From the Desk of Jay Frank, Chairman of the Board
Dear friends, family, volunteers and residents,
Michael Sattell has graciously allowed me to use his space in this issue of Kavod to share some thoughts. The in-person Golden Alliance Dinner, accompanied by the tour of Kavod Terrace, the new memory care community, provided an opportunity to re-experience in person the remarkable facility that is home to our residents. It was my first taste of how Ovation would emerge from the pandemic.
The sheer beauty of the facility, attention to detail, art collections and displays are all testaments to Michael Sattell’s keen sense of class and his devotion to our residents and our community. During his service of more than a decade, he has created a unique legacy. His integrity has helped lead Ovation to be a destination of choice. Establishing Kavod Terrace included a total reconstruction of its quarters and attainment of an entirely new license. It fulfills a decade long goal of adding a dedicated memory care unit to our continuum of care. We are grateful for Michael’s contributions in this milestone.
In July we announced the Board of Directors began a transition process that would redesign the position that Michael currently holds as President of the Jewish Home, Chai Point, and the Jewish Home and Care Center Foundation, as well as CEO of Ovation Communities. Instead of a CEO of all three entities, the Board made the determination that Ovation would be better served if the President’s responsibilities focused specifically on operations, leaving the development work and financial support aspect to a separate Foundation President. In part, this decision is based on the immense responsibilities of the President of the Jewish Home. A year ago, as part of a reorganization, we eliminated the position of Chief Operating Officer. Those job functions were largely absorbed by Michael as President of The Jewish Home and Chai Point.
The most important job we do is providing services to our residents, and we believe that must be the sole focus of the President. While the Foundation is critically important, we believe that the Jewish Home, and Chai Point, would be better served when it has a President solely focused on the mission, with the collaboration of a separate Foundation President.
As we move through the transition process, Michael agreed he will continue to serve in his role while we implement the needed changes. We do not know the exact timing, but we anticipate the new person could take over as early as the first of next year.
We are grateful for the legacy that Michael is leaving at Ovation. But perhaps his greatest gift is helping to preside over this transitional time. Much as Moses handed over the responsibility of the Jewish people to Joshua, Michael will be able to pass on his legacy and his charge.
I hope you enjoy reading about all of magic going on at Ovation! Thank you for allowing me to serve as the Chairman of the Board.
Jay M. Frank
Chairman of the Board of Directors
