DALLAS — Keith Johannessen, president and chief operating officer of Capital Senior Living Corp. (NYSE: CSU), has died after a battle with cancer.
Johannessen was on medical leave, and his duties were already assigned to various executives within the company.
Johannessen had more than 37 years of operational experience in seniors housing. He joined Capital Senior Living in 1993 as an executive vice president and served as the company’s president since 1994. He has also been COO and a member of CSU’s Board of Directorssince 1999.
Prior to joining Capital Senior Living, Johannessen worked as senior manager in the healthcare practice of Ernst & Young LLP and served on the State of the Industry and Model Assisted Living Regulations Committees of the American Seniors Housing Association.
“Keith was a tireless mentor, leader and friend who has been a part of the Capital Senior Living family since 1993, and he will be greatly missed,” says Lawrence Cohen, the company’s CEO. “His empowering leadership, vision and compassion were instrumental in the transformation of Capital Senior Living into one of the largest owners and operators of senior living communities in the country.”
Based in Dallas, Capital Senior Living Corp. is one of the nation’s largest operators of seniors housing in the United States, with 129 communities serving up to 16,300 residents.