NEWTON, Mass. — David Hegarty has announced his plans to retire as president and chief operating officer of Senior Housing Properties Trust (NASDAQ: SNH). Jennifer Francis, currently a senior vice president with SNH parent company RMR Group, will replace Hegarty effective May 1.
Hegarty will stay on with the company until Sept. 30 to help with the transition, and may continue to serve both SNH and RMR on an as-needed basis thereafter. Hegarty has been with SNH since its formation in 1999, and with RMR since 1987.
Francis is a 12-year veteran of The RMR Group, currently responsible for asset management and leasing activities at all RMR managed properties. Prior to joining RMR in 2006, Francis was a partner at CBRE/NE Partners, where she provided brokerage and corporate advisory services for large corporate clients on their national commercial real estate portfolios. Previously, Francis was a vice president at The Gunwyn Company, where she was responsible for the asset management of a portfolio of commercial, retail and residential assets.
Francis has more than 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. She is a member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and a member of the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW).
Concurrent with the announcement of Hegarty’s retirement, SNH also announced that Jennifer Clark was appointed as a managing trustee of the company. She will fill a vacancy on the board.
Clark will continue to serve as SNH’s secretary and as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of The RMR Group. Clark also serves on the boards of The RMR Group, Sonesta International Hotels Corp. and RMR Advisors LLC.
Prior to joining The RMR Group in 1999, Clark was a partner at the law firm of Sullivan & Worcester LLP, where she had a broad based real estate and finance practice.
Based in the Boston suburb of Newton, Senior Housing Properties Trust is a publicly traded REIT focused on senior living communities, medical office buildings and wellness centers throughout the United States. The company is the fifth largest owner of seniors housing in the United States, according to the American Seniors Housing Association.