Oct. 9, 2018, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania — Marvell Adams Jr., Executive Director/CEO of Kendal’s metro Washington, D.C.-area affiliate Collington, has been named The Kendal Corporation’s Chief Operating Officer. He will succeed Judy Braun, who retired in July as COO after 17 years with Kendal. Adams will transition to the position over the next few months while Collington conducts a search for a new top executive.
Headquartered in the southeastern Pennsylvania/metro Philadelphia area, Kendal is a leader in the field of aging services. It is one of the 12 largest not-for-profit senior living organizations in the U.S.
Adams took the helm as Collington’s Executive Director two months after the community’s affiliation with Kendal in June 2011. At that time, less than 70 percent of Collington’s 360 residential/independent living cottages and apartments were occupied, and the community had millions of dollars in deferred maintenance. By the end of 2017, more than 95 percent of Collington’s cottages and apartments were occupied.
During his tenure, Adams led the successful restructuring of Collington’s debt and oversaw the investment of more than $30 million in infrastructure—addressing 10 years of deferred maintenance. Recently, he was elected to the Board of Directors of LeadingAge, a national association of not-for-profit aging services providers.
“Marvell gave steady and inspired leadership through some incredibly challenging times at Collington, always with a mind for what was to come,” says Sean Kelly, Kendal’s President and CEO. “Today, Collington is strong, well along in working toward its next phase of existence, having achieved a large degree of financial stability fueled by sustained occupancy and a culture that is invigorated and eager for what’s next.”
Adams came to Collington from Rochester, New York, where he was COO/Administrator at The Highlands at Pittsford, a continuing care retirement community affiliated with the University of Rochester Medical Center. He began his career in Rochester, New York, at Monroe Community Hospital, a long-term care community, where he trained and completed the requirements to become a licensed nursing home administrator.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in political science from the College of Charleston in South Carolina, Adams earned a master’s degree in health care administration from the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He contributes to the academic community and helps cultivate the next generation of aging services professionals by serving as a regular guest speaker at Cornell University, UNC at Chapel Hill and Penn State.
Since 2016, Adams has served as Kendal’s Director for Emerging Talent, helping Kendal affiliates to identify, develop and maintain high-quality internship/fellowship opportunities that are academically relevant for students. Over the past decade, he also has been a surveyor for CARF, an accrediting body for health service providers and retirement communities worldwide.
Adams currently resides in Baltimore with his wife, Karoline, three children and their dog, Madison.
About Kendal
Founded on Quaker principles and guided by its Values and Practices, Kendal provides independent living, assisted living, memory support, skilled nursing and rehabilitation care in eight states. Kendal-affiliated retirement communities are located in Hanover, New Hampshire; Ithaca and Sleepy Hollow, New York; Northampton and Easthampton, Massachusetts; Lexington, Virginia; metro Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Kennett Square, West Chester and Newtown, Pennsylvania; and Oberlin, Ohio. Kendal at Home, based in suburban Cleveland, combines the security of a continuing care retirement community with the freedom and independence of living at home.