Like healthcare real estate, senior housing has been on its own roller coaster since the pandemic began and it too has overcome the upheaval to head for better times. Fundamentals are improving and investment is giving this asset class a second and third look. The men and women who manage and cut deals in this sector have done an admirable job in not only surviving the worst of the pandemic, but also spotting the opportunities that have arisen in recent months. As always, we have selected the people who made a difference in this space over the past twelve months. We trust you will agree with us as you read their stories.

INDIVIDUALS

TONY CASSIE Tony Cassie approaches every complex senior housing project with tenacity and curiosity. Cassie has been a managing director at Walker & Dunlop for eight years and he is responsible for the sale and disposition of senior housing assets throughout the U.S. with a focus on the Western region. Cassie brings 16 years of brokerage advisory experience to the company and has closed more than 400 transactions totaling more than $1 billion in transaction volume throughout his career. His achievements last year contributed to Walker & Dunlop earning the Mortgage Bankers Association recognition as the nation's top multifamily lender in 2020; a year in which the firm closed nearly $600 million in skilled nursing, healthcare and senior housing transactions. Thanks to his diverse professional background, Cassie has a deep understanding of how to streamline operations, advise on strategy and management and implement technology within the healthcare and senior housing industry. Before joining Walker & Dunlop, he worked as first VP at Marcus & Millichap, where he served as a top agent in the Portland office every year. Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, Cassie and his team at Walker & Dunlop were able to complete a large number of sales and debt assignments during 2020. His team's primary goal was to support owners and operators, help preserve safety protocols and ensure that facilities remained open and productive. Cassie is a member of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and he sits on the executive board of the American Seniors Housing Association.

JACK CUMMING Jack Cumming, a research director for the National Continuing Care Residents Association (NaCCRA), believes that the senior housing sector is essential to America's response to an aging population. In addition to serving as research director, Cumming serves as an actuary, for which he analyzes the financial strength of continuing care retirement communities. Cumming holds more than 10 years of experience in the industry, including more than five years in his current role. He has become active in senior housing since moving into a continuing care retirement community in 2006. In 2012 he qualified to become a Certified Aging Services professional through the University of North Texas. He serves as a frequent author and is knowledgeable about senior living resident interests, the tax aspects of facility financing, actuarial risks and the disclosure aspects involved with marketing. As a long-time CCRC resident, Cumming gained first-hand experience regarding what works and what doesn't when dealing with the pandemic. He provides widely-read analyses of management-resident relationships, particularly related to COVID-19 restrictions during the past 18 months. Cumming originally studied European civilization at Princeton University in the 1950s before joining New York Life Insurance Co. as a sales agent and later an underwriter. He worked for Coopers & Lybrand, the Equitable Life Assurance Society, Home Life Insurance Co., Penn Corp. Financial and as a consultant before joining NaCCRA.