OUR LEADERSHIP

Cyndi Walters was named president and chief executive officer (CEO) of National Lutheran Communities and Services (NLCS) in May 2021, assuming the position full time in August 2021. Prior to this role, she served as chief operating officer (COO) since 2016.

Cyndi has served at NLCS in varying capacities for nine years; first as a consultant before joining as chief operating officer in 2016. Cumulatively, Walters has over 30 years of experience in the senior living industry including a strong background in strategically growing and diversifying the organization and an enhanced focus on operating as a senior-living system and leveraging its benefits and efficiencies. Prior to joining NLCS, she provided project management and advisory services to senior living organizations through Walters Advisors, LLC. She has also served in a leadership role at Presbyterian Senior Living in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, and during her 19 years at KPMG (a global network of professional firms providing audit, tax and advisory services), spent significant time as a partner and leader of their National Senior Living Advisory Practice.

As president and CEO, Cyndi’s focus is strategically growing and furthering NLCS’ mission to honor, inspire and support choice and opportunity in partnership with older adults. Cyndi is an advocate for “aging with choice,” which means supporting older adults in making their own choices in aging, whether it means moving to a senior living community or bringing in supportive services to their home. She is also an advocate for team members across the organization and leads a team dedicated to ensuring NLCS remains a Great Place to Work® and an employer of choice for those who have a heart to serve older adults.

Cyndi is a native of the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area and holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree from York College of Pennsylvania.

With a formal name of William, he is known by everyone, including family, friends and colleagues as Chill. As the sales director at The Village at Providence Point—A National Lutheran Community, Chill does more than just sell homes. With over 20 years experience in senior living and real estate development, he actively listens, answers questions, and offers counsel, which enables him to successfully assist his clients in their decision making.

Prior to joining The Village at Providence Point, Chill served in various capacities within the senior living industry specializing in planning, marketing, and selling senior communities at Glenmoor in St. Augustine, Fl., and at Ingleside at Rock Creek in Washington, D.C. At East West Partners in Richmond, Va., he helped plan, market and sell numerous independent living recreational lifestyle communities. Chill joined National Lutheran Communities & Services in 2012, successfully working with the sales and marketing teams on expansion projects at both The Village at Orchard Ridge in Winchester, Va., and The Village at Rockville in Rockville, Md. In 2017, Chill was named sales director for The Village at Providence Point.

A native of Broadway, Va., Chill is a former faculty member and head women’s basketball coach at the University of Richmond. With a foundation in education, Chill has used his teaching skills to counsel many families, guiding them as they explore, learn about and plan for their future. Chill sees his position in Annapolis as an opportunity to help shape the direction of this endeavor for many decades to come, and he believes the potential to build a special community at The Village at Providence Point is limitless.

When he isn’t working, you’ll find Chill deejaying, enjoying sports (especially his beloved Jacksonville Jaguars) and spending time with his children and grandchildren.

Michael Brady joined ThriveMore NC as its chief financial officer in February 2024. He previously served as president and chief executive officer of Hospice of the Chesapeake, a not-for-profit organization based in Pasadena, Maryland, and the state’s largest independent hospice provider, with annual revenue of more than $50 million and serving more than 1,600 hospice and palliative care patients daily. He joined Hospice of the Chesapeake as chief financial officer in 2017 and was promoted to CEO in early 2020. Under his leadership, the organization experienced significant growth, more than doubling the number of individuals served and increasing revenue by more than $12 million.

Prior to joining Hospice of the Chesapeake, Brady served as CFO of National Lutheran Communities & Services, a not-for-profit organization with three senior living campuses and two home health agencies during his tenure. He joined National Lutheran as controller in 1998, became director of finance in 1996 and was promoted to the organization’s first CFO in 2011. He played a key role in the organization’s growth, including a major repositioning of an existing campus, the acquisition and integration of a new campus, and the ground-up development of another.

Brady brings extensive expertise in senior living finance, strategic planning, campus growth and repositioning, board partnerships, and fundraising support. A licensed CPA in Maryland, he holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, New York. He is married to Stacey, an ordained Lutheran minister who most recently served as a chaplain for multiple retirement communities, and they have two adult children.

Craig Wagoner was named Vice President of Operations in March 2023. Craig provides strong leadership and direction to NLCS entities’ operational teams, ensuring daily business practices are meeting operational goals while maximizing efficiency. He works closely with NLCS leadership and its entities’ leadership teams to enhance existing services, develop new services and manage financial performance.

Craig Wagoner joined The Village at Rockville as executive director in December 2022. Craig brought with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in leading life plan communities as well as an array of other skill sets that make him ideally suited to lead The Village at Rockville.

Craig has a servant’s heart, a passion for caring for older adults and an unwavering conviction that there is no limit to what can be achieved when good-hearted people come together to serve the common good.

Craig has over 10 years of executive leadership experience for multiple continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in Virginia, West Virginia and South Carolina. Most recently, Craig served as executive director for a luxury independent living retirement community in Charlottesville, Virginia. Craig’s experience also encompasses over 20 years in leadership and consulting in the non-profit arena.

Craig received his Bachelor of Arts in religion and philosophy from Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia and his Master of Divinity in pastoral ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.