AHCA/NCAL Taps Porter to Succeed Parkinson as CEO

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Clifton J. Porter II as the new president and CEO of the association, effective this fall. 

Porter will be the first African American to fill the role in AHCA/NCAL’s 75-year history.

He currently serves as the senior vice president of government relations for AHCA/NCAL, leading the association’s legislative agenda and advocacy efforts, the association said in a statement.

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Porter said he’s taking the helm at a “pivotal moment” in history.

“Our recovery from the pandemic must continue if we are to deliver for our nation’s growing elderly population,” Porter said in a statement. “We must also remain steadfast in our quality improvement efforts while encouraging meaningful investments in our profession, so that we may strengthen our workforce and modernize our approaches.”

The association’s current president and CEO, Mark Parkinson, announced his retirement in February with plans to still work with the industry in some capacity. Phil Scalo, chair of the AHCA Board of Governors, appointed a selection committee to choose his successor, which sought input from the organization’s diverse membership, interviewing scores of candidates.

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AHCA/NCAL’s next leader will be responsible for navigating a nation with a rapidly growing elderly population, the association said, and will oversee key strategic objectives focused on workforce, reimbursement, and regulatory environment.

Porter will also manage the association’s trade shows and events, member education and other strategic partnerships and endeavors.

“Clif brings a unique blend of front-line experience and lobbying acumen that makes him an ideal candidate to head AHCA/NCAL,” Scalo said in a statement. “We are delighted to see him take this next step, and we are confident AHCA/NCAL as well as the profession’s future will be bright under his leadership.”

Porter has been in the long-term care field for 35 years, starting as a nursing home volunteer and then starting his career as an administrator and regional director of operations for a large urban market.

He joined HCR ManorCare, now known as ProMedica Senior Care, leading the company’s advocacy efforts as its vice president of government relations for nearly a decade and has serve on state health care association boards.

During the pandemic, Porter helped secure billions in resources for the sector.

Porter and his wife, Deborah, established the Porter Legacy Scholarship to support diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in health services at Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) College of Health Professions; VCU is Porter’s alma mater.

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