Our Board
Chair
Rev. Nathan Robinson is the pastor of Emanuel Lutheran Church in Woodstock, Va. He holds a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from Boston University School of Theology. Pastor Robinson's accomplishments have been in the oversight of expanding faith, attendance, and programs while at Emanuel. He has served as treasurer to the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and was also named Citizen of the Year for Woodstock by the Chamber. Within the life of the Virginia Synod, Pastor Robinson has served on the committee of discipline for the Virginia Synod, as well as chosen as a representative to be trained in mission redevelopment for the Virginia Synod. He currently serves as a member of the Virginia Synod's Stewardship Table. In addition to his passion for family and the church, you may find him in his "free time" on the golf course. He and his wife Kylene reside in Woodstock and have one daughter.
Immediate Past Chair
Dr. Carlson is currently the Director of Advanced Practice Clinician Services for Valley Health System in Winchester, Virginia. This position is a lead administrative position serving the needs of the Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) and Physician Assistants (PA) that work for Valley Health. She is also an adjunct associate professor in the Division of Physician Assistant Studies at Shenandoah University, where she was the former Program Director and full-time faculty member. She joined The Village at Orchard Ridge Board of Directors in 2015 bringing with her a wealth of experience in the medical and health care industry.
Dr. Carlson is very active in her field attending and presenting at annual medical conferences and forums throughout the United States. She is a member of the Physician Assistant Education Association, American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Virginia Academy of Physician Assistants where she has chaired and served on several committees. She currently serves as a site visitor for the Accreditation Review Commission on the Education of Physician Assistants. Dr. Carlson is a published and collaborative author of the Lange Q & A for the Physician Assistant.
In addition, Dr. Carlson has extensive volunteer experience with her church association, youth sports teams, and gives her time to provide needed medical care to the underserved populations in the Winchester area through free sports physicals, as well as on medical mission trips to Leon, Nicaragua. She also serves the Virginia Board of Medicine as a member, and former Chair, of the Physician Assistant Advisory Board and board member for Valley Physician Enterprise.
Dr. Carlson received her Ed.D from Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; MSBS from The University of Toledo; and B.S. in Environmental Resource Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.
Board Member
Matthew S. Akers is a founding partner of McCarthy & Akers, PLC, where his practice focuses on civil and commercial litigation, appellate law, construction law, contracts, and real estate, including planning and land use, and zoning. He also serves as the Town Attorney for the Town of Mount Jackson and is the general counsel to many non-profit and for-profit organizations.
Mr. Akers received his J.D. from the Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he served as Executive Solicitations Editor of the Ave Maria Law Review. After graduation from law school, Mr. Akers clerked for the Honorable James L. Ryan, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, where he majored in Philosophy with minors in Economics and Theology.
Mr. Akers has recently served as Vice President and Board Member of the New Eve Maternity Home and on the Board of the Adult Care Center of the Northern Shenandoah Valley. He currently serves as a member of the Finance Committee of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and as Board Member of the Istituto del Sacro Cuore.
President & CEO, National Lutheran Communities & Services
Larry Bradshaw joined National Lutheran Communities & Services (NLCS) in October of 2009 as President & CEO. He brings more than 30 years of experience in the not-for-profit senior living industry. From 1987-2006, he was Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President for Strategic Growth with Asbury Communities, a not-for-profit, multi-site, senior living organization. In 2006, Larry took on the role of President for Asbury’s for-profit company, The Asbury Group, offering consulting services to other Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). Larry was also the principal of Bradshaw Insights Group, providing consulting services to CCRCs in everything from strategic planning and board development to financial analysis and capital structure development.
As the President & CEO at NLCS, Larry’s focus is strategically growing and furthering the organization’s 126-year mission and ministry of providing lifestyle, residential and health care options for seniors. He leads a team of dedicated professionals whose collective goal is to meet the ever-changing needs of seniors, while providing excellent care and innovative services that preserve seniors’ independence and dignity. Under his leadership, NLCS has become a multi-site organization offering a wide range of services including home health care and community clinics.
Larry is an active member of LeadingAge and LeadingAge Maryland, has served as a CCAC (now CARF) Commissioner, and as Chair of CCAC’s Financial Advisory Panel. He is a frequent presenter at numerous national meetings, including LeadingAge, the National Investment Conference, and Ziegler’s Senior Living CFO Workshop.
Larry has a B.S. in Accounting from Emporia State University and an M.B.A. in Technology Management from The University of Phoenix.
Board Member
Jennifer Macks joins The Village at Orchard Ridge's Board of Directors in 2017, bringing a wealth of experience in executive level leadership and involvement in community boards.
A high achiever construction operations leader with over 23 years’ experience in all aspects of project delivery; specializes in planning and execution of projects utilizing combination of analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
Known as an innovative problem solver, Mrs. Macks was previously Vice President at Howard Shockey & Sons and Skanska USA Building, where she led sales, pre-construction and construction efforts. Prior to that, she was with Barton Malow Company, dedicated to building hospitals.
Her community activities have included service to her children’s’ schools, as well as to her alma mater, the University of Michigan. She served as President of the University of Michigan Civil Engineering Friends & Alumni Association, Chapter President of a Corporate Toastmasters chapter, and President of the PTA.
She is the recipient of the University of Michigan Alumni Society Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Society Medal, Professional Women in Construction Women of Achievement – Construction Operations award, and the University of Michigan College of Engineering Recent Engineering Graduate Award.
Mrs. Macks is a licensed Professional Engineer and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional. She holds a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. degree with High Honors from Wayne State University.
Board Member
Catherine R. Philips (Cathy) is a Community and Civic Leader who currently serves as the Education Chair of the Winchester Medical Center Auxiliary Board while, at the same time, is a member of the Junior Century Club and the Little Garden Club of Winchester. Previously, Ms. Philips has held numerous officer, board and committee member positions with Quota International of Winchester, Chatmoss Country Club, Piedmont Arts, The Martinsville Garden Club, First United Church, the Macon (Ga.) Symphony Orchestra and the Oxford College of Emory University.
Ms. Philips received her Masters of Social Work from the University of Georgia in 1987 and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Emory University in 1985. Ms. Philips also earned an Associate of Arts degree from the Oxford College of Emory University in 1983.
Ms. Philips had significant prior professional experience as a Renal Social Worker and Clinical Social Worker at Riverside Health System and Riverside Rehabilitation Institute in Newport News, Va., respectively; as a Clinical Social Worker for the Inpatient Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program at the Hampton VA Medical Center; and as a Clinical Social Worker at the VA Medical Center in Atlanta, Ga.
Board Member
As a longtime resident of Winchester, Dr. Lisa Zerull joined The Village at Orchard Ridge's Board of Directors in 2016, combining her passion for holistic older adult care with knowledge of nursing and community. Dr. Zerull is the director of spiritual care services and youth healthcare career exploration as well as the academic liaison at Valley Health System in Winchester, Va. She also serves as adjunct faculty for the School of Nursing at Shenandoah University teaching courses in nursing fundamentals and faith community nursing.
Dr. Zerull’s many years of Girl/Boy Scouting leadership experience with her boy/girl twins sparked the creation of several youth health care career exploration programs such as Camp WMC and Come Explore the Health Professions. All result in early recruitment to Valley Health as one of the largest employers in the Shenandoah Valley. In support of youth education, she also partners with regional public schools to promote career and technical education focused on health and medical sciences.
Dr. Zerull’s professional scholarship is ongoing and varied. Since 1996, she has volunteered as a board certified and part-time faith community nurse at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). She is the editor of Perspectives—a newsletter by, for, and about faith community nursing, a publication of the Church Health Center and Westberg Institute for faith community nursing in Memphis, Tenn. In addition to multiple published manuscripts, her recent book chapter on the community nurse role of the faith community nurse appears in the widely used 9th edition of Public Health Nursing edited by Marcia Stanhope and Jeannette Lancaster (2015). Dr. Zerull serves on the regional nursing school advisory boards for Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, Lord Fairfax Community College, and the universities of Shepherd, Shenandoah, Eastern Mennonite and James Madison.
A frequent presenter at local, national, and international conferences, Dr. Zerull was invited by the University of Virginia Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry to present a living history of the Baltimore Lutheran Deaconesses 1893–1897 in Kaiserswerth, Germany (2015). She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville; M.S. in Nursing from George Mason University; and B.S. in Nursing from The Ohio State University.
Although an empty nester at home, Dr. Zerull continues to serve the local Boy Scout council by coordinating annual physicals in partnership with the Shenandoah University physician assistant program, promoting high adventure, and conducting Eagle Scout Board of Reviews. An avid outdoors person she enjoys hiking, camping, and gardening with her husband Dr. David Zerull, professor of music education at Shenandoah University.
