executive bios


		View the Touchstone Executive Bios press kit in PDF format. (Right Click > Save As) Executive Bios
Stan Studer, Jr. Chief Executive Officer		With an MBA from Texas A&M and a strong family history in the long-term care industry, Stan felt right at home following his father’s footsteps by founding the company now known as Touchstone Communities in 1991. Originally known as Care Inn Properties, Inc., this company’s first acquisition was the Brenham Rest Home in Brenham Texas. After 17 years and a mission to serve elders in rural and urban communities with a variety of services, Stan’s steadfast leadership has created a major difference. His solid knowledge and experience in acquisitions, finance, operations and marketing have helped Touchstone Communities grow to eight communities, four managed facilities and over 1100 team members in a relatively short time. Stan looks to guide Touchstone Communities to become the premier network of dynamic healthcare communities and services. With a love of seeing a complex plan come together, he’s sure to accomplish this goal of providing premier, compassionate care you can count on today and tomorrow.
Carl Fellbaum President		Carl brings financial acumen along with an extraordinary personable management style to his post as president of Touchstone Communities. With a strong background in public accounting, audit and tax work, Carl was the CFO and owner of a retail chain of 50 craft stores before joining Touchstone Communities as CFO and co-owner in 1997. Named president in 2004, Carl leads the astute corporate staff in the San Antonio “Community Support Office” with passion and a clear sense of direction. As Carl says himself, “It’s exciting being a part of a company with dedicated, fun and energized people who are committed to providing the best possible environment and care for each resident - all the while building a company that provides for the team members, their families and builds a legacy that will last for generations.”
Lynnea Castillo,CPA Chief Financial Officer		As a Certified Public Accountant since 1992 and with an extensive accounting and finance background in a wide variety of industries, Lynnea brings a wealth of professional experience to Touchstone Communities. Her impressive skills, education and community involvement, combined with her zeal to have a positive impact in the lives of many, make Lynnea a perfect match for this care-focused company. Lynnea is inspired by the challenge to find innovative ways to constantly work smarter, which helps the Touchstone Community Support Office accomplish dynamic goals that make a real impact on the lives of all our residents and team members. As Lynnea says herself, “Finance gets to the heart and soul of an organization. Once you are there, you can make a real difference.”
Britta Strickland, RN, LNFA Chief Operating Officer		Britta knew she wanted to become a nurse as a very young girl, and accomplished this goal by age 21. After a few years, she became aware of the need for strong leadership in nursing care administration and felt a calling to help senior adults. Acting on this, Britta became a licensed nursing facility administrator, and served in this capacity for over 20 years. Today, Britta brings a wealth of education, knowledge, service and wisdom to her position as Chief Operating Officer at Touchstone. She helps team members hone their skills, improve their lives and meet their goals, in addition to aiding the company in all aspects of daily operations. Britta loves knowing that by mentoring employees, she and her team have the opportunity to improve the lives of senior adults at all our Touchstone Communities.
Sandy Klein Vice President of Management Services		Touchstone Communities is thrilled to have Sandy Klein on board, serving as Vice President of Management Services. Sandy started her impressive career in the longterm care industry over 30 years ago as an Activity Director. After obtaining her Administrator’s license in 1978, she quickly excelled, becoming Regional Vice President and later Regional President from 1999 to 2006 for Mariner Healthcare and Sava Senior Care, overseeing their facilities in Texas and California. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Texas A&M University, Sandy continues to share her passion for the industry, serving as a Member as the American College of Healthcare Administrators since 1987, and as past Chair of the Texas Healthcare Association. Sandy loves the people she works with. As she says herself, “We are truly an industry where caring about the people you work with translates into caring for our residents. Our profession is filled with dedicated people who choose to work where they are.” Commenting on the state of long-term care, Sandy adds, “The nursing home industry has come a long way to establish ourselves as an integral part of the Healthcare continuum. I challenge myself, and those around me, to continue to improve the care we deliver each day.” We are certainly proud Sandy is part of our Touchstone Communities team.
Sam Planta Vice President of Development		Sam brings enormous creativity, zeal and years of experience in organizational development and designing leadership initiatives to Touchstone Communities. As Vice President of Development, Sam recommends innovative ways the organization can continue leading the way in the long-term care industry. This includes overseeing internal and external communications and guiding Touchstone Communities in achieving their dynamic goals. Sam knows that organizational leadership is the key to performance and market distinction. Before joining Touchstone, Sam founded Developing Zeal, a firm accomplished in designing leadership initiatives, helping organizations design and reach their goals. He’s been responsible for the facilitation of retreats and workshops for Dell Computer, Houston Rockets, American Airlines, Marriott Corporation, the University of Texas and more. Sam is an active civic leader and dedicated father who has a generous spirit that’s a perfect match for Touchstone.
Patricia Edmiston, LNFA Director of Human Resources		As Director of Human Services for Touchstone Communities, Patricia brings over twenty-five years of experience in the field of long-term care, with a strong background in accounting and senior management. She became a certified Nursing Home Administrator in 1980 and was an Assistant Regional Manager for nine long-term care facilities before branching into risk management and human resources. Her real strengths lie in her ability to help team members grow abundantly on their career path, and recruiting extraordinary indivduals throughout our Touchstone Communities. With a skilled, vibrant and happy staff, our residents are sure to enjoy the premier, compassionate care their families desire most for them. Patricia’s mother was a Director of Nursing for many years and instilled in her a desire to improve care for residents. She maintains a passionate goal of making a real difference in the lives of our residents.
Ann Chirhart, RN, BSN, MSN Director of Human Resources		With a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Mary Hardin- Baylor, a Master of Science degree in Nursing from Texas A&M University, experience in critical care, plus 20 years of experience in long term care, Ann is certainly an asset to everyone at Touchstone Communities. Ann looks forward to her opportunity to make a positive impact on the quality of life of our Touchstone residents. She is inspired by challenges and sees them as a way to awaken undiscovered gifts, inner strength and help reveal each person’s purpose in life. Ann had her first opportunity to serve as a long-term care Director of Nursing during the time her own mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. These experiences had a real impact on the way Ann lives her life, with a positive attitude, thankfulness, humor and a sincere commitment to helping others.

Brian Threadgill, LNFA Regional Director of Operations		Brian has been working as a licensed nursing facility administrator for over nine years and brings extensive experience, passion and knowledge in supporting the administrators of our Touchstone communities. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Healthcare Administration from Texas State University, and owning his own long-term care crisis management firm that aided homes in preventing decertification, Brian offers great leadership skills to our Touchstone Regional Team. He works closely each day with the administrators of eight of our communities to be sure they are fully equipped to fulfill their duties at premier levels. Brian assists with a multitude of issues from business practices, labor, regulation compliance, cost control and so much more. As Brian says himself, “I work hard to ensure I am supporting our administrators so we can all take excellent care of the elderly in Texas, and beyond.”
Becky Orta, RN Regional Nurse		Becky has been with Touchstone Communities for four years as a Regional Nurse, traveling to our communities, teaching, learning and sharing knowledge among our team members. With 40 + years experience in nursing and more than 30 of those years in longterm care, Becky offers an expertise for Touchstone few can provide. In her capacity to mentor Directors of Nursing for Meadow Park Care Center, Renaissance Villa, Snyder Oaks and Brenham Rest Home, Becky continually monitors quality of care, offering solutions and assuring the premier quality Touchstone is known for. With a long-term desire to continually improve care for senior residents, Becky is fulfilling her personal mission each day. And our residents truly benefit from her caring commitment and extensive knowledge.
Sharon Poarch, RN Regional Nurse		As Director of Nursing at Country Care Manor for over 13 years, Sharon brings remarkable skill, 30 years experience in long-term care, plus her own brand of personal care. She knew she wanted to be a nurse as young girl, and is now clearly thrilled to be a Regional Nurse for Touchstone Communities, teaching, mentoring and supporting the nursing care team at Del Rio Nursing and Rehabilitation Center as well as the Frank M. Tejeda Texas State Veterans Home in Floresville. Sharon enjoys establishing strong relationships with her nurses and watching them grow, succeed, and work well with community physicians. Helping people and making a difference in the lives of others is Sharon’s true calling.
Christine Jones, RN Regional Nurse		Christine brings a wealth of dedicated experience in nursing to her post as Regional Nurse for Touchstone Communities. Her background includes six years in hospital settings - where she held nursing supervisory positions, insurance and medical review posts, all before entering the long term care sector. Christine began working in long term care here at Touchstone Communities, first as Associate Director of Nursing and later as Director of Nursing at our Touchstone managed community Clyde W. Cosper Texas State Veterans Home in Bonham, Texas. Now, as Regional Nurse for Touchstone Communities, Christine is thrilled to be working with and mentoring the Directors of Nursing for Clyde W. Cosper Texas State Veterans Home, William R. Courtney Texas State Veterans Home and Snyder Oaks Care Center. As she says herself, “I love helping each community strive to be the best of the best through ownership and teamwork as we care for our elders.” Christine entered the field of nursing after her grandfather, a WWII veteran, was diagnosed with leukemia. She is certainly an asset to our team and her zeal for achieving new benchmarks in care for seniors is quite inspiring.
Carlos McCulloch Director of Marketing		He works closely each day with the administrators of eight of our communities to be sure they are fully equipped to fulfill their duties at premier levels. Brian assists with a multitude of issues from business practices, labor, regulation compliance, cost control and so much more. As Brian says himself, “I work hard to ensure I am supporting our administrators so we can all take excellent care of the elderly in Texas, and beyond.” We are very pleased to have Carlos on our leadership team here at Touchstone Communities. Carlos comes to us with over six years of experience in long term care, excelling in marketing and business development efforts in his posts at Stone Oak Care Center and SavaSenior Center. As Carlos says himself, “Everyday I get to talk about something I believe in. I love working with our partners in the medical community, learning about what they do, looking for creative ways to form lasting partnerships for the benefit of all those we serve. I truly enjoy team building, mentoring, and sharing in the success of others.” Carlos’ experience and dedication to long term care and his accomplishments are perfectly suited to our commitment to continue to expand our delivery of premier care for seniors throughout Texas and beyond. We look for great things to come with Carlos on our team.
Brenda J. Vollmer Regional Business Office Liaison		Brenda brings a great deal of leadership skills and business expertise to Touchstone Communities. With eight years of of experience in both long term care and pharmaceutical environments, she helps bring superior efficiency to each of our communities. Brenda has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Incarnate Word in San Antonio, where she majored in Accounting and graduated cum laude in 1999. As Regional Business Office Manager for NeighborCare Pharmacy, Brenda helped guide and develop business office and administrative operations for their Texas and Oklahoma operations, one of the company’s top ranking central business offices. She also spent two years working for long term care facilities, developing policies and procedures and performing audit functions to improve efficiencies. Brenda relishes her ability to impact our long term care operations and help provide wonderful customer service in areas so vital to so many communities. And she does this all while taking a keen, sincere interest in each of our business team members. As she says herself, “I really enjoy mentoring a team member to help them grow and succeed and watch them perform at the highest possible level with the utmost confidence.” As you might imagine, we are certainly pleased to have Brenda serving on our team!