Our commitment to serving residents and their families starts at the top. With hands-on experience paired with genuine compassion, our leaders nurture a thriving Lakeshore community that includes a growing number of team members who share a meaningful pursuit. Get to know the leaders behind our daily mission.
Executive Director
As our Executive Director, Kristy is responsible for overseeing campus operations while developing and implementing strategic plans for supporting the individuals and families we serve as well as the team members who take pride in our mission. The favorite part of her role is supporting the committed team of caregivers and staff members as they perform their incredible work to make a difference in the lives of our residents and their families. Originally from Kitchener, Ontario, Kristy joined Ecumen in 2025. She credits her mother, a Director of Care for a long-term care community in Canada, for inspiring her to pursue a leadership role with a senior living organization.
Kristy’s favorite local restaurant is Duluth Grill.
Away from work, Kristy can be found enjoying time with her family when she’s not getting in a run.
Senior Living Consultant
As our Senior Living Consultant, Jana is responsible for assisting individuals and their families as they search for a home and community that supports their needs. In her role, she enjoys being a part of a community that is full of amazing people, including team members, residents and volunteers, and she is often seen giving prospective residents a tour of our campus. Originally from Duluth, MN, Jana first became a member of our community as a volunteer with activities and events. In 2012, she joined our team as Activities Director, and her role has evolved over the years into her current position where she finds great joy in helping residents settle into their new home in our Lakeshore community.
Jana’s favorite local thing is the beautiful shore of Lake Superior. She loves looking for beach glass with her son and walking her dog on the Lakewalk. Together, they all agree a stop at the Portland Malt Shoppe is a must.
Away from work, Jana loves to be outside in the fresh air, where you’re most likely to see her walking her dog or biking.
Director of Nursing
As our Director of Nursing, Melissa’s primary responsibility is supporting the clinical team to ensure every caregiver has the knowledge, skills and resources for providing exceptional care to our residents and patients. She believes we all have valuable strengths and deserve to have an equal voice. An integral piece of a highly functioning team is recognizing those strengths and discovering ways to support and fuel them. In her role, making a difference in the lives of residents and team members brings her great joy. Collaborating with team members, her goal is to help the people we serve regain their individual baseline function after an illness or injury.
Originally from Sauk Rapids, MN, Melissa joined Ecumen in 2022 because she was drawn to the people in our Lakeshore community.
Melissa’s favorite local amenity involves her favorite thing to do—making the most of the green space during all four seasons. All it takes is the right gear and the right attitude, and she’s never disappointed.
Away from work, Melissa enjoys the endless entertainment of exercising her three labs. She also keeps an active lifestyle with biking, skiing, fly fishing, canoeing, and hiking. Her volunteer work includes: first responder skills instructor for Lutsen Mountain Ski Patrol, board member of a local youth biking organization called Duluth DEVO, building and maintaining mountain biking and hiking trails with Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores (COGGS) advocacy organization. And when she’s ready to be still for a moment of quiet time, Melissa is an avid reader with an insatiable curiosity about the world and the people in it.
People Services Director
As People Services Director at Lakeshore, Lisa is responsible for supporting our team members so they can honor each other and serve our residents and patients to the best of their abilities. Her responsibilities also include ensuring our team members have the ongoing training they need to provide quality care and services for a variety of disciplines required to make our campus successful. In her role, she most enjoys getting to know every team member, resident and their families across our campus. Originally from Coon Rapids, MN, Lisa moved to Duluth in 2020 and joined our Ecumen Lakeshore team after living in Madison, WI, for 25 years. At Lakeshore, she saw an opportunity to make an immediate impact by supporting our team members as they faced a global pandemic while also caring for a population of senior residents.
Lisa’s favorite local thing to do is take the Lakewalk—which she can access near her home or from the Lakeshore campus—to nearby Brighton Beach and skip stones in the summer and hear interesting sounds made by piles of ice shards in the winter.
Away from work, Lisa and her husband enjoy taking day trips further up the shore, catching a college hockey game (Go Bulldogs), supporting women’s sports, and working in the flower garden with her cat’s supervision.
Life Enrichment Director
As Life Enrichment Director at Lakeshore, Toni is responsible for organizing the events and activities for our four campus communities to address as many group and individual needs as possible. In her role, she’s accustomed to engaging one-on-one with residents and working on multiple projects at once. She acknowledges that our community has a great location with beautiful views, but to her the bonus of working or living here is the beauty and kindness of the people. Toni joined our Ecumen Lakeshore team in 2024, following 23 years at Sunnyside Health Care Center in Cloquet, MN. She credits her decision of choosing Lakeshore to feeling at home in our community.
Toni’s favorite local thing is Lake Superior and the multiple ways to take in its incredible view.
Away from work, Toni can be found with her family, exercising, gardening, and enjoying the outdoors as much as possible.
Clinical Director
As our Clinical Director, Julie is responsible for supporting the care team in our Assisted Living community to make sure they have the knowledge, skills, tools, and resources needed to provide quality, personalized care for our residents. In her role, she’s proud to be a mentor for young team members who are entering the workforce and learning the responsibilities of serving our residents with care, honor and respect. She also really enjoys engaging with residents, getting to know them as individuals, and hearing fascinating stories about their life experiences. Originally from Two Harbors, MN, Julie joined our Lakeshore team in 2021, attracted by our organization’s core values of Honor, Serve, Innovate, Empower.
Julie’s favorite local anything has always been Lake Superior. Having grown up on its shore has always been an honor for her, so she enjoys being on or near the lake taking in all of its wonder and beauty.
Away from work, Julie can be found enjoying time with her daughter and granddaughter.
