The Business of Senior Living: Perspectives from Policy, Providers, and Partners 

Community Event

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Industry Knowledge

Presented in partnership by Vye and the Nashville Entrepreneur Center

Senior living is one of the most complex — and most underserved — markets in healthcare. Founders who crack it can build lasting, high-impact businesses. Most don't, because they underestimate the operational, regulatory, and relationship dynamics at play.

This panel brings together experienced voices from across the ecosystem to have an honest conversation about what's really happening in senior living — and what it takes to succeed as an innovator in this space.

Moderator

• Jennifer Lawrence — CEO, Vye | HubSpot Partner Agency Leader
  A digital marketing and growth strategist with 14+ years at Vye, Jen leads one of the region's top inbound marketing agencies and brings a sharp operator's lens to founder-facing conversations.

Panelists include:

• Donna Stephens — COO, Guiding Star Mental Health & GuideLine365 | Project Healthcare Alum
  With more than two decades of experience in senior living and healthcare leadership, Donna has led operational turnarounds, launched startups, and built partnerships that expand access to mental health services for older adults. She's also the author of The Executive Reset and host of The Reset Strategist™ Podcast.
• Amy LaGrant — Co-Director, AgeInnovate | Board Chair, Alzheimer's Association Tennessee Chapter
  A gerontologist and senior living strategist with 20+ years helping older adults and families navigate aging decisions, Amy brings a person-centered, deeply practical perspective to aging services innovation. She's a founding member of AgeInnovate and a leading voice in AgeTech.
• Darius McDonald — Director of Membership Services, THCA/TNCAL
  With deep roots in healthcare association leadership and organizational strategy, Darius oversees membership services for 400+ long-term care facilities across Tennessee and brings a rare blend of policy, operations, and workforce development expertise to the conversation.
• Davis Mastin — Automation Product Lead, Hubspot
  Davis Mastin is a Product Lead at HubSpot working on AI-powered automation. He focuses on helping teams build workflows that are more flexible, intelligent, and easier to manage. He started his career in advertising in New York and later worked across customer success and reporting at HubSpot. Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, you’ll usually find him outside of work cycling, rucking, grilling, or deep into a podcast—or fantasy football.
• John Wilson — Senior Living Data Consultant, Terlina Systems
  Through his firm, Terlina Systems, John manages data migration and automation projects for both operators and technology vendors in the industry. Previously the Director of Advanced Analytics at Brookdale Senior Living, John has led initiatives impacting more than 1,000 communities. His work is driven by a conviction that better data ultimately improves the lives of residents, their families, and the associates who serve them.

What we'll cover:

The panel will move through three conversations: the current state of the senior living market (regulatory pressures, operator constraints, and what founders get wrong), what actually drives business success (founder traction, partnership dynamics, operational readiness), and where opportunity is headed in 2026 and beyond — including AI in admissions, marketing, and founder-operator collaboration.

This event is hosted by Vye in collaboration with the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, as part of Project Healthcare's Spring 2026 Immersion Day.

Open to Project Healthcare founders, NEC members, and the public. No cost to attend.