Cheryl Jewell: Leading Longview with vision

This October will mark two years that Cheryl Jewell has been the director of Longview, but in her time at the senior living community, she has already made a big impact on the unique organization, according to the people who live and work there. That is why she is our latest Hometown Hero. 

“The improvements have been wonderful,” resident Ron Poley said. “Cheryl is definitely a spearheader here, and she had what I would say were quite a lot of loose ends to tighten up when she first came.”

“I’m glad she stayed on and went through them,” he added. “I think all the residents really appreciate her being here.”

Jewell grew up in a rural area of southeast Ohio, in Pomeroy, where she said she was surrounded by older adults.

“There are a lot of my grandmother’s friends and older family members who helped shape my life and make it what it is today,” Jewell said. “I always enjoyed being around those individuals and decided, eventually, to change my career to work with older adults.”

She said she also enjoys “being on the business side of things.”

“And I love working with the staff that I get to work with, as well, to create a positive impact for everybody,” Jewell added.

“She’s made a significant positive impact on Longview in her time here so far,” said Bernard (Ben) Hogben, Longview operations and development specialist. “She’s great to work with. She’s very open minded. She allows people to use their strengths and their skill sets to move the organization forward. She empowers people. She encourages people.”

Before coming to Longview almost two years ago, Jewell worked for Love Living at Home, a member-driven organization that enables adults ages 50 and older to live vibrantly while aging in place. 

“I worked in the hospital and in skilled nursing facilities for a bit of time before that, and then before that I had a significant amount of experience in higher education,” Jewell said, adding, “so, this was a second career for me.”

Jewell first moved to New York from Ohio for a job at SUNY Cortland, where she was manager of sport facilities. She spent 19 years in the field before earning her second master’s degree, this time in health care administration.

“I just wanted to do something different in the second half of my work life,” she said.

She said that she took a position at Love Living at Home because she missed the leadership opportunities that came with her previous roles and the ability to make a great positive impact on individuals.

“I absolutely enjoyed it,” she said of her time at Love Living at Home, which totaled a little over four years. “What a wonderful organization it is.” As much as she loved the organization, she knew that her current position at Longview would be an ideal fit.

“It was a higher-level position than where I was at,” Jewell explained. “A little greater impact.” She was also drawn to Longview’s rich history in the community and its Ithaca College collaborations. More than 800 students and 60 faculty and staff members come to Longview each year for internships, to teach classes and for other collaborations.

She said Longview is about creating a community and having people living well together.

“Longview has been around for 50 years,” she said. “It’s had a 25-year collaboration with the college. … Longview is just different. It’s just a great, unique, special place, honestly.”

Longview is set apart by its Head Start early childhood education program, which it offers on site, Jewell said.

Shella Chace, who moved into Longview last December, said that she was immediately struck by Jewell’s ability and willingness to take advice from the residents. 

“She listens,” Chace said, adding, “She is just approachable. I think that’s what’s really important.” 

Chace said that she has spotted Jewell working alongside the kitchen staff if they are shorthanded and spending a whole night checking all of the water units when there was an issue with the water system. 

At the same time, Chace has observed that Jewell also knows how to hire well and delegate appropriately, “making sure that there are quality staff in charge.” 

If the residents want or need anything, Jewell said that she and the staff members are listening. Residents expressed an interest in gardening, and Longview now has a new community garden, created earlier this year, thanks to successful fundraising efforts.

“She allows the staff to do things differently to move the organization forward, especially with fundraising, grant writing and even our digital signage,” Hogben said. “We’ve got to move forward. We can’t be stuck in the past.”

Recently, Jewell has ushered through a round of extensive renovations on some of the older apartment units and community spaces.

Hogben said that Jewell was instrumental in facilitating the construction.

“She knew people to contact and could bring people into our network,” he said.

Poley said he appreciates all the renovations. “Major repairs had to be done in various areas, which costs a lot of money, of course,” Poley said. He and his wife, Lucille, have been living at Longview for seven years. Their apartment was not up for renovations during this most recent round of construction, but Ron said they are very happy with their home.

“We’re very satisfied with what we have,” Ron said. “Maintenance has taken good care of us.”

He said he also appreciates the wealth of activities available at Longview. He noted he participates in chair yoga and “all the musical aspects that we have.”

“I think, all in all, Cheryl has been a wonderful asset for us,” he added.

“I really enjoy the business aspect of programs and facilities, all of that together,” said Jewell. “The finance, the marketing and sales, the recreation. I enjoy all of it, all the pieces. And the community relations. That’s a big piece of it, too.”

What does the future of Longview hold with Jewell at the helm?

“I’m excited to see what people are looking for in an older adult community like this,” she said, “and what else we can bring to Longview to help assist the individuals that are here — what else we can do as far as innovation, and to do things differently. Do it the Longview way.”  

Tompkins Weekly’s Hometown Heroes Award is sponsored by Security Mutual Insurance and Canopy by Hilton Ithaca.