Jesse Jantzen was placed as the president and chief executive officer of Lutheran Life Communities in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Lutheran Life Communities (the brand and marketing name for Lutheran Life Ministries and its subsidiaries) encompasses six campuses that serve seniors and their families in Illinois, Indiana, and Florida through innovative programming and extensive healthcare expertise. A not-for-profit, faith-based organization, Lutheran Life Communities provides independent, assisted living, and skilled nursing levels of care, as well as a variety of specialized programs that are recognized for innovative methods and successful outcomes, such as short-term rehabilitation, memory support, intergenerational childcare, an adult day club, and a pioneering program in the field of senior move management. In his role, Jesse reports to the Lutheran Life Ministries Board of Directors, and promotes the ministry, mission, and core values of the organization, while fostering excellence in hospitality and customer service. He plans, organizes, budgets, and controls the services provided, in order to ensure the highest level of service, commensurate with fiscal responsibility, and contributes to the visioning and strategy of the organization.
Prior to joining Lutheran, Jesse served as the president and chief executive officer of Ascension Senior Living in St. Louis, the senior living subsidiary of Ascension, which is the largest nonprofit Catholic health system in the country. Ascension Senior Living is comprised of 6,000 units in 37 communities throughout 10 states, and generates $400 million in annual revenue. As part of the health system’s executive leadership team, Jesse helped establish a full continuum of care and was the primary liaison between the system and its senior living division during a strategic shift from a holding company model to an operating company model. He was able to leverage his knowledge of the industry and his business acumen to realign the portfolio and ensure that the organization was competitive, and brought clinicians together to improve outcomes through heightened communication. Jesse was responsible for hiring and mentoring a new senior executive team to support the enterprise, and served on numerous boards in the senior living division.
Previously, Jesse served as the president and chief executive officer of Elder Care Alliance in Alameda, California; as the executive director of Carillon Senior Life Care Community in Lubbock, Texas; as a development advisor for Watermere at Southlake in Southlake, Texas; as a regional director of operations for the West Texas region of Daybreak Venture, LLC; and as the administrator of Lynwood Manor in Levelland, Texas. He began his career as an administrator with B.T. Health Care in western Texas.
Jesse was born in the jungles of Columbia to missionary parents, relocating with his family to Georgia, and then to Texas, as a teen. He holds a BBA and MBA from Texas Tech University. Jesse and his wife are empty nesters who enjoy traveling, both to remote areas for mission work, and to beaches for relaxation.
QLK’s Roger Quick and Mike Quick led the search to recruit Jesse to Lutheran, where his duties began on February 12, 2018.Lutheran Life Communities
