The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) on Friday announced that LaShuan Bethea will become its executive director effective Sept. 1.
Bethe, a registered nurse and attorney, currently serves as the vice president of legislative affairs and reimbursement at Genesis Healthcare.
"I am thrilled to have LaShuan lead our team at NCAL," Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), said in a statement. "Her experience in clinical care, reimbursement and legislative and policy issues will be essential in the months ahead as long-term care providers continue to deal with the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Bethea will replace Scott Tittle, who has served as NCAL executive director since 2015 and will leave the position Aug. 6. Tittle has accepted a job as managing director and the first head of government and external affairs at VIUM Capital, a Columbus, Ohio-based lender providing capital and financing for seniors housing, long term care, and other healthcare providers nationwide.
"Scott has provided exceptional leadership for NCAL during the last six years," Parkinson said. "We've accomplished a great deal during Scott's tenure, and I look forward to collaborating with LaShuan to build on that work."
Bethea started at Genesis HealthCare in February 2007 and was promoted to director of regulatory and program development before being named vice president of legislative affairs in 2015. In 2020, she became vice president of reimbursement as well.
"I am grateful for my 14 years at Genesis HealthCare," Bethea said in a statement. "I'm excited about the new leadership at Genesis, and the great turnaround progress that has already been made. While I am sad to leave during this transformation, I look forward to working with my Genesis colleagues and long-term care providers across the country in this new capacity to ensure the best outcomes for our residents."
Bethea has been in the healthcare industry for 25 years and has worked on issues involving Medicare and Medicaid, telemedicine, workforce and labor challenges, the regulatory environment and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care, according to NCAL. She has served as the chair of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee at Genesis since 2020, and is the first vice president of the Maryland Nurses Association, Division 2.
AHCA/NCAL represents more than 14,000 nursing homes and assisted living facilities across the U.S.