CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Liberty Senior Living has named Judi Donovan as executive director for The Barclay at SouthPark, a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) currently under construction in Charlotte.
Donovan brings 17 years of senior living experience to the role. She will oversee daily operations of the community, which will feature 165 independent living apartments and all levels of care, including assisted living, memory support, skilled nursing and short-term rehabilitation. The Barclay is scheduled to open in SouthPark, a neighborhood approximately six miles south of downtown Charlotte, in early 2021.
Donovan has led teams in opening 20 senior living communities in eight states. She started her senior living career in 2003 with Erickson Living as part of the opening team at Fox Run, a CCRC in Novi, Michigan. She served as the director of operations and eventually moved into a regional director role supporting Erickson’s developing communities.
In 2010, Donovan joined the senior leadership team with Friendship Senior Options, the largest CCRC in the Chicago area. She later worked for Watercrest Senior Living Group in Vero Beach, Florida, where she served as vice president of startup operations.
Prior to senior living, Donovan was part of the operational transition team for Detroit’s new airport terminal, which is where she learned to read a set of blueprints and gained extensive construction-related knowledge.
Donovan holds a bachelor’s degree in business and an M.B.A. with a concentration in healthcare. She is a member of Argentum, SAGE (Society for the Advancement of Gerontological Environments) and North Carolina Assisted Living Association.