Rick) Grimes, President and CEO of the Assisted Living Federation of America, announced today that he is retiring and stepping down . . .

Today the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) announced that Rick Grimes, the current president and CEO, will be retiring and stepping down. He has served the industry well and this comes on the heel the largest every ALFA conference and expo. Ricks leadership has taken ALFA from a rough and ragged organization and perfectly positioned it for the next big move.

The Right Time

I have no insider information and have only met Rick briefly a couple of times, but I have great admiration for the timing of Rick’s decision:

  • ALFA is healthy
  • The industry is healthy
  • The industry and organization is continuing to grow in size and sophistication
  • Based on Rick’s remarks, the organization is on the cusp of increasing the role of ALFA in defining the standards of what great Assisted Living does and should look like.

Senior Housing Forum wishes Rick the very best in this transition. What follows is the entire press release issued by ALFA today.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.  – June 16, 2014 – Richard P. (Rick) Grimes, President and CEO of the Assisted Living Federation of America, announced today that he is retiring and stepping down to make room for new executive leadership.  Following ALFA’s most successful year in 2013 and the largest and most successful ALFA Conference and Expo last month in Phoenix, Grimes said he could think of no better time.  “It has been a glorious 10 years and a privilege to serve the senior living business,” said Grimes, “and ALFA is well-positioned to continue on its trajectory of growth and success.”  An Executive Search firm has been retained to assist in recruiting Grimes’ successor. Paralleling the meteoric rise of assisted living as a popular alternative to skilled nursing in the late 1980’s, ALFA was founded in 1990 and grew quickly.   Like many new associations springing out of a foundling trade or profession, ALFA had its growing pains and by 2003 was suffering an array of challenges.  An internal audit found that ALFA was trying to be “all things to all people,” its business model was failing, and its value proposition as an advocate and voice for assisted living was flagging. Working with the leadership of a committed ALFA Board of Directors and staff, Grimes set about sharpening ALFA’s focus and setting it on a purposeful path of renewal.  “The job of the association professional,” said Grimes, “is to tap the passion and determination of people who share common purpose and to channel that energy into a force for innovation and change.” The results speak for themselves.  Today, ALFA is recognized as one of the nation’s leading and most influential trade associations in the world of senior living.  “However, what comes next should make my tenure pale in comparison!” said Grimes. Said Brenda Bacon, Chairman of the ALFA Board of Directors, “Rick’s retirement comes at a time when ALFA is working to prepare for the senior living industry of the future, including independent living, assisted living and memory care.  Working together, we will focus on those issues so crucial to the provision of quality care alternatives for our nation’s senior population and their families.  Thanks to Rick, ALFA has the infrastructure, the professional staff, and the financial strength to make that leap. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Rick and we wish him good fortune and good health in his retirement.”

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