Richard “Rick” Jackson, Board Member
Retired
Former VP of Landscape Architecture, ELA Group, Inc.
Q: Why did you choose to serve on the Unitas Communities Board?
A: Since joining the Board of Trustees of Moravian Manor Communities (MMC) in 2017, MMC has continued to build-out the Warwick Woodlands and made strategic improvements at the Founders Campus. More importantly, MMC partnered with Community Basics to build Saxony Ridge Apartments’ affordable senior housing, and a first-time home buyers’ program was established for the benefit of MMC’s employees. Clear-eyed vision, such as this, is vitally important to our residents, employees, and the communities we serve.
Looking to the challenges and opportunities ahead, the boards of MMC and Morningstar Living (ML) in Nazareth, PA, began discussing potential affiliation in 2019. Championed by late Board President, Dr. Joe McSparran, MMC’s board shared a vision with ML’s that non-profit senior-care communities of similar purpose and mission, culture and ethos, and relative size should consider affiliating to boldly face the future.
Unitas Communities’ affiliation became “official” in 2023. It is already evident to me that MMC and ML are stronger together than alone. The progress we have made in establishing a cohesive board, aligning staffing and resources, and realizing tangible fiduciary benefits for our residents, employees, and organizations is remarkable. Moreover, the vision we have cast through our Strategic Plan and Marathon Goals establishes an exciting roadmap for our shared future.
As the immediate-past MMC Board Chair, a current member of the inaugural Unitas Communities Board, and Board liaison to MMC’s current Board, why wouldn’t I continue to serve our residents and employees in these capacities? Heck, now that Mary Lou and I live in Minneapolis, MN, I look forward to returning to PA, twice every year, for in-person Board Meetings of Unitas Communities!
Q: In what ways do you support the Board with your industry expertise?
A: Historically, MMC’s Board has been characterized by gifted board members whose professional expertise was matched by their expressions of faith and civic duty. It is not hyperbolic to hold these same observations of the members of the Unitas Communities board. As a result, every board member collaboratively shares their expertise and deeply held views to craft vision, solve challenges, and seize opportunities.
As a former Registered Landscape Architect, I view my primary role as leaning into collaborative planning and visioning, while helping to evaluate new opportunities and projects that could (or might not!) benefit our residents, employees, and communities. As such, I believe that my passion for site planning and architecture has been beneficial to Moravian Manor Communities and to Unitas Communities (noting that I have the privilege of serving, on the Unitas Board, alongside Chris Brown, a fellow Landscape Architect!).
During my 45-year career, I also came to know this: Communities across our nation lack housing that is affordable across the spectrum of household incomes. Especially hard hit are those households with the least income and the vast gulf of households whose income lies between wealth and poverty (i.e., the underserved “missing middle”). I also believe that no sector of the economy is more vulnerable to this stark reality than senior care communities; both in terms of the diverse residents we should serve and in the diverse members of our staffs who provide excellent care for our residents. In my view, Unitas Communities’ focus on “cracking the code” on missing middle housing and services is our most important challenge and aspirational goal.
Q: What are your thoughts about the future of Unitas Communities?
A: I firmly believe in this affiliation and in the way our bylaws and governance have been structured, so that Moravian Manor Communities, Morningstar Living, and potential, future affiliates can grow in their service to residents through their remarkable staff members. Today’s and future affiliate organizations can truly be better together than alone.
Almost immediately, the tangible and selfless sharing of talent and expertise, alone, justified the manner in which we affiliated both organizations. Our senior staff members seamlessly meshed, shared knowledge, found commonality, rooted-out redundancy, and began addressing challenges. Inspired by this unity of purpose, staff members throughout both communities have embraced the value proposition of our affiliation.
From a fiduciary perspective, we have also realized direct and indirect financial benefits for both affiliate organizations. In these difficult economic times, these benefits become increasingly important to our bottom lines.
To be clear, Unitas Communities was not founded on the premise of “growth for growth’s sake.” I have become excited, however, about our potential to grow this affiliation in the following ways. First, we have created a platform that could be attractive to other senior care communities who face similar challenges while holding dear to their mission, culture, and aspirations. Second, additional affiliate organizations could become better together with us than alone. Third, growth in expertise, talent, and financial resources could help Unitas Communities to achieve its Strategic Plan and accomplish its Marathon Goals, especially in terms of missing middle housing and services.
I am bullish about the future of Unitas Communities and what the next few years will have in store!