National Center for Assisted Living is pleased to announce that its Executive Director David Kyllo has been elected chair of the Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL) for 2008. CEAL board members elected its national officers today.

“I am honored to be elected chair of the Center for Excellence in Assisted Living and look forward to advancing this group’s important goal to sustain quality efforts in assisted living,” said David Kyllo, NCAL executive director.

Some of the priorities Kyllo has identified for CEAL in 2008 include:

1. working with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality on its consumer disclosure initiative for assisted living;
2. holding a successful Medication Administration Summit in January that produces a useful white paper for assisted living professionals; and
3. advancing the issue of affordability in assisted living forward.

CEAL is a non-profit collaborative comprised of 11 national stakeholder organizations that work together to promote high-quality assisted living and affordability in assisted living through research, policy, and evidence-based quality practices.

The CEAL board consists of representatives from AARP, Alzheimer’s Association, American Assisted Living Nurses Association, American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, American Seniors Housing Association, Assisted Living Federation of America, Consumer Consortium on Assisted Living, National Center for Assisted Living, NCB Development Corporation, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Pioneer Network.

Prior to becoming CEAL chair, Kyllo was CEAL’s treasurer and was a steering committee member of the Assisted Living Workgroup, which recommended that CEAL be established. Kyllo has been with NCAL and the American Health Care Association for 13 years. As executive director of NCAL, he frequently lectures on assisted living and long term care issues across the country. His 24-year career in government, regulatory, and public affairs in Washington, D.C. includes working for two White House Administrations, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate.