Executive Committee

Richard Hutchinson is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Senior Living; family of companies which include: Discovery Management Group, Discovery Development Group, Discovery Design Concepts, Discovery Marketing Group & Discovery At Home, a Medicare-certified home healthcare company.

As an industry leader in seniors housing, Discovery Senior Living currently has in excess of 8,500 units in operation or under development throughout the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern United States. The company has expanded to include an array of living options which include: senior apartments, independent living in both multi-apartment and villa environments, supervised independent living, personal care, assisted living and memory care. The successful and diverse rental portfolio features large luxury, resort-style campuses, state-of-the-art care communities, smaller village-inspired wellness and care communities and secured memory care neighborhoods.

Through Richard’s leadership, the family of companies has achieved significant growth. His vision of developing a business culture of innovation, integrity and creativity, while being analytically driven, has pushed the company to the leading edge of the industry, redefining seniors housing along the way. The companies have been recognized for their exceptionalism and ingenuity and have received accolades and awards from The National Association of Home Builders 50+ Seniors Housing Council, Southeast Builders Conference, National Mature Media and Generations Awards, as well as earning a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for Quality of Patient Care.

He served in the U.S. Army from 1986 to 1994 including a tour during Desert Storm. Richard graduated Summa Cum Laude from St. Leo College earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, and is a former Certified Public Accountant.

Stephanie Harris, CEO and Principal, established Arrow Senior Living Management and Turnaround Solutions with an initial investment using student loans while a student at St. Louis University School of Law.

Over the past 22 years, Stephanie has become a senior housing industry thought leader. Her sales and management methods have been proven to effectively transform and stabilize low-performing or newly developed communities in a matter of months.

Arrow Senior Living has quadrupled its footprint since its inception and was recognized in 2022 as the 43rd largest senior housing operator by Senior Housing Executive magazine. The company currently manages 29 communities in six states, with an additional four under construction.

Stephanie recently was honored as one of 19 women across the country for the inaugural class of the “Women of Distinction Hall of Honor” by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and as a “Top 40 Under 40” by the St. Louis Business Journal. Most recently, Stephanie was named a St. Louis Titan 100.

Prior to a career in senior housing, Stephanie spent several years with numerous congressional and statewide campaigns and worked on Capitol Hill as a policy advisor.

James Gray founded Bridgewood Property Company in 2002 and serves as the company’s president. His role encompasses strategic, financial, and marketing operations for the company’s properties. Mr. Gray has overseen the development and acquisition of over 5,100 residential living units totaling over $1.3 billion in asset value. Prior to 2002, Mr. Gray served as president of Cypress Senior Living, Inc., a private Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) which developed and managed senior living communities across the U.S. under the Town Village brand. The brand assets were valued at more than $300 million and included more than 2000 units.

Previously, Mr. Gray served as principal of Cypress Realty, Inc., providing real estate investment and advisory services. He also served as managing director for Trammell Crow Company, where he was responsible for the Industrial Division of the Houston, Texas office. Mr. Gray received his undergraduate degree in Commerce and Accounting from Washington & Lee University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Texas.

Trever Sweeney is Vice President, Senior Housing Optimization for Ventas, Inc., a leading real estate investment trust and S&P 500 company. Operating at the intersection of healthcare and real estate, Ventas owns a diversified portfolio of approximately 1,400 properties serving a large and growing aging demographic in North America and the United Kingdom and is the premier capital partner to leading senior housing and healthcare providers and research institutions.

Sweeney is a member of the Ventas senior leadership team and is responsible for partner relationships in the Company’s Senior Housing Operating Portfolio. He also provides integral support for the Company’s investment, capital deployment, disposition and active ownership strategy in senior housing.

Since joining Ventas in 2012, Sweeney has been involved in many key asset management transactions with the Company’s operating partners, including development and redevelopment projects, lease restructurings and strategic dispositions. He has led the execution of a portfolio evolution through more than 175 operator transitions, significant expansion to new operating relationships and negotiations of aligned management agreements.

Prior to Ventas, Sweeney served six years in the United States Marine Corps. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Mathematics from Moravian College and a Masters Degree in Finance from Brandeis University.

Taylor Hernandez is the Chief Strategy Officer for Senior Star. Since 2009, she has worked in many aspects of the Senior Living industry, from hospitality to associate training, sales, marketing, resident programming, new technologies, visioning, and strategic planning. Her keen insight, intuition, and attention to detail make her a valued mentor and coach to associates across the company.

As a dedicated and driven Senior Star leader, Taylor has overseen a number of successful rollouts for innovative programming and services for both residents and associates. She bolsters the development and experience of all Senior Star associates, implementing a learning management system and launching Middle-Manager leadership training and Onboarding initiatives, all of which strengthen alignment with the company’s culture and promise.

A graduate of Augustana College with a concentration in psychology, she is also a choral musician with performance credits that include Carnegie Hall. Taylor loves to learn, has a passion for teaching and sparking insightful “ah-ha” moments for associates and stakeholders alike, and is driven by her never-ending pursuit of excellence.

Founded in 1991 and based in Washington, DC, the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) represents the interests of the most prominent firms participating in seniors housing.  ASHA’s members are engaged in all aspects of the development and operation of seniors housing, including construction, finance and management.  ASHA provides leadership for the seniors housing industry on legislative and regulatory matters, advances research, education and the exchange of strategic business information, and promotes the merits of seniors housing.

David has served as president of ASHA since its inception in 1991 after beginning his career at the National Association for Senior Living Industries (NASLI) in 1989.  In addition to his duties as president of ASHA, David serves as treasurer of the Seniors Housing Political Action Committee, the nation’s   largest PAC focused exclusively on supporting federal candidates who support the development and preservation of quality market rate seniors housing. He was the co-author of the Affordable Seniors Housing Handbook, which was revised and published 10 times between 1995 and 2005.

David holds a bachelor of science degree from the Center for Aging and Human Development at the University of Connecticut and a master of science degree from the Department of Applied Gerontology at the University of North Texas.  He currently serves on the Editorial board of The Seniors Housing & Care Journal, and has been honored as a Distinguished Alumnus by both the University of Connecticut and the University of North Texas for his work on behalf of America’s seniors.