Exhibit 99.1
Sonida Enhances Executive Team and Board to Support Company Growth
Max Levy appointed Chief Investment Officer in newly created role
Lilly H. Donohue, a long-time senior living industry executive, to join Board of Directors
DALLAS, Texas – May 10, 2024, Sonida Senior Living, Inc. (“Sonida” or the “Company”) (NYSE: SNDA), a leading owner-operator and
investor in communities and services for seniors, today announced the appointment of Max Levy to the newly created role of Chief Investment Officer (“CIO”). In addition, the Company also announced today that Lilly H. Donohue will be
appointed to the Board.
As CIO and a member of the executive committee, Mr. Levy, who is transitioning to Sonida from his role as a Principal at
Conversant Capital (“Conversant”), the Company’s largest shareholder, will leverage his deep M&A and senior living underwriting experience to lead the overall coordination and oversight of Sonida’s already rigorous investment
process and multi-faceted sourcing strategy. The Company’s inorganic growth strategy aims to further upgrade and modernize its portfolio through densification to fully leverage operating scale and efficiencies through new balance sheet
acquisitions and joint ventures. With his new role, Mr. Levy, who has served as a Director since 2021, will step down as a member of the Board of Directors (the “Board”), and assume his new role effective June 1, 2024.
“Every stage in Max’s career has increased his investment management acumen and responsibility, ensuring he is extremely well-suited for this
significant role,” said Brandon Ribar, President and Chief Executive Officer. “He is an accomplished real estate investor with extensive capital markets expertise and is already a well-respected next-generation leader and colleague at
Sonida.”
“As Brandon and I discussed the search for a CIO to lead the next phase of Sonida’s growth, we determined that there is no better
person than Max for this role,” said Michael Simanovsky, Managing Partner of Conversant. “We look forward to continuing to partner with and support Max as he executes Sonida’s strategic plan.”
Max Levy has been a Principal at Conversant since 2020. At Conversant, Mr. Levy leads investments across several sectors, including healthcare real
estate, in both public and private markets. From 2015 to 2020, Mr. Levy was an Analyst at The Baupost Group where he focused on real estate investments in North America and Europe. During this time, Mr. Levy was responsible for sourcing
and evaluating equity and debt investments in all property types in both private real estate and public securities. Before joining Baupost, Mr. Levy began his career as an investment banking Analyst for Hentschel & Company, a boutique
real estate advisory firm, where he assisted public REITs and private real estate companies on mergers, acquisitions, and capital raising. Mr. Levy served as Director of Sonida Senior Living since 2021 and currently serves on the board of
Crossroads Impact, a U.S.-based impact lender. He received a B.A. in Intellectual History from the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Lilly H. Donohue, who is joining the Board, is currently President and CEO of Everstory Partners (formerly StoneMor Inc.). Ms. Donohue most recently
served as the CEO of Holiday Retirement, the largest independent senior living owner and operator in the United States with over 300 communities in 46 states. During her tenure at Holiday, she led the organization to become the first senior living
company to be certified as a Great Place to Work in 2018 and has been named Great Place to Work for four consecutive years (2018-2021). Prior to Holiday, Lilly was responsible for setting up Fortress Investment Group’s China investment office
and was the President of Fortress Investment Group China. During her time in China, Ms. Donohue also built the leading senior living company and home care business (Starcastle (Xingbao) Senior Living) in Shanghai, China for Fortress Investment
Group and was the CEO of Starcastle from its inception in 2013. Before moving to China in 2011, Lilly was a managing director and member of the management committee at Fortress Investment Group since its inception in May 1998. Prior to Fortress,
Lilly started her career at BlackRock Financial Management Inc. in May 1992 to May 1997 where she was involved in all facets of raising capital, investing and managing BlackRock Asset Investors, a private equity fund.