care Center of Hixson is dedicated to providing outstanding patient care,” Jeff said. “They work cohesively, going above and beyond the call of duty for each patient and resident. I feel that I am truly blessed to be a part of a team and company that holds the success of our residents, patients and staff members above everything else.”

Jeff also sees it as a blessing to come to the facility each day, and he enjoys ensuring residents are successful and patients regain their independence and quality of life. His goals are to maintain the center's family-like culture and provide support for each of his team members so they can realize their full potential and achieve their goals.

“I am truly excited to serve the community of Hixson, Tennessee, and I look forward to making a positive impact for each life I come in contact with,” Jeff said.

Jennifer Carr, Executive Director at Evergreen Nursing Home 

Jennifer has a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration and previously worked as a floor nurse and health information manager. She earned her nursing home administrator license in 2022 and began leading our facility on June 26.

“The team at Evergreen is wonderful,” Jennifer said about working at the center so far. “When things get tough, the Evergreen team steps up to do whatever it takes and then some. I am very proud to be a part of this team.”

Jennifer enjoys that, as an administrator, she can interact with residents, listen to their stories and get to know their individual personalities. She said her goal is for Evergreen to become the community’s skilled nursing facility of choice.

“I want Evergreen to be the first place you think of when you are in need of a skilled nursing facility,” she said.