Lake Prince Woods retirement community has received a new executive director, Judy O’Toole Raymond.

“It’s been a very welcoming community,” Raymond said.

Prior to coming to Lake Prince Woods, Raymond was with Westminster Canterbury in Chesapeake for 16 years. Her most recent position was vice president of resident and health services. She is a licensed nursing home administrator and a certified therapeutic recreation specialist.

She hopes that her skill set will enhance what is already at Lake Prince Woods.

“I want to build and expand on the sense of community already here with the residents and staff,” Raymond said. “I want to take it to the next level and focus on the wellness of the residents. I want to keep people well through all dimensions in wellness.”

Her background in senior adult health care began in 1984. In San Diego, she worked in a residential Alzheimer’s program for six years. She received a bachelor’s degree in leisure studies with a concentration in communications and sociology from Salisbury State College in Maryland. She was chosen to participate in the first leadership studies course offered jointly by Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Association of Nonprofit Homes for the Aging.

“When I began my career, I chose to work with senior adults because I thought about what I wanted my parents and grandparents to have available to them through the years,” she said. “A retirement community offers so many advantages and lifestyle opportunities for active adults. It allows people the freedom and amenities to do things that perhaps they never had time to do prior to retirement.”

Raymond was attracted to Lake Prince Woods for many reasons.

“The campus is beautiful,” she said. “Very few retirement communities have 172 wooded acres on a lake like we do. The cottage and villa homes have wonderful amenities and there are 13 different apartment floor plans to choose from.”

The security of having health care services on campus is another asset, she said.