Award winners

ICAA and NuStep announce 2025 “Best in Wellness” award winners, honoring North America’s wellness leaders in senior living

International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA), in partnership with NuStep, LLC, announced the winners of the 2025 ICAA NuStep Best in Wellness Awards.

Now in its seventh year, the awards recognize senior living communities and leaders who embrace wellness not just as an amenity, but as a core value that shapes culture, sparks innovation, and enhances quality of life. Through the Beacon Awards (Top 25 communities), the Pinnacle Awards (Top 5 communities), and recognition of the Top 5 Wellness Executives and Wellness Directors, the program celebrates the organizations and individuals redefining what it means to age well.

This year's Pinnacle Award Winners are:

Top 5 Senior Living Communities

1. The Mather (Tysons, Virginia)
2. Berwick Parksville (Parksville, British Columbia, Canada)
3. Peconic Landing (Greenport, New York)
4. Asbury Methodist Village (Gaithersburg, Maryland)
5. Moorings Park Communities (Naples, Florida)

Top 5 Wellness Executives

1. Mary Leary, President/CEO, Mather (Evanston, Illinois)
2. Robert J. Syron – President/CEO, Peconic Landing (Greenport, NY)
3. Dan Lavender – President/CEO, Moorings Park Communities (Naples, FL)
4. Lynne Katzmann, CEO, Juniper Communities (Bloomfield, New Jersey)
5. Michael Klein, President/CEO, Kavod Senior Life (Denver, Colorado)

Top 5 Wellness Directors

1. Annie Shaffer, Director of Wellness – Sunnyside Retirement Community (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
2. Jessica Bourque, Director of Health & Wellness – The Sharon at SouthPark (Charlotte, North Carolina)
3. David Shoffler, Senior Director of Wellness – Asbury RiverWoods (Lewisburg, Pennsylvania)
4. Carole Clausen, Director of Wellness – Fellowship Village (Basking Ridge, New Jersey)
5. Co-winners: Lisa Dickenson, Director of Wellness – Carlsbad By The Sea (Carlsbad, California) and Belinda Degboe, Director of Well-being, Asbury Methodist Village (Gaithersburg, Maryland)

 

2025 Beacon Award Winners (Top 25 Senior Living Communities)

1. The Mather (Tysons, Virginia)
2. Berwick Parksville (Parksville, British Columbia, Canada)
3. Peconic Landing (Greenport, New York)
4. Asbury Methodist Village (Gaithersburg, Maryland)
5. Moorings Park Communities (Naples, Florida)
6. Moorings Park Grande Lake (Naples, Florida)
7. Moorings Park Grey Oaks (Naples, Florida)
8. Fellowship Village (Basking Ridge, New Jersey)
9. Galloway Ridge (Pittsboro, North Carolina)
10. Juniper Village at Lebanon (Lebanon, Pennsylvania)
11. Juniper Village at Bucks County (Bensalem, Pennsylvania)
12. Lakeview Village (Lenexa, Kansas)
13. Lutheran SeniorLife Passavant Community (Zelienople, Pennsylvania)
14. The Reserve at Thousand Oaks, MBK Senior Living (Thousand Oaks, California)
15. Mt. San Antonio Gardens (Pomona, California)
16. Shell Point Retirement Community (Fort Myers, Florida)
17. Shenandoah Valley Westminster Canterbury (Winchester, Virginia)
18. Sunnyside Retirement Community (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
19. The Barclay at SouthPark (Charlotte, North Carolina)
20. The Highlands at Wyomissing (Wyomissing, Pennsylvania)
21. Warm Hearth Village (Blacksburg, Virginia)
22. John Knox Village of Florida (Pompano Beach, Florida)
23. GenCare Lifestyle at Point Ruston (Tacoma, Washington)
24. On Top of the World Communities (Ocala, Florida)
25. Maravilla Scottsdale (Scottsdale, Arizona)