Meet the Lakewood Richmond, Virginia team

Heather Crumbaugh has more than 15 years of experience in all aspects of senior living, including improving operational efficiencies and outcomes, team and census building, strategic planning and project management.

Crumbaugh most recently served as the regional director of operations, mid-Atlantic region for Senior Lifestyle Corp., where she had operational oversight of ten communities offering independent living, assisted living and memory support across five states. Prior positions include serving as vice president of sales and operations for upscale senior living communities in S.C., as well as CEO of a highly regarded life plan community in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Crumbaugh and her husband, Wade, are parents to seven adult children. She enjoys traveling, gardening, trying new recipes and said her greatest recreational joy is when she can beat Wade at golf.

Hillary joined the Lakewood community in January of 2017. She grew up in the west end of Richmond and attended Collegiate Schools and graduated from Freeman High School. She earned a bachelor of arts in psychology and spanish from Gettysburg College and a master of science from McDaniel College in Human Services Management. Hillary has 18 years of experience in senior living and was most recently a director of sales and marketing at a continuing care retirement community in Southbury, Connecticut. Hillary is married and has two children, ages sixteen and eleven.

Julie Gaines Walton, a native of Charlottesville, Virginia, began serving as chaplain in June 2015. She holds bachelors’ degrees in Music Education and Liberal Studies from Longwood University and earned her Masters of Divinity degree from Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. Julie is also a Certified Dementia Practitioner, a Grief Counselor-Certified, and a Certified Montessori Dementia Care Practitioner. Julie is passionate about working to create a welcoming, caring, comfortable community and cultivating a spirit of joy and hope in the lives of residents, team members, and their families. When she’s not at Lakewood, Julie can be found teaching marching band students at a local high school and playing flute in the Richmond Pops Band, reading a good book, and spending time with her husband, Jeff, who is also a chaplain with a local hospice.

Frank Simal, originally from Chicago, joined the Lakewood team in 2018. He has been involved with facilities management in the senior living industry since 2014. He graduated from Marquette University in 1990 and has worked in commercial construction and facilities management for more than 30 years.

Frank and his wife, Melissa, have been married more than 20 years and have six children. He enjoys working with the residents and looks forward to being a part of the continued growth of the community.

Sally is a Massachusetts native who moved to Virginia in 1972. She grew up a few miles from Lakewood in Tuckahoe Village. Sally has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare, having worked at Westminster Canterbury in Richmond and Winchester, St. Mary’s Woods, and most recently VCU Health System. She loves entertaining at home, dining out, attending live theater and music events, and cheering for the Flying Squirrels. Sally first transitioned from LifeSpire of Virginia’s home office to her role as Lakewood’s director of resident services before her role as community outreach liaison.

Catherine Chappell joined Lakewood in August 2021 and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Lakewood’s assisted living and memory care neighborhoods. She is a licensed assisted living administrator, bringing experience in both for-profit and non-profit retirement communities, and serving independent living residents and assisted living residents within the continuum of care.

A Richmond native, she has worked in healthcare administration for over 20 years.  Throughout her career, Catherine has been successful with building teams, cultivating a supportive and gracious living and working environment, and enhancing customer service and hospitality opportunities.

Catherine holds a bachelor of arts degree from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and a master’s degree in human resource management from the University of Richmond.  Catherine is married and has three children.

Emily grew up in Lynchburg and attended Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. She obtained her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Exercise Science before obtaining her master’s in business administration. Emily has worked in senior living for the last 8 years as a Nursing Home Administrator and Executive Director at an assisted living community before joining the Lakewood team. Emily is married and has a three-year-old son.

Lori Welty grew up in in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, where she attended school in Green County at the G. C. Technical school her Junior and Senior year of high school for Nursing. Lori moved to Richmond in 1987 where she met her husband David. They have been married for 33 years. She joined Lakewood in 2002, left in 2013 and then returned in 2019. Lori has served as the Executive Director’s Administrative Assistant, Director of Administrative Services and currently as the Director of Resident Services.

When not at Lakewood, Lori can be found gardening, driving through the Appalachian Mountains or down the eastern coast soaking up the sun.

Esther Lopez has more than 20 years in the Human Resources Arena. She attended J. Sargent Reynolds Community College and earned her Associates degree in Business Administration. Esther began in the Staffing industry working her way up from a recruiter to Selling Branch Manager over the years. She was able to gain experience working with such industries in manufacturing, distribution, textiles, and medical services. Esther expanded further into Risk Management at a leading tobacco company and most recently at a large concrete manufacturer where she managed multiple sites of 500+ personnel across several states in Human Resources Management. Esther, Mike (her fiancé) and his son, Michael, have been a family for over 12 years. She enjoys sewing, working in the yard, and visiting with family. In her down time, she enjoys relaxing, sipping wine, being with her dog “Snoopy” and watching a good movie.

Pamela Creech joined the Lakewood team in September 2021. Originally from South Carolina, Pam lived in Asia for 30 years, and comes to us most recently from New Orleans where she served as chaplain at a local continuing care retirement community upon completion of her CPE training at a local hospital. A graduate of Charleston Southern University for both her undergraduate and master’s degrees, Pam has spent time serving as a teacher and with a mission-sending organization prior to entering chaplaincy. Pam hears inspiring life stories every day and feels privileged to come alongside our residents, family members, and team members on their life journeys. Pam and her husband Glenn have two sons, two daughters by marriage, and three grandchildren. She enjoys exploring Richmond through visiting new coffee shops in the area.

Marty was born and raised outside of Lynchburg, Virginia. He received a bachelor of arts at Lynchburg College. Marty was the Director of Environmental Services for 33 years at Aramark where he worked on several college campuses. When Marty was transferred to Lakewood, he fell in love with the residents and the Lakewood community, and he decided to make his transfer permanent. Marty is a true sports fan, enjoys the outdoors, his dog Sammy, and spending precious time with his family.