Board of Trustees

Cornell P. Abod serves on National Lutheran Communities & Services Board of Trustees and as a member of the Joint Finance Committee. Mr. Abod, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in private practice, owns and operates C.P. Abod & Co. LLC, a tax and accounting firm, located in Gaithersburg, Maryland, as well as Beacon Investment Advisors LLC, a registered investment advisory firm, also located in Gaithersburg.

Prior to entering private practice in 1997, Mr. Abod served as a financial accounting director with Adventist HealthCare in Rockville, Maryland, and was with Ernst & Young’s financial statement audit group in Washington, D.C. for five years. Mr. Abod received his B.S. in accounting from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Ms. Susan Dailey, a resident at The Village at Orchard Ridge from its inception, joined the NLCS Board of Trustees in January 2020 and has served on the Strategic Planning Committee and the Succession Planning Committee.

She brings entrepreneurial business development expertise from start-up to public offering. She was responsible for development and opening of franchise locations across the U.S. and ultimately in Europe covering the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands. In 1984 alone, her department opened 147 U.S. locations.

During her 18 years as director of Volunteer Services at Reston Hospital, she developed a senior “over 50” affinity membership group that grew to 1000 members in two years’ time. She also served as president of the volunteer management division of the Healthcare Council of the National Capital Area as well as president of the Virginia Society of Directors of Healthcare Volunteer Services. Her earlier experience in health care involved practice management in the ophthalmology field operating seminars, feasibility studies and marketing consulting.

At Orchard Ridge, Ms. Dailey has served as president of the Residents; Association, chair of Health and Wellness Committee, and she developed and currently manages the fast-growing Village Specialty Shoppe whose profits support the Winchester Benevolent Fund for Orchard Ridge.

Other charitable causes close to her heart are Bless the Children, for which she has raised funds and taken medical mission trips, and the indigenous peoples of Ecuador, whose jewelry and textiles she has imported and sold to support the education of their children and sustainability of the Amazon rain forest.

Ms. Dailey received a Bachelor of Arts degree from George Mason University and earned her CAVS (Certified Administrator of Volunteer Services) through the American Hospital Association, while also chairing their national Retail Operations Committee and annual conference educational track. Most recently she was recognized as Orchard Ridge’s 2021 nominee for Volunteer of the Year for the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Reverend Debra “Debie” Dukes is a retired minister who enjoying giving back through volunteering in various ways. Reverend Dukes was ordained in 2008 and served at Mount Zion Lutheran Church in New Market, Virginia. 

She currently serves as the vice chair of the board of directors for Encircle and works with Church World Services in engaging Ukrainian Refugees. Prior to her call to ministry, she had a long career in academic medical administration as an executive director and internal consultant for the senior leadership of the Medical University of South Carolina. 

Mr. Handley is the chief financial officer of several start-up and growth phase technology businesses, including FastEdge and DirecTech, and has served as a telecommunications technology consultant to federal government agencies. Prior to graduate school, Mr. Handley spent 10 years in the restaurant industry.

Mr. Handley serves on the Board of Directors of Net Medical Xpress services, a telemedicine provider based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is also the author of “Telebomb: The Truth Behind the $500 Billion Telecom Bust and What the Industry Must Do to Recover.”

Mr. Handley has served many volunteer positions within the Virginia and Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synods of the Evangelic Lutheran Church in America. He has been treasurer and stewardship chair at his current congregation, Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church, Arlington, Virginia. He served as treasurer of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod from 2007 to 2015 and was the bishop’s representative and board treasurer for Caroline Furnace Lutheran Camp and Retreat Center from 2008 to 2015, where he continues to serve on its finance committee.

Alan Lovell, the son of a Naval Intelligence officer, traveled extensively and attended 12 schools before graduating high school. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science, a Master of Education in counseling and a Ph.D. in public administration. 

His career focused on supporting individuals with disabilities. As the first executive director of ARC of Howard County, he established early intervention and residential programs. He later served as chief executive officer of WeAcheive, Inc, formerly CHI Centers, Inc, for 35 years, expanding its services and advocacy. 

Now retired, Lovell remains active in volunteer leadership roles. He is married with two children and five grandchildren. 

Dr. Rachel A. Carlson, Ed.D, PA-C  is currently an Accreditation Director with the Accreditation Review Commission on the Education of PAs and works from home in Winchester, Virginia. She was previously Board Chair with the The Village at Orchard Board of Directors serving as a board member since 2015.   

Dr. Carlson is a published and collaborative author of the "Lange Q & A for the Physician Assistant." She previously served as the director for Advanced Practice Providers with Valley Health and program director for Shenandoah University both in Winchester, VA and Chair of the Virginia PA Advisory Board. She works clinically as a PA with Valley Health Urgent Care.  

Dr. Carlson has extensive volunteer experience with her church association, youth sports teams, and also gives her time to serve medical the underserved populations in the Winchester area while actively raising three children. 

Dr. Carlson received her Ed.D. from Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; M.S.B.S. from The University of Toledo; and B.S. in environmental resource management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania. 

Rev. Sandra Cox Shaw is a retired Lutheran pastor who was ordained in 2005. She served as pastor of Living Faith Lutheran Church (formerly Crusader Lutheran Church) for 16 years before retirement. This service included the change of the congregation's name.

Before ordination, she worked for two years at the Luther Institute as director of lifelong learning. During seminary, Rev. Shaw worked as a part-time chaplain at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

Before her call to ministry, she worked as an accountant for 20 years and specialized in estates and trusts at a small CPA firm in Silver Spring, Maryland. Through that work, she grew to care deeply about the quality of life of older adults, including their financial and spiritual needs.

Mr. Thomas Whiteford focuses on real estate, business, commercial, employment and insurance related litigation matters. He represents national and local clients in negotiations and litigation involving land use disputes, real estate, riparian rights and construction defects. He also handles litigation involving cemeteries and funeral homes. He regularly advises a range of companies, particularly real estate developers, commercial lessors, cemeteries and providers of funeral services, with regard to potential litigation and other business-related decisions. Mr. Whiteford is also experienced in the representation of licensed medical professionals before a range of governing bodies both in hearings and on appeal.

Cyndi Walters was named president and chief executive officer (CEO) of National Lutheran Communities and Services (NLCS) in May 2021, assuming the position full time in August 2021. Prior to this role, she served as chief operating officer (COO) since 2016.

Cyndi has served at NLCS in varying capacities for nine years, first as a consultant before joining as chief operating officer in 2016. Cumulatively, she has over 30 years of experience in the senior living industry including a strong background in strategically growing and diversifying the organization and an enhanced focus on operating as a senior-living system and leveraging its benefits and efficiencies. Prior to joining NLCS, she provided project management and advisory services to senior living organizations through Walters Advisors, LLC. She has also served in a leadership role at Presbyterian Senior Living in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, and during her 19 years at KPMG (a global network of professional firms providing audit, tax and advisory services), spent significant time as a partner and leader of their National Senior Living Advisory Practice.

As president and CEO, Cyndi’s focus is strategically growing and furthering NLCS’ mission to honor, inspire and support choice and opportunity in partnership with older adults. Cyndi is an advocate for “aging with choice,” which means supporting older adults in making their own choices in aging, whether it means moving to a senior living community or brining in supportive services to their home. She is also an advocate for team members across the organization and leads a team dedicated to ensuring NLCS remains a Great Place to Work® and an employer of choice for those who have a heart to serve older adults.

Cyndi is a native of the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, area and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from York College of Pennsylvania.