The Osborn, Rye’s historic and prestigious retirement community, announced the appointment of Matthew G. Anderson as CEO to succeed its longtime leader Mark Zwerger, effective January 1, 2016.

By Peter Jovanovich

The Osborn, Rye’s historic and prestigious retirement community, announced the appointment of Matthew G. Anderson as CEO to succeed its longtime leader Mark Zwerger, effective January 1, 2016.

Anderson, who is currently Chief Operating Officer of The Osborn, has lived in Rye since he started working for the retirement community 17 years ago. His two children grew up here and attended Osborn Elementary, Rye Middle School, and now Rye High School. In addition, Mr. Anderson was a Rye Little League board member and coach, and a member of Rye Rotary.

As Andy Ball, a former City Councilman whose family has served Rye for many generations, remarked: “A Rye family man running a great Rye institution: How cool is that?”

Matt Anderson will be taking over a transformed the senior care facility. When Mark Zwerger was asked to become CEO in 1988, this fabled and beautiful place was going downhill rapidly. Little had been done to the historic structures, expenses far exceeded revenues, and the Foundation’s endowment was rapidly declining.

“We were living on borrowed time,” said Zwerger in an interview in his office this week. “From the 60s to the 80s we were in a time lock. I realized the enormous potential of extraordinary facility on majestic grounds.”

During Zwerger’s 27 years as CEO, The Osborn has become the outstanding senior facility in the region. He spearheaded Pathway 2000, the ten-year $120 million expansion that restored The Osborn to fiscal solvency, renovated the campus, built the Pavilion, a 84-bed skilled nursing facility and rehabilitation center, and added 188 apartments and garden homes. In 1996, Zwerger initiated Osborn Home Care, which serves both residents and those in the community who continue to live in their homes, and later established the H.O.P.E Center for memory care.

Last month, Zwerger was recognized for his efforts at the LeadingAgeNY annual conference, at which he received the James W. Sanderson Memorial Award for Leadership.

How has the world of senior living facilities changed in his three decades in the field of retirement living? “What’s changed is the seniors themselves,” remarked Zwerger. “When I first started, seniors were very much conscious of The Great Depression; they lived their retirement years with great frugality.

 

Subsequent generations are more focused on enjoying the moment, having fun when they can, which is why The Osborn places so much emphasis on enrichment and wellness activities and sustaining the physical beauty of our campus.”

What will the next big changes be? Anderson believes he can already see how technology is changing the nature of home health care, and the coming stages of technology will profoundly impact retirement living. “Patients will more and more be able to monitor their own health and interact at a distance with doctors and nurses. And technology will enable the collation of vast amounts of information that can markedly improve the care of seniors.”

With all of the potential marvels of technology, Anderson is extremely conscious of his personal connection with The Osborn and the Rye community. “This new role is very special for me,” he said, “because so many Rye families have placed their trust in The Osborn. It’s an honor to serve them.”