OUR LEADERSHIP

Cyndi Walters was named president and chief executive officer (CEO) of National Lutheran Communities and Services (NLCS) in May 2021, assuming the position full time in August 2021. Prior to this role, she served as chief operating officer (COO) since 2016.

Cyndi has served at NLCS in varying capacities for nine years; first as a consultant before joining as chief operating officer in 2016. Cumulatively, Walters has over 30 years of experience in the senior living industry including a strong background in strategically growing and diversifying the organization and an enhanced focus on operating as a senior-living system and leveraging its benefits and efficiencies. Prior to joining NLCS, she provided project management and advisory services to senior living organizations through Walters Advisors, LLC. She has also served in a leadership role at Presbyterian Senior Living in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, and during her 19 years at KPMG (a global network of professional firms providing audit, tax and advisory services), spent significant time as a partner and leader of their National Senior Living Advisory Practice.

As president and CEO, Cyndi’s focus is strategically growing and furthering NLCS’ mission to honor, inspire and support choice and opportunity in partnership with older adults. Cyndi is an advocate for “aging with choice,” which means supporting older adults in making their own choices in aging, whether it means moving to a senior living community or bringing in supportive services to their home. She is also an advocate for team members across the organization and leads a team dedicated to ensuring NLCS remains a Great Place to Work® and an employer of choice for those who have a heart to serve older adults.

Cyndi is a native of the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from York College of Pennsylvania.

Rev. Wertz, M.Div. is called to be the director for evangelical mission and an assistant to the bishop of the Virginia Synod. He serves on the Board of Trustees as the designee of the Bishop of the Virginia Synod, ELCA.

In his ministry with the Virginia Synod, Rev. Wertz supports congregations who are seeking to strengthen their overall health and vitality. He consults with congregations on planning and stewardship, and he also oversees new ministry starts for the Synod.

Prior to joining the Virginia Synod staff, Rev. Wertz served as the pastor of St. Michael Lutheran Church in Blacksburg, Virginia (2004-2018) and as the pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Walterboro, South Carolina (1997-2004). He graduated from the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina in 1997.

Michael Brady currently serves as the president and chief executive officer of Hospice of the Chesapeake. He joined the organization in December 2017 as the chief financial officer. Brady leads all aspects of the organization with a focus on providing the highest quality care and experience for clients and their families. He is also responsible for the implementation of the strategic plan, fundraising and shares the responsibility of effecting cultural change within the Hospice of the Chesapeake team.

Brady joined Hospice of the Chesapeake after 19 years with National Lutheran Communities & Services (NLCS). During his tenure at NLCS, he managed the overall financial operations for an annual operating budget of more than $75 million.

He holds a Bachelor Degree in business administration from St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, New York and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Neel Vibhakar, MD, MBA, FACEP currently serves as senior vice president and chief medical officer of University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC). As chief medical officer, he is responsible for oversight of patient safety and quality, the physician enterprise and medical staff services. The patient safety and quality department includes performance improvement, data analytics, infection prevention, population health, utilization management and regulatory readiness. The physician enterprise is comprised of the UM BWMC’s Medical Group, Emergency Physicians and Heart Associates. Dr. Vibhakar has been with UM BWMC since 2004 after completing his residency in emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Prior to becoming the chief medical officer in 2015, Dr. Vibhakar served as the chairman of the emergency department from 2009 through 2015. He completed his undergraduate studies in biological sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, his medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania-Hahnemann University School of Medicine and an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Paula Thistle is a dedicated chaplain currently serving at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church in Annapolis, Maryland.

Before her current position, Paula served as a chaplain at Johns Hopkins Medicine, where she provided comfort and guidance to patients, families, and staff for nearly a decade until her retirement in 2024.

Paula's journey into ministry began with her educational pursuits earning a Bachelor of Business Administration from Averett University. She furthered her studies at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, where she engaged in ministerial studies, honing her skills and deepening her understanding of theology and pastoral care.

She serves as the Healthy Leaders Chaplain of the Central Cluster for the Delaware-Maryland Synod.