Westminster Canterbury Richmond names new president and CEO

Burns succeeds Donald D. Lecky, who announced in October his intention to retire in 2015 after serving more than 14 years as president and chief executive officer of the retirement community.

Burns most recently had been the chief operating officer for Presbyterian Homes, a multi-site system of three continuing-care retirement communities in Evanston, Ill. Presbyterian Homes serves more than 1,600 residents and generates annual revenue of approximately $115 million.

He previously was vice president and executive director of Westminster Place of Presbyterian Homes, one of the three continuing-care retirement communities.

Before that, he was chief operating officer with Columbia County Health System in the state of Washington, which included a critical-access hospital and a 48-bed skilled nursing facility. He also held leadership positions at Centura Health in Denver, where he began his career as an occupational therapy assistant.

“John brings an excellent balance of expertise in understanding the complexities of large and progressive communities,” Mark Gordon, CEO of Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center and chair of Westminster Canterbury’s board, said in a statement.

Burns could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

He received his undergraduate degree in business administration from Colorado State University and a master of business administration from the University of Colorado.

Burns joins Westminster Canterbury after years of explosive growth under Lecky’s leadership since 2000. For instance, the community doubled its physical infrastructure and increased its resident base from about 600 residents to about 900 residents, while also adding about 100 new employees.

The retirement community, founded in 1971 by the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches, opened in 1975. Its campus is off Westbrook Avenue straddling the city of Richmond and Henrico County line.

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