An Interview With Mina Tepper- KaLex's Retiring CEO

April 29, 2020 —

Introduction:

Mina, you are in your last weeks as our Executive Director (ED) here at Kendal at Lexington.  The majority of your time is devoted to day-to-day, month-to-month and year-to-year operations, keeping in mind the implementation of the five-year 2015-2020 strategic plan.  Today, let’s look back and reflect on the 7 1/2 years that you’ve been here in Lexington.

Q:  What do you feel are your strongest accomplishments?

Every retiring ED hopes to leave the community in a better position than she or he found it!  Perhaps even poised for the future.  When I came, the board asked me to focus on these several areas: building a leadership team, securing a strong financial position, positioning KaLex for the future with a major expansion and renovation, and securing KaLex’s reputation as a capable provider of health care services to the elderly.

  • We have an amazing leadership team. Each person carries out his or her day-to-day roles in a very able manner, individually and together as a team.
  • We have a strong financial position, firmly in the black, which enabled us to have a Fitch Investment Grade rating in re-financing existing debt, and to get good interest rates for financing the Phase III expansion and renovations.
  • The soon-to-be-completed Phase III will give us an expanded and updated campus.
  • We have been able to maintain a 5-star rating in our nursing facility for several years.

Q:  And your frustrations?

  • I did not at first appreciate that the labor pool in this relatively rural area would be so small in number and narrow in terms of skills. We’ve had to reach out to a wider area to get the talent we need for our staffing, and at times that can be very difficult and costly to the organization.
  • Short-sighted and narrow thinking when looking to the future, and failure to appreciate the on-going strength of KaLex and its role in the community – e.g., what we saw when we were applying to get our permits for construction of Phase III. The delays set us back many months before we were able to begin construction.

Q:  What reflections do you have about the KaLex community?

People are amazingly polite and truly love their community.  KaLex residents are welcoming – opening their homes and hearts to visitors; they want everyone to like this community as much as they do.  Folks are sophisticated, eager to continue learning with on-campus programming, and by attending classes and events at the local universities.  People want to make things “work” – Board members, staff members and residents alike.  In many ways this is a very diverse community, with a wide variety of experiences, and yet it works as one.

Q:  What are your favorite parts of the job?

  • My favorite part is always the regular interaction with staff and residents. The first weekend I arrived at KaLex, I was staying by myself at Sunnyside House.  Lena Dates was on duty at Sunnyside House that weekend.  We engaged in a wonderful conversation about KaLex and Lexington.  She did not know that I was the new ED; she was open and friendly and made me feel good about having chosen to come to Virginia.
  • The ability to interact with the amazing residents who have chosen to live at Kendal at Lexington.
  • To have the ability every day to make someone’s life just a little bit better.
  • To have an opportunity to share my knowledge with others and watch them grow, while I continue to learn from those around me.

Q:   What do you look forward to in retirement?

  • More time! Time to spend with family and friends, to travel, to study, to play bridge, to volunteer.
  • I would like to reconnect more strongly with my roots and tradition. We still hope to be able to live in Jerusalem this summer – and if not then, maybe in the fall.
  • I hope to find work as a Senior Advocate when we are in Arizona.
  • Also, I would like to take up painting, to join a book club, and to read to children in a library or bookstore. Reading books is so important to me.

Thank you, Mina, for your leadership here at Kendal at Lexington – and may your days in retirement be filled with satisfaction!

– – Resident Association President, Dianne Herrick (Originally published in May 2020 Connections Newsletter)