Our Team
At MorningStar, we seek to honor and elevate you, recognizing your unalterable God-given value. We want to celebrate your wealth of experience and rich history, and we work to design days that empower you to live with ease and enthusiasm.
You can trust our conviction in this far more when you know the people behind MorningStar, whose talents have been at work in the senior living industry for decades.
Kenneth B. Jaeger
Founder/Chief Executive Officer
Kjaeger@morningstarseniorliving.com
For over 20 years our founder and CEO, Ken Jaeger, has exhibited a heart and talent for serving seniors. Ken’s experience covers the full spectrum of senior living operations and management, including successful start-ups, acquisitions, turnarounds of distressed properties and multi-site leadership. Ken has a proven track record of assembling and mentoring teams to profitability, while always providing the highest quality care.
Prior to founding MorningStar, Ken acted as a consultant and manager for several premier senior housing operators, including Aegis Senior Living, Integral Senior Living, and Alterra Senior Living for which he operated up to 50 properties concurrently with revenues exceeding $100 million. From 1998-2002, he served as Vice President of Operations for the western division of Sunrise Senior Living where he was responsible for opening 17 new homes in Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. Prior to joining Sunrise, Ken spent over 10 years as an executive director for skilled nursing, assisted living and independent living communities throughout Colorado.
Ken received a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health Care from the University of Minnesota at Moorhead.
Ken is actively involved in community and mission organizations. He served for eight years as a volunteer counselor in a downtown Denver homeless shelter, and he frequently volunteers his time building homes for the poor in Mexico, Nicaragua and various African countries.
Ken lives in Denver with his wife, Shanna, and their three children.
Matthew T. Turner
Chief Financial Officer
mturner@morningstarseniorliving.com
Matt Turner joined MorningStar in 2009 as Chief Financial Officer. Matt brings to our company 10 years of experience in finance, accounting and real estate investment and development, including sourcing or participating in over $3 billion of acquisitions, dispositions and developments across multiple property types.
Prior to joining MorningStar, Matt served as Vice President of Finance for MacKenzie House, a Denver-based real estate development firm, where he was responsible for managing feasibility analysis for all new opportunities, transaction structuring and financing, corporate strategy, asset management and investor relations. Before joining MacKenzie House, he spent several years in investment and corporate finance positions with Black Creek Capital, a Denver-based real estate private equity firm. Matt began his financial career with tax strategy and compliance work for corporate clients at Deloitte & Touche and Arthur Andersen.
Matt is a certified public accountant (inactive) and received a Bachelor of Science degree with majors in accounting and business management from Samford University. He also completed graduate studies in accounting at the University of Hawaii School of Business.
In addition to his involvement in several nonprofits, Matt is a member of the Urban Land Institute, and a graduate of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation’s Leadership Denver program and a past member of its finance committee.
Marilyn K. Hammerschmidt, RN, BSN
Vice President of Health Care Services
mhammerschmidt@morningstarseniorliving.com
Marilyn Hammerschmidt brings 42 years of nursing and management experience to MorningStar. For the past 25 years Marilyn has been in active management for hospitals, home health and senior living communities around the country. Marilyn is an expert in mentoring her health care teams in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect.
Marilyn joined MorningStar in 2009 after eight years as Regional Director of Clinical and Resident Services for Brookdale Senior Living, where she supervised the nursing operations for 23 assisted living communities in Colorado, Nevada and Arizona.
Prior to joining Brookdale she served as Director of Nurses for the Christian Living Campus at the Johnson Center in Denver, CO. Under her leadership, the community earned its first deficiency-free survey. Before the Johnson Center, Marilyn spent several years with Sunrise Senior Living, lastly as the Regional Director of Wellness for nine Sunrise communities in four states. From 1992 - 1997 she worked as Director of Nurses for Lakewood Meridian Retirement Center, a 174-bed senior living community in Lakewood, CO. Marilyn began her nursing career in Ohio and Kansas as a nurse trainer, neuro-surgical charge nurse and a nurse in pediatrics, geriatrics and orthopedics.
Marilyn graduated from Dominican School of Nursing in Kansas before earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from St. Mary of the Plains College. She also holds a Holistic Nursing certificate from Red Rocks Community College.
Marilyn and her husband, Harold, have two grown sons.
Kathleen N. Yoho
Senior Sales and Marketing Director
kyoho@morningstarseniorliving.com
Katie Yoho has spent over 10 years investing in quality relationships with seniors and their families through various roles in rehabilitation, occupational therapy and medical sales and marketing. Katie manages all marketing efforts for the Company and is actively involved in the opening of all new MorningStar communities.
Katie began her career with MorningStar in 2006 as Marketing Director for MorningStar Littleton. This award-winning community reached 100% occupancy in less than one year as a result of the successful marketing efforts of Katie and her team. She also led the successful opening of MorningStar Applewood and Cranbrook Senior Living Greenwood Village.
Katie received a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology from West Liberty University. She enjoys exploring the great state of Colorado with husband, Doron.
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