Venita Fields, Evanston, Illinois, joined the Lifespace Board of Directors in 2018. In her current role as a Partner at Pelham S2K Managers, LLC, Venita manages equity investments in privately held, middle-market companies. Prior to forming Pelham in 2016, Venita served as a Partner and Senior Managing Director of Smith Whiley & Company. Currently, she serves on the board of Superior Group of Companies (NASdaq: SCG) as Chair of the Capital Committee and on the board of IMA Financial Group as Chair of the Audit Committee. Venita brings more than 35 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Venita earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University and Master of Management degree from Northwestern University, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Neal Yanofsky, Dallas, Texas, was elected to the Lifespace Board of Directors in July 2016, and elected as Chair of the Board in 2021. Neal is a Strategy Consultant to CEOs in the retail, consumer services and restaurant industries and to private equity and venture capital firms that invest in these businesses. He formerly served as Chairman of Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, International President of Dunkin’ Brands, Chief Executive Officer of Generation Mobile, and President of Panera Bread.
Neal holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College, a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, and completed a post-graduate fellowship at London School of Economics.
Gary Blackford, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, joined the Lifespace Board of Directors in 2022. He formerly served as Chairman and CEO for Universal Hospital Services, Inc., where he transformed the organization from a regional medical technology rental company to a national leader in medical technology outsourcing and lifecycle solutions.
Gary holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from the University of Iowa. He also earned a Juris Doctor degree from Creighton University.
Ana Dutra, Vero Beach, Florida, was elected to the Lifespace Board of Directors in July 2016. Ana is the CEO of Mandala Global Advisors, working with CEOs and Boards on corporate strategy and leadership development. Prior to Mandala, Ana was the CEO of The Executives’ Club in Chicago, and before that, she was the CEO of Korn Ferry Consulting.
Ana received a Bachelor of Economics degree from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. While in Brazil, she continued her education by receiving her Juris Doctor/Law degree from the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. In 1994, Ana received a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management.
Joyce Hrinya, Kansas City, Missouri, joined the Lifespace Board of Directors in December 2017. Joyce is a Founding and Managing Partner of A&R Strategy Partners, where she provides strategic expertise to consumer CEOs to drive profitable revenue growth. Prior to A&R Strategy Partners, Joyce held many roles, most recently as a Managing Director and Operating Partner of Z Capital Partners, LLC. Joyce brings more than 30 years of marketing, communications, and brand-building experience.
Joyce earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School.
Amy McDonough joined the Lifespace Board of Directors in April 2023. Amy leads the Strategic Health Solutions (SHS) team for Google Health, which is charged with bringing industry insight and intelligence into its product roadmaps, ensuring that Google Health is identifying the highest and best use of Google’s technology and tools to improve the health for billions around the world. SHS builds on the strong foundation created by the Fitbit Health Solutions team Amy built from the ground up, which partnered with the healthcare ecosystem to improve care and impact outcomes.
Prior to Fitbit, Amy held strategic roles at CNET Networks focused on Strategic Partnerships and Audience and Content Development. Amy has a bachelor’s degree from Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts and a Professional Certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications from UC Berkeley.
Jonathan Sokeye (pronounced “show-keh-yeh”), Waxhaw, North Carolina, joined the Lifespace Board of Directors in 2022. Jonathan has more than 23 years of healthcare industry experience. As Chief Financial Officer for Caroline Complete Health, Inc., Jonathan provides leadership and oversight to all aspects of finance and analytics for a new managed care health plan startup in North Carolina. Prior to that, he served as Vice President of Finance for Option Health and Humana. He was also Chief Financial Officer at Walgreens Infusion Services.
Jonathan earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a focus in Accounting from Northeastern Illinois University. He also earned a Master of Business Administration with specializations in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the University of Illinois. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant
Pat Spangler, Phoenix, Arizona, joined the Lifespace Board of Directors in July 2016. Pat brings more than 32 years of experience in the healthcare industry, executing domestic and international growth and exit strategies. He most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of On Target Laboratories. Prior to On Target Laboratories, Pat served as Chief Financial Officer of MHC Software and VigiLanz Corporation, and he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Healthland, Inc.; Epocrates Inc. (EPOC); ev3 Corp. (EVVV); and Empi Inc. (EMPI). Before joining Empi, Pat was the Assistant Treasurer at Medtronic (MDT). Pat also currently serves on the Board of Directors of OptimizeRx (OPRX) and previously served on the Board of Directors of Urologix (ULGX) as Audit Committee Chair.
Pat holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, a Master of Business Taxation from the University of Minnesota, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business.
Gordon “Gordy” Sprenger is a resident at Friendship Village of Bloomington in Bloomington, Minnesota. He brings extensive executive leadership experience in healthcare and clinical organizations to his role on the Lifespace Board of Directors. A Minnesota native, Gordy earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and his Master of Hospital Administration from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
After graduate school, Gordy served in the United States Air Force as 1st Lieutenant from 1961 – 1964, where he began his career in healthcare administration at the United States Air Force Hospital at Hamilton Air Force Base as a Registrar, Clinic Administration Officer. Over the next four decades, he advanced to executive roles, where he oversaw the operations and mergers of large hospitals and healthcare companies involving healthcare, hospitality, regulatory, and real estate elements. He served as CEO for Abbott-Northwestern hospital, LifeSpan, Inc., and Allina Health System, and he earned the 2001 Distinguished Service Award, American Hospital Association from “Who’s Who in America.” Throughout his career, Gordy has been published in numerous trade publications, received industry recognition, and served on multiple boards.
Gordy married Dolores “Dee” Idstrom in 1961, and they have three children: Michael, Kristen, and Angela. Due to her professional background as a nurse and their ability to work well together, Gordy credits her as playing an important role in his career. Together, Gordy and Dee established nursing scholarships at St. Olaf College and at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital.
David Williams, Los Angeles, California, joined the Lifespace Board of Directors in 2022. He also serves on the Board of Directors of AdaptHealth Corp. (NASDAQ: AHCO). As Co-founder and CEO of Care3, Inc., David leads the development of a next generation consumer engagement platform for consumers to manage complex conditions leveraging real-world data. Prior to forming Care3 in 2015, David co-founded and led InvolveCare (funded and acquired by Aetna), and PatientsLikeMe, Inc. (acquired by United Health Group). He also served Eli Lilly and Company in global strategy, marketing, and sales and began his career in healthcare management consulting with Deloitte.
David earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration with a focus on digital strategy and corporate governance from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.