New CEO at Duncaster Announced as Kelly Smith Papa, National Aging Services Leader.
Effective Monday, November 1, 2021, Kelly Smith Papa of Avon is the new President and CEO of Duncaster.
With 25 years of clinical and executive experience in senior living, Papa most recently served as Duncaster’s interim CEO and is an author of eight books on long-term care. Papa’s extensive work resume includes time as a Director of Nursing, a clinical educator, a national consultant in building dementia care programs and facilitator of leadership development programs.
Kelly earned her Master of Science in Nursing/Clinical Nurse Specialist from University of St. Joseph and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from St. Anselm’s College.
Prior to joining Duncaster in 2019 as Vice President of Strategy and Community Life, Papa was the Corporate Director of Learning at Masonicare where she developed the Masonicare University. She also served as the Director of Education and Consulting at the Alzheimer’s Resource Center in Plantsville and spent four years in nursing leadership at McLean in Simsbury, CT.
“We are pleased to have someone with Kelly’s standing in the field of aging services at the helm of the Duncaster leadership team,” says John Shulansky, Chair of the Duncaster Board of Directors. “She has made substantial contributions to the successful operations of Duncaster including our successful COVID-19 response and is playing a critical role in strategic plan development to fulfill our mission to support the evolving needs of an aging population.”