Aegis Living Announces New President and Other Executive Appointments

January 6, 2022

Aegis Living, a national leader in senior assisted living and memory care, announced today three executive leadership team appointments as the company focuses on stable company growth and a strong positive, people-centered culture going into the new year.

Sandra Preyale was promoted to President and will shift her focus to supporting business growth and development for Aegis. In her new role, she will oversee operations and strategies for new properties in development, including two new communities expected to open later this year. Previously, Preyale served as Aegis’ Chief People Officer (CPO) for four years overseeing innovative recruitment and retention strategies. As CPO, she developed and launched Aegis University to grow talent from within, created a centralized recruiting team to maintain lower than average industry turnover and was instrumental to helping the leadership team navigate successfully through the pandemic.

“Sandra has had a lifelong calling caring for people, which makes her an exceptional fit for Aegis Living’s next President,” said Aegis Living CEO and Founder Dwayne Clark. “She is a brilliant strategic thinker and thought partner, and she will lead us confidently into Aegis’ future as we open two new communities this year and continue to innovate our offerings to provide the highest standard of care in senior assisted living.”

Preyale has more than 30 years of experience as an executive leader in global human resources (HR) and Sales leadership roles working with world-class brands, like Amazon.com and Coach, designing and implementing innovative talent strategies to drive sustained growth and success. At Amazon.com, she oversaw seven business groups and 75 global HR partners for Amazon Marketplace and was responsible for reengineering the HR organization across global regions. At Coach, she led the HR strategy to build Coach retail in Europe and Asia and oversaw various change-management projects including developing a new regional buying model and back-office outsourcing.

“Aegis Living is a people-powered company that I am incredibly proud to be a part of,” said Preyale. “I have no doubt my experience and HR background will set me up for success in this new position as our company continues to grow and stay on the frontlines of innovation that puts our residents and staff at its core.”

Additionally, Lee Kaufmann was promoted to Senior Vice President of Human Resources after five years working in Aegis communities. His focus and passion for supporting staff’s professional development has resulted in growing and promoting each of his teams at the three communities he previously led. Kaufmann has a track record of coaching employees to reach their full potential and for the last several months has been serving as Vice President of Operations. In his new role, Kaufmann will take over hiring, leading, and retaining team members as Preyale transitions out.

Prior to Aegis, Kaufmann spent years in leadership at large brands, leading sales and operations teams at Zales, Target, Nordstrom and Gap. Across each role, he led large underperforming districts, achieving sales and operations turnarounds through developing and motivating great teams, resulting in numerous top-ranking sales performances.

Howard Jacobs was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and will officially begin his new role in March 2022. Jacobs currently serves as a regional Vice President for Aegis with an extensive background in hospitality, working previously for several luxury hotels.

Jacobs has decades of experience supporting large teams and operations. For nine years, prior to Aegis, he served as Regional Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Provenance Hotels, supporting 700 team members across four states and 13 branded, luxury lifestyle properties. He also served as Area General Manager at Destination Hotels, leading teams at hotels such as Woodmark, Suncadia, Motif, and more.

“We are doubling down on our people and culture because we see great opportunity ahead. I am so proud of these team members’ incredible work and commitment to our company as we strive to exceed the expectations of the older adults we have the privilege of serving every day,” said Clark.