Sunrise Senior Living Appoints Mary Kay Gribbons as CHRO & Maria Davlantes as Chief Marketing Officer

Sunrise Senior Living, a leading provider of senior living services, announced the appointment of Mary Kay (MK) Gribbons as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and Maria Davlantes as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

“We’re excited to have an innovative marketing leader join the team to help us grow Sunrise’s leading brand to benefit even more families as we enter a period of accelerated growth following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Sunrise continues to strengthen its leadership position in the industry with the addition of seasoned executives who have diverse and proven backgrounds in creating organizational value to benefit both team members and customers,” said Sunrise Chief Executive Officer, Jack R. Callison, Jr. “MK and Maria are incredibly strong, dynamic leaders who have helped lead companies through strategic transformations to drive growth and I am very pleased to welcome them to the Sunrise family.”

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Mary Kay (MK) Gribbons, Chief Human Resources Officer

“MK is a collaborative, culture-driven CHRO who understands how to optimize people and processes through programs that promote diversity and inclusion to achieve business results,” Callison said. “Our Sunrise team members are our most important asset. I have great confidence in MK’s leadership and ability to strengthen our supportive and engaging environment so that our team can continue thriving and fulfilling our mission to serve.”

Ms. Gribbons brings more than twenty years of experience in human resources and operations across industries with a demonstrated track record of building high-performing cultures that drive results through engagement, ownership, and adaptability. Most recently, she served as the CHRO for Dean Foods, the largest dairy processor in the U.S. with $8 billion in revenue, more than 15,000 teammates, and 70 plants. There she led a formal restructuring, developed programs to retain leaders, and enhanced internal communication during a period of intense change.

Previously, as CHRO of the nation’s leading wholesale pet product distributor, Animal Supply Co, Ms. Gribbons played a critical role in merging five separate businesses into one cohesive organization through culture-building efforts. Prior to that, she spent 25 years at American Airlines, where she served as general manager for the Kansas City International Airport and other senior HR leadership positions, driving employee experience, transparent leadership, and engagement strategies that promoted collaborative and inclusive work practices across the 100,000-employee organization. She holds her Master of Business Administration from Duke University and Bachelor of Arts from Southwestern University.

“It is an organization’s culture that truly makes it unique, and I am honored to join the dedicated, experienced Sunrise team that works each day to foster its lasting 40-year culture based on the core values of joy in service, respect, and trust to benefit not only its team but the thousands of residents and families they serve,” Ms. Gribbons said. “Sunrise understands the power of maintaining a great place to work, and I look forward to building on its already strong foundation of team member development and recognition programs to support its existing team as well as the serving hearts we will need to attract, train and retain to meet our promising growth potential.”

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Maria Davlantes, Chief Marketing Officer

“Maria is highly skilled at developing marketing and brand growth strategies that fulfill underserved, high-value consumer needs as well as enhancing digital customer experiences to support effective brand awareness, lead generation, and overall customer engagement,” shared Sunrise’s Chief Operating Officer Nick Stengle. “We’re excited to have an innovative marketing leader join the team to help us grow Sunrise’s leading brand to benefit even more families as we enter a period of accelerated growth following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Ms. Davlantes’ more than 30-year career spans all areas of marketing as well as significant experience in business building, including organic and inorganic growth strategies, successfully leading team efforts to scale businesses and transform digital experiences, managing consumer brand expansions, creating and leading data science, analytics, and marketing performance programs as well as product development. Prior to joining the Sunrise team, Ms. Davlantes served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Heartland Dental, the largest dental support organization in the U.S., supporting more than 1000 dental offices across 38 states. In her role, she led innovative strategies and evolved digital and affiliate modern marketing programs to drive growth.

Previously, Ms. Davlantes served in CMO, marketing leadership, and consulting roles for many segment leaders to include TE Connectivity, a global technology company, Interface, Inc., the world’s largest designer, manufacturer, and marketer of modular carpet with a widely respected purpose-driven commitment to sustainability, and its consumer subsidiary FLOR, as well as BP, a global energy company, where she led a large, diverse, multi-national team to manage the BP, Arco, am/pm and ARAL brands for the global retail business. Earlier in her career, she also served as an engagement manager for McKinsey & Company based in London, serving clients in the consumer, financial, and industrial sectors. She earned her Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where she also received her Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies. Additionally, Maria currently serves as an independent director on the board of Life Floor, another purpose-driven company that strives to make every aquatic surface in the world safer.

“I am passionate to support mission-driven organizations that drive innovative, highly personalized experiences for customers and it is clear that Sunrise is a best-in-class brand that effectively meets the evolving needs of seniors and their families through its movement to champion quality of life,” Ms. Davlantes said. “I look forward to optimizing Sunrise’s unique platform to further demonstrate the positive difference made by our devoted and skilled team, as well as support our strong future growth.”

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