LeadingAge Tennessee Board of Directors

Kirkland A. Mason

CEO, Stones River Manor

Kirkland A. Mason has served as the Administrator, CEO and Chairman of the Board, at Stones River Manor, Inc., a not-for-profit senior living community in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He has served as the CEO since being elected to that office in May of 2006. Stones River Manor was Rutherford County’s first Home for the Aged, and is still the county’s only faith-based, nonprofit senior living community. Now a full-service continuing care campus, Stones River provides independent living, assisted living care, long-term care, rehab and skilled nursing care, as well as adult day care services. The Manor was also the first assisted living community in Tennessee to be licensed in Alzheimer’s and dementia care with their Assured Care Center. Mr. Mason’s service in the senior care industry has been like a second career for him, having worked in the contracting trades since his teen years. He spent more than thirty years in commercial contracting before selling his company in 2006 while serving as board chairman at Stones River. He assumed the role of CEO at that time and has continued in that position to this day.

He began his board service with LeadingAge Tennessee in 2008, when the association was known as the Tennessee Association of Homes & Services for the Aging. He has served as chairman of the board and board secretary as well as having chaired numerous committees including governance, education and legislative affairs.

His education at the collegiate level was in architecture and engineering, but later received post graduate certifications in nonprofit governance and finance from Harvard Kennedy School. Mr. Mason was appointed as Governor Bill Lee’s representative to the Tennessee Alzheimer’s Advisory Council in 2018 and continues in that role to this day.

He was assistant chief and director of operations for the Christiana Volunteer Fire Department for about thirteen years and received certifications as a Hazardous Materials Specialist and Emergency Medical Technician as well as having earned numerous certifications in firefighting operations. He was named Rutherford County’s Volunteer Fireman of the Year in 1992.

Kirk has served in church leadership throughout his adult life and as a bible teacher since the age of 21. He was appointed as a deacon at age 28 and began his service in the eldership at age 48 at Mars Hill Church of Christ in south Rutherford County where he and his family have been members since 1987. Kirk is the father of one daughter, Jennifer, one son, Jonathan, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Kirk’s wife, Cindy, was a former nurse turned interior designer, and held her license in interior design for more than 32 years. She specialized in healthcare and senior living design and provided design services for Stones River Manor through their vast expansion projects over the past twenty plus years. She recently passed away on January 30, 2024. Cindy and Kirk were married for 54 years.

Brian Barnes

President/CEO, Blakeford Senior Life

Brian Barnes has more than 20 years of senior leadership experience in finance and operations of not-for-profit senior living and healthcare organizations. Mr. Barnes’ experience includes managing the full continuum of senior living care including independent living, assisted living, memory care, and long-term skilled nursing care. Since 2018, Mr. Barnes has served as the President/CEO of Blakeford Senior Life.

Prior to joining Blakeford, Mr. Barnes served as the CFO/COO for Legacy Senior Communities. His background includes new campus development, campus repositioning, merger and acquisition transactions, and financing and operating HUD low-income senior living properties. Mr. Barnes has also launched and managed home and community-based services including home health and hospice. Mr. Barnes’ professional work is focused on providing the highest quality care for older adults both in a campus setting and in the greater community, managing efficient operations to create financially strong organizations with sustainable care models, and providing older adults the necessary tools to effectively navigate the complicated healthcare system.

In addition to his senior living experience, Mr. Barnes spent six years with Ernst & Young’s Business Advisory Group and completed numerous acquisitions and private equity financing transactions in the food service and technology industries. In 2023 Mr. Barnes served on the state of Tennessee’s Health Care Task Force and is currently on the Board of LeadingAge Tennessee. Mr. Barnes holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Texas Tech University and is a licensed CPA in the state of Texas. He also completed from the Long-Term Care Administrator program through St. Joseph’s College of Maine.

Mike Craft

CEO, The Village at Germantown

Mike Craft began his career with Arthur Andersen & Co, an international CPA firm, where he served as Senior Manager in Audit & Business Advisory Services. He then spent nearly twenty years as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Peabody Hotel Group, a collection of upscale hotels. He has enjoyed the transition to senior living and has found the calling to be highly compatible with his personal interests of serving seniors. Mike received a BS degree from Arkansas State University and an MBA degree from The University of Memphis. He is a member of the City of Germantown Mayor’s CEO Council, as well as LeadingAge TN, the American Institute of CPAs, and the Tennessee Society of CPAs. Always striving to give back to his business community, Mike is former Chairman of the Finance Committee of The American Hotel and Lodging Association and board member of The Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals Association.

Mike, his wife Holly, and their canine daughter, Lexie, live in East Memphis. Holly is retired from the practice of law. They have two adult children who live in Chicago and Denver. Mike and Holly are active members of Kirby Woods Baptist Church in Memphis, where Mike serves as Trustee and Chairman of the Finance Committee.

Rick Borofski

CEO, Mary, Queen of Angels

Mr. Borofski is a seasoned senior healthcare executive. He has more than 25 years’ experience in executive leadership roles in national health systems and regional integrated health systems. He has a passion for leading organizations with a focus on growing and maximizing opportunities to increase market share.

He brings a diversity of experience and thought relevant to navigating the ever-changing healthcare environment, allowing him to not only position organizations for success but to enable them to thrive amidst uncertain times. Having held senior executive roles in integrated health systems and management consulting in all areas of senior living, he brings a unique perspective, combining insight and experience from almost all aspects of today’s complex healthcare system. As the healthcare industry is transforming into a value-based economy, his diverse experience and track record of linking operations to strategy across the continuum of care has set him apart from the traditional healthcare executive.

Mr. Borofski’s commitment extends to the community as well. He has served as a board of director of a local catholic school, creating a strategy for the future and ensuring equality and access to education for those that have been marginalized by society. Coaching youth baseball enabled him to share his valuable experience regarding teamwork and winning with humility. Mr. Borofski has a BS from Wilkes University and a MSEH from East Tennessee State University. He and his family currently reside in Franklin, TN. As a family, the Borofski’s enjoy travel, experiencing the diversity of culture, thought and similarity of values throughout the world. Mr. Borofski is an avid fly fisherman, travelling the United States, enjoying the camaraderie as well as the artistry of the sport.

Tim Buist

Chief Strategy & Implementation Officer, HutsonWood

Mr. Buist joined HutsonWood in July 2023 as its Chief Strategic and Implementation Officer.  Prior to joining HutsonWood, he has worked in not-for-profit senior living finance and operations since 2006.  Mr. Buist has been active throughout his career in successful mergers, acquisitions, growth, and expansion initiatives, in Michigan, Florida, and North Carolina.  As Chief Financial Officer, he has helped develop, finance, and refinance multiple projects, including a $63 million expansion at Moorings Park, Naples, Florida, the $150 million development of Moorings Park at Grey Oaks, the $65 million campus healthcare expansion at SantaFe Senior Living in Cutler Bay, Florida, and $120 million HUD refinancing at SantaFe Senior Living, Gainesville, Florida.  Operationally he has developed and led strategic initiatives in marketing, sales, healthcare operations, and finance to improve operating results and resident outcomes and satisfaction.  An active member of LeadingAge since 2006, Mr. Buist has been board chair of the Michigan Living Disclosure Act Committee, member of the LeadingAge Florida Advocacy in Action program, speaker at the Leadership Academy of North Carolina, and is part of the first Tennessee Leadership Academy beginning in 2024.  He received his BBA from Western Michigan University, and an EMBA from Florida Gulf Coast University.

Jon Tagatz

Executive Director, The Heritage at Brentwood

Jon Tagatz is the Executive Director of The Heritage at Brentwood, located in Brentwood, Tennessee. He has been employed by Life Care Services since January 1996. He is a licensed nursing home administrator in the States of Tennessee, Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Jon received his Bachelor of Science degree in health care administration from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire in 1986.

He served as the administrator of a city owned nursing home before joining a non-profit religious based organization in Rochester, Minnesota, where he held the position of administrator for several years. He began his career in life plan community leadership in 1996 when he became the administrator of Sandhill Cove located in Palm City, Florida. He was later named executive director in 1999. He continued his leadership role at Sandhill Cove until 2006 when he transferred to The Heritage at Brentwood. Jon was promoted to Corporate Operations Director in 2014. In this role he provides support to other executive directors within Life Care Services, as well as serving in an advisory role for various construction projects.