Meet Our Team

Herb has experience in all aspects of eldercare management during his over 50-year career as a nursing home owner-administrator and an assisted living residence developer, manager and owner. He was Vice President of Mega Care, Inc., a multi-institutional healthcare organization, where he was directly responsible for management and coordination of long-term care. Herb was the founder of the New Jersey Post Acute Network (NJPAN) and a principal in several nursing homes with sub acute units throughout New Jersey.

He served as President of the New Jersey Assisted Living Association (NJALA). He is a former board member of the Alzheimer’s Association of New Jersey. Some special achievements include creation of the first supportive housing for developmentally disabled residents, first to computerize nursing home and assisted living functions; created the only assisted living with a behavioral unit in NJ. Herb received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Queens College.

Mr. Bernier is responsible for overseeing the operations management of the company’s assisted living residences. A Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, he has served as a consultant for various assisted living operations. Roger previously served as an Assisted Living Residence Executive Director for the company. Before joining Chelsea, he was the Director of Quality Improvement and the Director of Food and Nutrition Services at Inglemoor Care Center of Livingston in New Jersey. Mr. Bernier has 25 years of long term care directorship experience. He sits on the boards of the National Center for Assisted Living and the Health Care Association of New Jersey, and chairs various industry committees on the state and national levels. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Johnson & Wales University and his MBA from Monmouth College.

Kathy is the Chief Financial Officer for Chelsea Senior Living. She leads the financial strategy and helps lead the overall management of the company.

In her role, she is responsible for budling a sustainable and profitable long-term growth plan, allocating capital to maximize value creation, managing risk for the entire company, overseeing the utilization and effectiveness of applied systems, and forecasting the company’s finances for short-term and long-term success.

Kathy joined Chelsea Senior Living in her current position in 2023 and has proved vital in transforming processes and creating efficiencies across the organization.

Prior to this role, she was the Chief Financial Officer for Matheny Medical and Educational Center. Before that, she was the Senior Account Manager for Baker Tilly.

She currently serves as President of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA).

Kathy is a 2023 NJBiz Leaders in Finance award recipient, on the 2023 ROI Influencers Power List, and has been on the NJBiz Accounting Power 50 list for two straight years from 2021-22.

Additionally, she has been appointed to the Governor’s Independent Developmental Disability Fee for Service Transition Oversight Board, which she served from 2018-22, and appointed to the Governor’s Independent Mental Health & Addiction Fee for Service Transition Oversight Board, which she also served from 2018-22.

Kathy received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Thomas Edison State College. In her free time, she enjoys the beach, listening to financial podcasts, reading (a lot), and spending time with her husband and two daughters.

Justin supports and builds all sales initiatives at Chelsea Senior Living including reinforcing, training, and managing the technical, strategic, and fundamental aspects of the process.

“A love to serve others” is the inspiration behind Justin’s work.

He has been working at Chelsea since he was a teenager starting at The Chelsea at Bald Eagle as dietary support. His passion for senior care grew and he was soon elevated to various positions throughout the community.

He led the sales and marketing efforts at Bald Eagle for several years and consistently filled occupancy. He became a mentor to many colleagues at Bald Eagle and at other Chelsea communities.

In addition to being a worship pastor at a local church in West Milford where he grew up, Justin spends his spare time with family and friends, singing, playing piano, and playing basketball.

Ms. Schaffer is responsible for overall management of financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting and planning, systems management and internal control. Ms. Schaffer’s professional career encompasses nearly 30 years of experience in senior housing and healthcare, with her previous employment including Continental Health Affiliates where she was Director of Finance of their long term care division, and Touche Ross & Co., where she was a Senior Manager specializing in healthcare. Ms. Schaffer earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Brooklyn College and is a certified public accountant.

Kelly joins Chelsea with 20 years of experience in senior housing. She has served in various capacities, in both operations and sales, and has spent the majority of her time as a senior sales leader supporting teams across the industry. She is born and raised in New Jersey and has helped to support markets in NJ, CT, NY, PA, VA, WV, NC and DE. Kelly and her husband are proud parents of a blended family with four children who all participate in a multitude of sports, loving and laughing with family, and getting in as much beach time as possible. She is honored to work in a position that can positively impact the lives of seniors and their families.

Ms. Merkel came to Chelsea after four years as a Senior Human Resources Partner at Advanced Health Media of Bridgewater, NJ. She gained early experience in assisted living working in the dining room at Leisure Park in Lakewood, NJ, during and after high school and as administrator at the former Marriott assisted living facility in Mountainside, NJ, now operated by Sunrise. As Director of Human Resources, Kathy oversees benefits, policies and work rules for all Chelsea and Mt. Bethel Village employees. She earned her BA from West Virginia University and her MA from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Mr. Baeszler is responsible for Chelsea’s information systems and technology. He possesses more than 30 years’ experience in long term healthcare information services, reimbursement and management. In his previous role as Director of Business Information for Hospicomm Inc of Philadelphia, he planned, organized and directed activities including the development, implementation, operation, analysis and support of integrated business information systems and related hardware, software, databases and applications.

Ms. Banta came to Chelsea Senior Living in March, 2014 with more than 40 years of diverse experience in healthcare and research settings. She provides nursing oversight to Chelsea communities in New York and New Jersey and is the clinical informatics specialist for the company. Ms. Banta has served on the New York State Department of Health Assisted Living Residence (ALR) workgroup. Currently, she is involved in several clinical practice committees with the Health Care Association of New Jersey, and the New York State Health Facilities Association. Ms. Banta holds an MA in Health Advocacy from Sarah Lawrence and a BSN from the College of Mount Saint Vincent.

When her grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Ms. Scalzo gained a deep perspective into an area of life that she had not been previously exposed to. As she learned more about Alzheimer’s and dementia, she was motivated to change careers from radio and event planning to the senior care industry. She began her career in therapeutic recreation. Her leadership abilities and compassion helped elevate her through the ranks at Chelsea Senior Living, most recently as Executive Director of The Chelsea at Warren where she was privileged to work with a staff known for its longevity. A Certified Assisted Living Administrator (CALA) and Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), Ms. Scalzo has a strong mandate to ensure that our residents feel a sense of belonging, love and support. Her goal is to help each resident call the Chelsea their home, not merely a place to stay. It’s also important that her staff is valued and supported in the roles they play within the community.

Mr. Yaeger is a Chelsea success story, starting out as a summer intern where he demonstrated a keen interest in healthcare. Upon showing his passion for our work and leadership skills, he went directly from being an intern to training as an Executive Director. His most recent assignment before being promoted to Regional Director was as Executive Director of The Chelsea at Solana Marlboro. He earned his MBA at Monmouth University and is a Certified Assisted Living Administrator (CALA). Dedication and commitment are the best words to describe to Mr. Yaeger. No problem is too small or too big. He approaches management with patience and compassion.

Linda is a thirteen year veteran of Chelsea Senior Living. During that time, she has always equated her passion for fulfilling her civic duty with giving back to our seniors. She believes her role allows her to enjoy the best of both worlds of sales and social interaction and while it is challenging, it is a rewarding and fabulous profession.

Linda prides herself on finding ways to make a difference in our residents’ lives every day. She understands the challenges that come with choosing a home for a loved one, that it is one of the most difficult, confusing and overwhelming processes one can be involved in. She estimates she has helped over 900 families from the very first emotional phone call to move-in day and beyond.

“The classic décor and stylish suites truly set us apart,” says Linda, “but as always, it is the Chelsea care and staff that make all the difference.”

Linda is a Certified Assisted Living Administrator (CALA).