Meet Our Team

Fee Stubblefield is the founder and CEO of The Springs Living, an investment, development, and management company dedicated to building communities and services for older adults. Based in McMinnville, Oregon, the company owns and operates 20 communities offering independent living, assisted living, and memory care services in the Pacific Northwest. 

Stubblefield serves on the Board of Directors of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) as a member of the executive committee and inaugural vice chair of strategy. He served as the chair of the Oregon Health Care Association (OHCA) and has served as the chair of the Providence Milwaukie Foundation. He is the 2024 recipient of the OHCA Special Service Award. 

Inspired by a promise to his grandmother, Stubblefield founded The Springs Living in 1996 to deliver quality experiences and services to older adults to support them in living life to its fullest. The Springs Living was named for Lehman Hot Springs in northeastern Oregon, where he grew up. Stubblefield’s book, "A Culture of Promise: The True Story of a Small Company’s Quest to Transform the Senior Living Industry" (Forbes Books) – an Amazon Best Seller in the Business & Money category – reveals his story of building a company and culture that cares for others. 

Based in McMinnville, Oregon, The Springs Living serves older adults in Oregon, Montana, and Washington. Each community represents a unique combination of design, amenities, and services. Since its founding in 1996, The Springs Living has been committed to transforming senior living by delivering quality service and fostering an enrichment culture to help residents, their families, and each other live life to its fullest. 

Brenda Connelly is president of The Springs Living, a senior living company with 20 communities in the Northwest. She brings over 20 years of healthcare experience to the role.  

Since joining The Springs Living as an executive director in 2010, Connelly has held a variety of positions, most recently as chief operating officer overseeing all aspects of community operations, including facilities management, healthcare services, culinary services, sales, and marketing. Previously, she served as chief quality officer, overseeing the development and execution of a comprehensive, company-wide quality program, which led to improved clarity of quality standards, resources, compliance, and resident satisfaction.  

Connelly serves on the governor-appointed Oregon Health Care Association Quality and Compliance Council. She received a Special Services Award from Oregon Health Care Association in 2021 and was named to the McKnight’s Senior Living Women of Distinction Hall of Honor in 2022.  

Connelly earned a master’s degree in quantitative management – health analytics from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. She also graduated with a Bachelor of Science in nursing from North Dakota State University. 

Lisa Maynard is Chief of Staff for The Springs Living, a position she has held since July 2022. In this role, Maynard oversees the Office of the CEO, serving as a strategic business counselor and leading a full range of business projects. 

Prior to being named Chief of Staff, Maynard served as Chief People Officer for The Springs Living, developing human resource strategies focused on recruiting, training, developing, and retaining the best employees for the company’s senior living communities in the Northwest. 

Maynard joined The Springs Living in 2002 and has held a number of management positions at The Springs at Clackamas Woods in Milwaukie, Oregon, and at the home office in McMinnville, Oregon. 

A graduate of Oregon State University’s health administration program, Maynard also has a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University. She has also served as a member of the Oregon Health Care Association board. 

Amy Brown is vice president of operational excellence for The Springs Living. In this role, she is focused on forward-facing operational strategy, including driving quality and continuous improvement throughout the organization including new community start-ups, building a strong pipeline of talent through a comprehensive leadership development program and ongoing training, and positioning the organization for strong financial stewardship through sound operating systems. 

Brown has been with The Springs Living since 2014, having served as regional director of operations in support of the company’s Portland-area communities until 2023. Before joining The Springs Living, Brown served as director of home care, clinic and wellness services, and as health services administrator at Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst in Lake Oswego. She has been administrator at a number of long-term care facilities in the Willamette Valley, serving the senior population for more than 25 years. 

Brown has a Bachelor of Science in health care administration with a Certificate of Gerontology from Oregon State University. 

James Eastwood is vice president of marketing for The Springs Living. In this role, he manages the company’s branding and spearheads lead generation strategy and creative direction in support of the organization’s 20 senior living communities across the Pacific Northwest. 

Eastwood has two decades of marketing experience, having served as head of marketing for the Americas with Milestone Systems, a video software company based in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Prior to that, he served as vice president of marketing and communications for Oregonian Media Group in Portland. He has served as a brand marketing consultant and strategist for companies like Adidas, Red Bull, the University of Oregon, and the San Jose Earthquakes.  

A native of London, England, Eastwood graduated cum laude from San Francisco State University in California with a Bachelor of Arts in English writing composition. 

Bryan Hays brings over a decade of industry experience to The Springs Living and is a member of the company’s Leadership Team. As vice president of acquisitions and development, he not only oversees the day-to-day activities of the company’s development and acquisition pursuits, but he is also responsible for sourcing, underwriting, financing and integrating new investments and strategic relationships. 

Prior to joining The Springs Living, Hays held positions at Fairway America within its Transactions and Investor Relations Groups.  While there, he underwrote and closed acquisitions for several of its funds. In this capacity he analyzed potential acquisitions and redevelopment opportunities across different capital structures and asset classes. 

Hays graduated from University of Denver – Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate with a Master of Science in real estate and the built environment.  He also has a Bachelor of Science in finance from Oregon State University. Hays is a member of Urban Land Institute Northwest and NAIOP Oregon Chapter.

Nicole Jemming is vice president of operations of The Springs Living. In this role, she is responsible for leading the daily operations of all Springs Living communities and the infrastructure that supports them to provide the highest quality service for residents and their families. 

Jemming previously served as regional director of operations. She joined The Springs Living in 2017 as executive director of The Springs at Whitefish, bringing a decade of healthcare administration experience in long-term care and skilled nursing. 

A native Montanan, Jemming learned the value of hard work and an occupation that never sleeps by growing up on a cattle ranch in northeastern Montana. Jemming has a bachelor’s degree in health care administration with a minor in business administration from Montana State University – Billings. She is currently on track to earning a Master's of Business Administration from the University of Montana in spring 2025. 

As Vice President of Asset Management for The Springs Living, Carrie Rasca organizes, directs, and controls investment portfolios, managing loan performance, reporting requirements, and investor relationships. Rasca, who has nearly two decades of experience in finance and project analysis, started with The Springs Living in 2022.  

Prior to joining The Springs Living, Rasca served as vice president of both investment services and asset management for a private investment management firm for nearly seven years, working closely with numerous senior housing communities. Since 2004, she has held several leadership positions in real estate and investment properties. She began her career as an accountant for a senior living company. 

A native of Salem, Oregon, Rasca holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Western Oregon University. 

As senior director of new development for The Springs Living, Candice Marcks leads the charge for building marketing and sales strategies at the company’s new communities. She brings more than 25 years of senior living experience to this role, in which she manages the lease-up sales team and coaches them on occupancy growth strategies and sales performance.

Marcks has also served The Springs Living as senior director of sales and marketing as well as regional director of sales. She also spent three years in charge of all aspects of lease-up sales of The Springs at Lake Oswego in Oregon leading up to its opening in January 2020. She joined The Springs Living in 2010 as the community relations director at The Springs at Tanasbourne in Hillsboro, Oregon. 

Since beginning her career in senior living in 1996, Marcks has worked in a variety of areas of senior living, including life enrichment, resident relations, sales, community relations, and business development for organizations in Oregon.  

Ole Lindbo has been regional director of operations for The Springs Living’s northern Oregon communities since summer 2023. In this role, he supports executive directors as they oversee all aspects of community operations, recruitment, resident experience, and compliance. 

Lindbo came to The Springs Living with nearly two decades of senior living leadership experience. He has served as RDO at Sapphire Health Services in Oregon and also as executive director in various communities in Oregon, California, and Washington. Lindbo is the current National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) State Leader for Washington state, where he works with the Washington Health Care Association in advocacy for long-term care and senior housing.   

Lindbo, who has a licensed practical nursing (LPN) degree from Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, Washington, developed a passion for senior living and employee advocacy early in life as he spent much of his youth visiting skilled nursing and assisted living communities where his mother was a caregiver. 

Tim Minks is the regional director of operations for The Springs Living, providing support for the management of daily operations at multiple communities in Montana. 

Minks, who has 15 years of health care experience, previously served as the executive director of The Springs at Lake Oswego and The Springs at Wilsonville, both in Oregon. Before joining The Springs Living in 2020, Minks served as a regional director of operations and as an executive director for Avamere Family of Companies in Oregon. He is a long-time volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association and has served on the board of Gifted Wishes, a nonprofit organization benefiting hospice patients.  

Minks has a bachelor’s degree in community health education from Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon. 

Meaghan Walkup is the regional director of operations for The Springs Living, Southern Oregon communities. In this role, she provides support for the management of daily operations at multiple communities in the Northwest. 

Before being promoted to regional director of operations in April 2023, Walkup had been at the helm of The Springs at Anna Maria as executive director for a decade. She started with The Springs at Anna Maria in 2005 (formerly Anna Maria Creekside), working in various frontline positions, including reception, life enrichment, and transportation. She worked her way up through the ranks, serving as dining room supervisor, community relations director, assisted living administrator, and assistant general manager, before becoming general manager in 2011. Her title changed to executive director in 2014 when Anna Maria Creekside became The Springs at Anna Maria.  

A 2022 recipient of the Leadership Excellence Award from the Oregon Health Care Association, Walkup has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southern Oregon University. 

With more than 20 years of experience in public relations and corporate communications, Tracy Darchini has built her career on promoting and defending iconic corporate brands.  

Currently, Darchini works as The Springs Living, overseeing communications for the senior living company and its 20 senior living communities across the Northwest. Darchini joined the company in 2019 as the company’s first communications leader, building communications practices from the ground up, including media relations, executive communications, internal communications, and crisis communications. She helped the company navigate through the challenges of the 2020 pandemic, creating a series of communications campaigns to keep employees and residents informed while also overseeing dozens of media interviews for the CEO. 

Over the previous six years, Darchini oversaw external and internal communications for Daimler Trucks’ corporate brand, including its website, social media content, ESG messages, and corporate giving initiatives. She was promoted to her position at Daimler Trucks N.A. from its affiliate company, Mercedes-Benz USA where she worked for 12 years, leading internal communications and supporting executive communications and business media relations. 

Darchini began her career working at public relations agencies on corporate image campaigns, including Georgia-Pacific (Edelman Worldwide, New York), Avon’s Breast Cancer Awareness (Patrice Tanaka & Co., New York), and Cutty Sark Scots Whisky’s Tall Ships Foundation (BEN Marketing Agency, Stamford, Conn.). 

Darchini has a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. 

As Director of Design for The Springs Living, Chris Shelby plans and executes on construction projects while serving as the company’s design expert. He started with The Springs Living in 2008, but his first project with The Springs Living was 10 years earlier, working on The Springs at Sunnyview as an architectural intern.  

Shelby worked with several architectural firms before joining The Springs Living, including RAR Architects, Concentric Architecture, and Myhre Group Architects. He has a long history of senior housing experience, including independent, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing communities. His resume also includes extensive work with other types of projects, including multi-family, large retail, sacral, and custom homes.  

Shelby has a Bachelor of Architecture and Allied Arts from University of Oregon. 

As director of Sales for The Springs Living, Liz Sourbeer works with the sales teams at 20 senior living communities and is responsible for driving occupancy. She joined The Springs Living in the summer of 2023. 

Sourbeer brought 30 years of real estate sales experience to The Springs Living. She spent six years in sales and marketing for Trilogy by Shea Homes, a 55+ active adult community in Arizona, where she was a top producer in the company. For the previous 25 years, she owned an outdoor advertising company while also working as a successful real estate agent, specializing in both individual home sales and the marketing of condominium projects and home subdivisions. 

Sourbeer has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Washington, Bothell.