Our People

Karen Lehman has over 35 years of leadership experience in both senior living and acute care settings. She has a proven track record of successfully leading organizations through transitions and repositioning to achieve financial viability. Her capacity to be both visionary and “hands-on” operationally when needed, along with effective communication skills, has resulted in her ability to recruit and develop strong senior leaders and provide both stability and new strategies to organizations.

Karen’s executive leadership roles include COO for eight years with Greencroft Communities, Executive Director for three years with Friends House Retirement Community, and two years at Pennswood Village, both Quaker-sponsored communities. Before joining MHS Association, now AQORD in 2016,  she served as CEO at the Community at Rockhill, where she effectively led the organization through an affiliation decision-making process with a neighboring retirement community.

A frequent speaker at state and national conferences, Karen has presented on CEO and executive transitions and succession planning, board governance topics, developing a culture of philanthropy, industry trends, and topics related to women in leadership. She holds an MBA from Bluffton University and a B.S. in Health Information from Indiana University, Indiana University Medical Center.

Clare Krabill serves as Chief Operating Officer of AQORD, where she provides leadership for daily operations, human resources, communications, program development, and member services. She also serves as Managing Director of the Medical Expense Plan (MEP), a pooled self-insured health plan serving more than 2,500 individuals across ten member organizations.

Drawing on years of experience in association and non-profit health leadership, Clare is passionate about strengthening faith-based health and human service organizations. At AQORD, she supports the missions of member organizations from over 90 Anabaptist and Quaker organizations nationwide, fostering collaboration, excellence, and shared learning within a values-driven community.

Known for her thoughtful leadership and commitment to mission-centered service, Clare brings both strategic clarity and warmth to her work. Beyond her professional role, she enjoys the outdoors, travel, and meaningful conversations that spark connection and insight. 

Karla Dreisbach serves as the Vice President AQORD Compliance, where she leads and supports partner organizations in developing, implementing, and sustaining effective healthcare compliance programs. She partners closely with executive leadership and operational teams to navigate regulatory complexity, strengthen compliance infrastructure, and promote a culture of accountability and integrity.

With more than two decades of experience in healthcare compliance and over 40 years in the long-term care environment, Karla brings deep expertise in compliance program development, regulatory oversight, and risk mitigation. She is particularly skilled in designing compliance programs tailored to an organization’s size, culture, and operational realities, and has extensive experience working with state and federal oversight agencies.

Prior to joining AQORD and leading the Compliance Collaborative since 2007, Karla served as a Compliance Officer for both single-site and multi-site healthcare organizations, frequently building compliance programs from the ground up. Her work has included managing multiple Corporate Integrity Agreements and collaborating with government agencies to successfully navigate complex compliance challenges, resulting in strengthened regulatory adherence and improved organizational accountability.

Karla maintains multiple professional certifications, including Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC), Certified in Healthcare Privacy Compliance (CHPC), and Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP). She is also a member of the Health Care Compliance Association and the American Health Lawyers Association.

Driven by a strong commitment to integrity and mission-driven service, Karla is dedicated to ensuring that AQORD’s Compliance Collaborative delivers the highest level of professional support to help members advance their compliance initiatives and uphold their organizational missions.

Marianne Pessognelli serves as the Chief Financial Officer for AQORD. She is the former Director of Finance for Friends Services Alliance and has more than 35 years of experience in healthcare financial management. Marianne previously served as the CFO at The Highlands at Wyomissing, a CCRC located in Berks County. Prior to that, she was the Director of Finance for Barclay Friends, a Kendal Affiliate. Marianne holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Delaware and a master’s in Business Administration from West Chester University. Marianne participated in the Fellows in Leadership Program sponsored by LeadingAgePA and is a Class of 2015 alum. She currently is the Vice Chair on the Board of Directors at Barclay Friends.

With over two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership and the senior living sector, Suzette Davis brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for organizational growth to her role as Vice President of Consulting & Senior Executive Search Consultant. Suzette’s journey in this field has been marked by a deep commitment to helping organizations navigate complex transitions and achieve their fullest potential.

Suzette has worn many hats throughout her career – strategist, advisor, innovator, and leader. She has a knack for developing tailored strategies that address unique organizational challenges, always with an eye toward enhancing operational effectiveness and fostering community engagement. Her approach is holistic, blending her expertise in strategic planning and organizational development with a compassionate, values-based perspective.

Suzette’s leadership style is all about collaboration and empathy, underpinned by sharp strategic thinking. She thrives on building high-performing teams and finding common ground among diverse stakeholders. It’s this ability to bring people together, coupled with her innovative problem-solving skills, that has allowed her to successfully implement programs that make a real difference in the lives of those served by the organizations she works with.

In her role at AQORD, Suzette is excited to leverage her experiences to expand AQORD Consulting services. She sees her position as an opportunity to help organizations not just weather times of transition or crisis but to emerge from them stronger and more focused on their mission.

Suzette has her MA in Strategic Communications from the University of Delaware and has a BS in Psychology with a Minor in Marketing from Auburn University. Her academic background provides a solid foundation for her work. She stays connected with the latest industry trends through active involvement in professional associations, always looking for new ways to drive innovation in the nonprofit and senior living sectors.