Jay Biere

Jay Biere

Chief Executive Officer & President

Jay began his appointment as Plymouth Place™ CEO on January 1, 2018. Most recently, he was the CEO of Meadows Communities in Normal, Illinois. He has extensive leadership experience in senior living, including Kisco Senior Living, Lifespace Communities and Vibrant Life Senior Living, where he led major infrastructure upgrades, including a new IT platform and an expansion of resident services. He also launched an ambassador program to increase employee and resident satisfaction and implemented a Q.A.P.I. process to improve quality outcomes in clinical and support service areas. He started his career with ServiceMaster Management Services. Jay grew up on a farm in Volo, Illinois, before earning a marketing degree from Northern Illinois University. He has four sons and eleven grandchildren, ranging in age from newborn to 10 years old. In his spare time, Jay enjoys golf, biking, hiking, and travel. Additionally, he has served in leadership roles at faith-based ministries and has supported related non-profit organizations.

Cheri Boublis

Cheri Boublis

Senior Director of Hospitality Services

Cheri joined the Plymouth Place team in 2019 to head both dining services and housekeeping as the Senior Director of Hospitality Services. She is the former Director of Hospitality Services at Palos Health. Cheri successfully managed a full renovation of the Woodland Café, Production Kitchen, and Dining Room. Cheri has an extensive background in the retail and foodservice industry, including management positions with Rush Medical Center in Chicago, ServiceMaster Global Holdings Inc and the ARAMARK Corporation. During her work with ARAMARK, Cheri supported Healthcare design development nationally. In addition, Cheri provided consulting services to hospitals in design development and retail brand strategy through her firm, B.ourguest.

Katie Freese

Katie Freese

Senior Director of Support Services

Katie is a registered and licensed dietitian, graduating from Eastern IL University with a BS, Applied Science. She completed the MBA program from Lewis University in Romeoville, IL. Katie has more than 30 years of healthcare experience that includes managing food service, housekeeping, and laundry; patient registration and central scheduling for advanced imaging; and managing the logistics through large construction projects. Plymouth Place is her first experience with senior living. She lives in Lockport, IL, with her husband, Joel, and son, Jacob.

 Nitsa Foundos

Nitsa Foundos

Senior Director of Sales

Nitsa joined Plymouth Place in December 2020, bringing to the team more than 20 years of experience in the senior living industry. She has held many positions in her career, including director of sales, regional sales director, sales training and development director and, most recently, national sales specialist for large senior living portfolios. With her track record of consistent sales success and problem-solving, with an emphasis on green field/blue sky projects, she is a great fit for Plymouth Place. Nitsa is a graduate of Purdue University, where she earned a BS in medical technology. Nitsa is certified as an Integrity Sales Facilitator and Dementia Practitioner. A Midwest gal, Nitsa resides in northwest Indiana with her husband. She has one daughter and four grandchildren.

Paddy Homan

Paddy Homan

Senior Director of Development & Philanthropy

Paddy joined Plymouth Place in April 2019. He began his lifelong commitment to serving seniors while visiting seniors as a teenager in Ireland and singing to them. Homan graduated with a Diploma in Philosophy from Maynooth Pontifical University in 1999 and later with a degree in Gerontological Social Work in 2004 at University College Cork, Ireland, all while working as a caregiver in cities such as Chicago, London, and Cork to get through college. Emigrating to America in November 2006, Homan managed a downtown home care agency for four years before joining Lutheran Life Communities in 2011 as Foundation Regional Director and later Corporate Giving Director. Homan graduated with an MA in Philanthropy from De Paul University in 2013 and is the recipient of the 2016 David O. Justice Award from De Paul University. Homan serves as a board member of the Chicago Council on Planned Giving. He and his wife, Kathleen, live in downtown Chicago. He loves to travel, fish, watch Gaelic football and hurling games in Ireland, volunteer in the Chicago Irish community, and play lots of Irish music all over America!

Chris Irvine

Chris Irvine

Senior Director of Rehab & Wellness

Chris attended Elmhurst College and received her B.S. in Exercise Physiology. She started her career with Symbria Rehab in 2004 and served as Area Director of Operations until 2019 when she joined Plymouth Place as the Director of Rehab and Wellness. The youngest of three girls, she grew up in Lombard and went to Willowbrook High School. She currently lives in Geneva and enjoys the outdoors, anything adventurous, and traveling.

Dr. Martha Klima-Gamble

Dr. Martha Klima-Gamble

Senior Director of People Services

Martha joined the Plymouth Place team in May 2021, having most recently served as Joliet Area Community Hospice’s director of human resources. She has more than 13 years of human resources management experience in the healthcare and senior living industries, experience that includes strategic planning, employee relations, policy and procedure development, employee recruitment and retention, and employee/management coaching. She holds a doctorate degree in business administration from Capella University, a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Lewis University, and a bachelor’s degree in healthcare leadership from Lewis University. Martha is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and has human resources professional certification, SHRM-CP, through SHRM. She is also a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) through Fowler International Academy. Martha grew up in Joliet, Illinois, and lives in Crest Hill, Illinois, with her family.

Beverly Carino

Beverly Carino

Controller

Beverly started at Plymouth Place in March 2022. She received her bachelor’s degree from Quincy College and her MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. Beverly has more than 15 years of experience in senior living financial services.

Michelle Hart-Carlson

Michelle Hart-Carlson

Senior Director of Clinical Services 

Michelle joined Plymouth Place as the Senior Director of Clinical Services in March 2022. She received her undergraduate degree and master’s degree in health care administration from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois. She has been in health care for more than 32 years, with more than 25 years’ experience as an administrator.

Nicole Hibbard

Nicole Hibbard

Experience Director Assisted Living and Memory Care

Nicole joined Plymouth Place in 2021 as the Experience Director overseeing operations of our Assisted Living and Memory Care programs. Nicole received her bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University. She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner and is currently leading our team through the industry-recognized dementia training program designed by Teepa Snow. In addition, Nicole is an Illinois Licensed Nursing Home administrator and worked in this capacity prior to her start at Plymouth Place.

Heintje Miranda

Heintje Miranda

Healthcare Center Administrator

Heintje joined Plymouth Place in June 2023. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Santo Thomas in Manila, Philippines. Heintje has been in healthcare for more than 22 years, including ten years as a director of nursing.

Board of Directors

Ms. Elizabeth M. Asperger

Ms. Elizabeth M. Asperger

Chairwoman of the Board of Directors

Liz received a degree in political science from Miami University (Ohio) and a law degree from Notre Dame Law School. She enjoyed the practice of law for 16 years, specializing in real estate development. Complementing her law practice, Liz devoted many years to community service in the Village of La Grange, including serving as president of the Village from 2005 to 2013.

Board Member – May 2016

Mr. John Barrett

Mr. John Barrett

First Vice Chair

John has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in human resource management, both from Loyola University Chicago. He retired after seven years with the Northern Indiana Division of Franciscan Alliance, a 14-hospital system serving Indiana and south suburban Chicago communities, where he served as vice president of administrative services. Before that, he was in management consulting doing executive search, designing compensation systems, and serving as an executive coach. He also served more than 20 years in senior human resource leadership positions at Rush Medical Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and Loyola University Medical Center. John has served on the boards of directors for Catholic Charities of the Archdioceses of Chicago and Aspire of Illinois. He lives in Hinsdale, Illinois.

Board Member – May 2017

Mr. J. Lyell Clarke

Mr. J. Lyell Clarke

Lyell is the chairman, president and CEO of Clarke and all affiliated companies. He earned his bachelor’s degree in entomology from the University of Kentucky before earning a PhD in entomology from Iowa State University. He began his career with Clarke as a control consultant in 1986. After gaining a solid grounding in the business, he became the company’s vice president. In 1996, when his father retired, Lyell became president and CEO. He assumed his role as chairman for The Clarke Group in 2020.

Board Member – June 2023

Ms. Mary Pat Flaherty

Ms. Mary Pat Flaherty

Mary Pat is an attorney practicing in Western Springs, focusing on estate planning and estate and trust administration for individuals and their families. Mary Pat graduated summa cum laude from Loyola University Chicago in 1983 and earned her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1986. After working in two large Chicago law firms, Mary Pat moved her practice to Western Springs, where in 2003 she established her own law practice. Her volunteer positions have included La Grange Park Public Library District board member and president, Girl Scout leader, Cub Scout troop treasurer, and several positions at St. Francis Xavier Catholic parish, including Eucharistic minister and a member of the Coordinator and Finance Council. She is currently a member and president of the board of directors of Interfaith Community Partners in La Grange.

Board Member – June 2022

Dr. Rajeev Kumar

Dr. Rajeev Kumar

Rajeev is a board-certified internist, geriatrician, and hospice/palliative medicine physician who has practiced in the western suburbs of Chicago for 25 years. He served as the managing partner at Midwest Geriatrics, a 12-physician group practice based in Burr Ridge, until 2019, when the practice merged with DuPage Medical Group. In recent years, Rajeev served as chief medical officer of Symbria, which provides pharmacy, rehabilitation, and clinical integration services for senior living communities. He is currently the North Central Region Medical Director for Humana ISNP, a Medicare Advantage plan for long-term-care residents in nursing facilities; medical director for two skilled nursing facilities; and a Certified Medical Director from ABPLM. He is past president of the Illinois Medical Directors Association, serves as AMDA’s delegate to AMA, and is AMDA’s board secretary.

Board Member – June 2021

Dr. Rebecca Lake

Dr. Rebecca Lake

After retiring, Rebecca started Rebecca Lake Consulting. An Apprenticeship USA Leader and Ambassador, Rebecca speaks at workforce and apprenticeship conferences across the county. While at Harper College, she started the 2015 national movement for community colleges to be a Registered Apprenticeship sponsor. She has hosted apprentice conferences and publishes articles on various facets surrounding apprenticeships. Throughout her career, she has successful written and managed many large community college grants. Previously, Rebecca designed, created, and taught in the Community College Leadership (CCL) doctoral program at National Louis University, serving as program director for 10 years. She spent the first half of her professional life involved in health planning, hospital and health care administration, and nursing, and the second half in community college education and administration. Rebecca has held community college positions of faculty, assistant dean, career and technology (CTE) dean, and academic vice-president.

Board Member – August 2020

Dr. Lawrence LaPalio, MD

Dr. Lawrence LaPalio, MD

Larry is the emeritus and founding director of Adventist Midwest Geriatrics. He attended medical school at St. Louis University and completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Illinois. He has advanced training in geriatrics as the Robert Woods Johnson mid-career fellow in 1988 at the University of California at Los Angeles. Larry holds board certification in internal medicine, geriatrics, hospice, and palliative care. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, has published many articles, and has given many presentations at local and national meetings in his related fields. He has been a leader in medical education and has had a career of medical executive experience, including Director of Geriatrics from 1988 to 1994 at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine.

Board Member – May 2016

Ms. Sandra Linn

Ms. Sandra Linn

Sandra is a recently retired financial services executive. Throughout her 35 years at Northern Trust, she led U.S. and international teams with a focus on capital markets for institutional investors. She is experienced in leading client service, sales, risk-management, finance, operations, and product-development functions. Sandra served on the boards of EquiLend Holdings LLC, a global financial-tech company, as well as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago. She was an executive member of the Securities Finance Council—an industry leadership association—and a board member of Northern Trust’s Women in Leadership Council. Sandra has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Board Member – June 2023

Mr. Nick Lynn

Mr. Nick Lynn

Chair

Recently retired after 41 years of practicing law, Nick was the vice chair of Duane Morris’s national Health Law Practice Group and a member of the firm’s Partners Board from 1999 to 2015. He chaired the Chicago office’s health law practice for 22 years, focusing on pharmaceutical law, laws affecting the post-acute care industry, healthcare litigation, and regulatory compliance matters. Nick is a registered pharmacist with more than 40 years’ experience in healthcare law. He is a former division chief and assistant chief counsel to the Illinois Department of Public Health, and also served as chief counsel to the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board (now the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board). Nick was a member of, and general counsel to, the Illinois Health Care Association and Illinois Nursing Home Administrators Association, and served on the American Health Care Association’s legal committee. In addition, he is past president of the American Society for Pharmacy Law and a former board member and editor of its publication, Rx Ipsa Loquitur. He is listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, 2007-2022 editions, and has served on numerous nonprofit boards of directors. Nick is a graduate of John Marshall Law School and the Drake University College of Pharmacy.

Board Member – June 2019

M. Marshall Seeder

M. Marshall Seeder

Marshall is associate general counsel for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Banking Division. He has been active with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, where he has volunteered at the First Congregational Church in La Grange’s Saturday breakfast program to answer legal questions on a pro bono basis. Marshall has served as a member and chair of the La Grange Park Zoning Commission and was an elected Village Trustee from 2007 to 2011.

Board Member – June 2022

Mr. Mike Thiessen

Mr. Mike Thiessen

Second Vice Chair

Mike has a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science and a master’s degree in management. He has worked on political campaigns and as a Washington, DC, staffer. After moving to the Chicago area 24 years ago, Mike worked for Mesirow Financial before opening his own consulting practice. He specializes in both public and private partnerships in the real estate field. Mike is an active investor with interest in the real estate, media, and hospitality industries. He teaches a masters-level program in the Business of Sports at Northwestern University.
Board Member – May 2017

Ms. Laura J. Weyrauch

Ms. Laura J. Weyrauch

Laura is a consultant for construction project programming, management, and owner representation for the senior housing industry. She has more than 25 years of experience as a registered architect and project manager. Laura is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Virginia. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Society for the Advancement of Gerontological Environments.

Board Member – May 2015

Rev. Rich Kirchherr

Rev. Rich Kirchherr

Senior Minister, First Congregational Church of Western Springs, Ex-Officio Member of the Board

Rich has served as the senior minister of the First Congregational Church (UCC) in Western Springs, Illinois, since 1997. With his deep understanding of congregations and the key role of stewardship as not merely an administrative task but a spiritual discipline, Rich consistently and strategically builds the case for faithful generosity. Rich participates in several meaningful wider ministries. He has served as a trustee of Chicago Theological Seminary for 20 years and a convener of the United Church of Christ Senior Pastors Conference for five years. He has extensive experience as a teacher of preaching and serves as a lay educator, traveling to churches and community groups to offer a presentation on the sociological and demographic trends that are shaping the next generation of church members. Rich received both his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Chicago Theological Seminary.

Board Member – December 2019

Mr. Arthur Grundke

Mr. Arthur Grundke

Ex-officio Member of the Board of Directors

Art worked for School District 106, La Grange Highlands, for 35 years as a teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent. He was a middle school principal for 29 years. Art resided in Western Springs for 56 years, and his three children attended Western Springs Public Schools and Lyons Township High School. Eric, his oldest son, lives in Omaha and is an engineer at a long-established construction company, Peter Kiewit. His daughter Jennifer is CFO for a University of Illinois Community Credit Union. John, his youngest son, is the athletic director at Lyons Township High School. He has six grandchildren.

Mr. Donald Ahlm

Mr. Donald Ahlm

Ex-officio Member of the Board of Directors

Don’s career spans 50 years in the travel business, with offices on Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. As a Certified Travel Counselor, Don offered travel planning and tours primarily to Scandinavian countries. Don came to the rehab facility at Plymouth Place in 2020, moved to skilled nursing, then continued his rehabilitation in assisted living. In 2021, he moved into an independent living apartment, becoming the first person to enter the Plymouth Place care continuum in reverse. Don has two sons and three grandchildren.