WesleyLife Adds Chief Operating Officer Chris Casteel
May 30, 2019
JOHNSTON, Iowa–WesleyLife, Iowa’s most comprehensive provider of services for older adults, has announced the addition to its leadership roster of an executive with a breadth of specialized experience that will help drive the organization’s growth strategy as it expands its network of health and well-being services and initiatives into new markets.
Effective May 28, Chris Casteel joins WesleyLife—celebrating its 72nd anniversary this year—as Chief Operating Officer, a new position necessitated by the organization’s aggressive short- and long-term development initiatives, including its expansion into eastern Iowa and western Illinois this summer.
Casteel most recently served as COO of Healthcare Operations and Managing Director of Operations for Watermark Retirement Communities, providing operations support and oversight for healthcare programs for 52 communities.
Prior to his role at Watermark, Casteel served in leadership roles for Evergreen/Wellspring Retirement Community, Sunrise Senior Living, Fountains Retirement Communities, HCR-ManorCare, National Health Care Corporation, and Sweetwater Hospital in Sweetwater, Tennessee. He also is a registered nurse.
“At this time of high-level growth and development for the organization, we welcome an executive with Chris’s breadth of skills and experience—and, equally importantly, his vision for the future of our industry, both short- and long-term,” WesleyLife CEO Rob Kretzinger said. “As increasing numbers of individuals seek our services, we’re called to support their well-being by creating programs and services that don’t stop at our walls, and that weave through all we do to help those we serve live as healthily as they can, as long as they can.
“Chris’s considerable talents, skills, and acumen, paired with the talents of a strong, dedicated, and talented executive team, will keep us well poised to meet the challenges before us,” added Kretzinger.
Casteel becomes part of WesleyLife as the organization prepares for the inaugural day of WellSpire, the entity it formed in partnership with Genesis Health System of Davenport, Iowa.
As majority partner, WesleyLife will begin on July 1 to manage select Genesis campuses in the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois; in addition, WellSpire is poised to announce specifics early next month around a senior living community it will develop in Bettendorf, Iowa.
Guided by Christian compassion, WesleyLife enhances the independence, health, and well-being of individuals wherever they call home, transforming the aging experience so people live longer, healthier, more purposeful lives. Certified as a Great Place to Work, WesleyLife offers health and well-being services in 15 Iowa counties through our eight Communities for Healthy Living, award-winning Adult Day programs, and an array of home and community-based services. In July 2019, the organization will expand to eastern Iowa and western Illinois in partnership with Genesis Health System via a new organization, WellSpire.
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