Lisa Haglund, President and CEO of Heritage Ministries, announced that Jeremy Rutter, Heritage vice president of skilled nursing operations and executive director of Hearthstone Communities, a Heritage senior living community in Woodstock, Ill., has been named chief clinical officer of the organization.

“With his experience in the senior care industry, including six years as leader at Heritage, Jeremy is uniquely qualified to serve our residents and their families through his passion for seniors,” Haglund said. “His clinical expertise in senior living has enabled Heritage to be both prepared and proactive in upholding the health and safety of all of our staff and residents during the COVID-19 pandemic and as a vital leader in our COVID-19 response team. We look forward to the future, knowing that he will continue to regard the health and safety of our residents and staff with absolute importance. He is a compassionate and knowledgeable leader, who will work with our staff and partners to strengthen our mission of promoting Hope, Dignity, and Purposeful Living to all those entrusted to our care.”

Prior to his employment with Heritage, Rutter served as the director of admissions and marketing at Bridgewater Center for Rehab and Skilled Nursing, where he also began his Administrator in Training internship. He previously served Heritage as the Administrator of Record at The Village in Gerry and Administrator at The Park in Jamestown, two Heritage rehab and skilled nursing communities.

Rutter holds a master’s degree in public administration from Villanova University, and a Bachelor of Science in health services management, Magna Cum Laude, from the State University of New York at Utica. He is currently pursuing a PhD. in Gerontology from Concordia University Chicago, and has participated in multiple research studies in the fields of aging and long-term care.

A 2016 graduate of Leading Age New York’s Leadership Academy, Rutter served on the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Long Term Care, and currently is a member of the Leading Age Illinois Nursing Facility Cabinet. He received the prestigious Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award in 2016 and 2017. During his tenure as Administrator at The Village, the community received a number of awards and recognitions, including a deficiency-free survey, a five-star rating, and a listing in U.S. News and World Report as one of America’s Best Nursing Homes.