The Executive Team for Forefront Living is composed of individuals who believe in servant leadership. Together, this body boasts tremendous expertise in healthcare and service management, providing valuable insight from experience in a wide array of industries. Our governing board of trustees is made up of community-based volunteers who ensure we remain true to our mission, and who serve as an effective steward of our resources.
DAVE ASHWORTHWILLIAM W. DAVISELIZABETH DISCHCORNELIUS “NEIL” FOOTE,CHAIRMANREBECCA GRUCHALLA, M.D.DOUG HAWTHORNENOE HINOJOSA, JR.KEVIN JACKSONLAURA WRIGHT
Mr. Mallad joined Forefront Living in March 2016 as its Chief Executive Officer. He has thirty-seven years of experience with CCRCs. Mr. Mallad started his career in marketing and then became an associate administrator at a hospital based CCRC. Prior to joining Forefront Living, Mr. Mallad spent 21 years with Greystone based in Irving, Texas. He began at the community level as an executive director and chief operating officer and then transitioned to First Vice President of Management Services overseeing communities from Maine to Hawaii. Mr. Mallad has served as a leader for as many as 10 CCRCs with a total of 3,000 units, 1,000 employees and approximately $150 million in revenues. During his tenure with Greystone, Mr. Mallad specialized in the development, implementation and oversight of community level budgets and action plans as well as marketing and sales strategies, positively impacting revenues. His background includes the creation of corporate policies and procedures, development and implementation of service training programs tailored to continuing care retirement communities and participation in determining the corporate direction and vision for the communities he managed. Mr. Mallad is a member of the board of directors of Leading Age Texas and the Open Hearts Foundation. Mr. Mallad has a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.
Mr. Ailey has twenty-eight years of experience in financial and operations management. His background is with both non-profit healthcare organizations and financial firms. Mr. Ailey joined Forefront Living in October 2016. In Mr. Ailey’s former role as corporate vice president for Greystone, he provided oversight of the accounting and financial reporting functions and led a team that provided controller/CFO functions for retirement communities managed by Greystone. His responsibilities included the analysis of operating results, projection of future performance and compliance with regulatory reporting requirements. Additional responsibilities included the development of policies and procedures, the implementation of accounting systems, the reporting of monthly financial outcomes, the development of annual budgets and long-term forecasts, the creation of real-time key indicator analyses and financial reports and the coordination of annual audits. In addition, Mr. Ailey was a corporate specialist for financially complex and operationally challenged communities that included the development of strategic marketing incentives to create financial stability. Mr. Ailey received his Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, in accounting from the University of North Texas and is an active licensed CPA in the State of Texas.
Ms. Matamoros joined Forefront Living in September 2013 and is responsible for the sales and marketing of Forefront Living. She has over 30 years marketing healthcare related services with 13 of those years at Greystone where she was directly responsible for occupancy development and sales activities for new and existing CCRCs across the country. Her responsibilities have included staff recruitment and training, coordination of advertising and promotional activities and ongoing sales support. Prior to 1998, Ms. Matamoros worked for Cornerstone Health Management, and was responsible for marketing and operational support of hospital-based geriatric specialty programs across the United States. With an emphasis on Geriatric Psychiatric programs and Senior Health centers, Ms. Matamoros has experience in the areas of community and healthcare-based referral management, sales and customer service training and regulatory compliance. Ms. Matamoros received a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from Texas Tech University.
Mr. Polzin joined Forefront Living in October 2016 bringing with him nearly three decades of experience in the senior living industry and extensive expertise in senior living management. Prior to joining Forefront Living he served as the Executive Director of The Stayton at Museum Way, a nonprofit CCRC in Fort Worth, Texas. Mr. Polzin worked for Greystone Communities before his work at The Stayton. While affiliated with Greystone, he served as executive director at Aberdeen Heights in Kirkwood, Missouri. During his tenure at Aberdeen Heights, he successfully directed the CCRC’s startup and licensure while serving on the board of directors of Leading Age Missouri. Preceding those engagements, Mr. Polzin worked in various senior living management roles in California including the openings of University Village of Thousand Oaks and The Brighton Gardens of Carmel Valley for Marriott Senior Living. Mr. Polzin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from Kansas Wesleyan University. He also received a Master of Science in healthcare administration from California State University, Long Beach. Mr. Polzin is also a licensed nursing home administrator.
Ms. Bertolino joined Forefront Living in November 2023. She has over 30 years of experience in the senior living and healthcare industry, primarily in the nonprofit sector. Ms. Bertolino has extensive experience in operations and strategic growth in new business lines and design development. Before joining Forefront Living, she worked at Lifespace Communities in Des Moines, Iowa, and Christian Horizons in St. Louis, Missouri. In these roles, she successfully implemented new service lines to meet patient and resident needs, managed strategic initiatives for growth in senior living communities and oversaw significant campus repositioning, greenfield development, mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. As Executive Director of Orthopedic and Neuroscience Service line at St. John’s Hospital in the Midwest, she developed innovative care models with physician partners to enhance health outcomes and quality of care, while optimizing budgetary and revenue considerations. Ms. Bertolino holds a Master of Business Administration from Benedictine University and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Healthcare Management from Southern Illinois University.
© 2025 Forefront Living | Privacy Policy | Accessibility
