Kevin joined the organization with a heart of service and an ambitious purpose – to help people live well and age well anywhere they call home. His leadership provided strategic focus and solid planning, building the foundations of healthy communities, engaged residents and participants, enthusiastic staff, and greater good.

“I believe that Kevin’s leadership style stands out with the best I’ve seen in many years as a corporate officer and a consultant,” says Charlie Chapman, a resident at Spring Lake Village who also served many years on the Covia board of directors. “Kevin represents the gold standard for his knowledge and leadership in the not-for-profit senior living arena. His leadership style has allowed his team to be the best they could be in pursuit of our mission.”

“There were once only about 250 affordable housing apartments with EHF (which became Episcopal Senior Communities and now Covia), and now we’re over 1,000 apartments,” shares Karim Sultan, Vice President of Affordable Housing. “There was no Resident Services Coordinator program at Covia before Kevin. Now that program serves 3,500 low income seniors throughout the state of California. It really is a tribute to Kevin’s commitment and leadership in this area.” Resident Service Coordinators help affordable housing residents access services in the community at large to maintain their independence and quality of life.

The Community Services programs have also flourished under Kevin’s leadership. “I’m very proud of the Community Services programs” Kevin notes. “They’ve grown over these last 16 years: addressing social isolation, which has been particularly critical during COVID-19; addressing housing insecurity with our Home Match program; and then addressing the nutrition needs of older people living in the broader community.”

For all the progress and growth of the organization, it is Kevin’s kindness that stands out to both residents and staff.

“I feel like Kevin has always led with his heart,” says Tracy Powell, Vice President of Community Services. “That’s been the overarching value that has infused all his work and has touched all of us.”

Kevin has demonstrated his kindness on a personal level as many employees have been sharing stories of receiving personalized birthday cards and seeing Kevin take the time to help clean up after events.

Kevin explains, “I started working as a younger person as an orderly in a health care setting and I vowed to myself, I would never forget what that felt like, how hard that work is, and how oftentimes it is not recognized or rewarded.”

“I hope everyone in Covia knows that Kevin’s leadership in our field goes far beyond just the Covia walls,” says Jerry Brown, Senior Director of Affordable Housing. “He has influenced our field and national aging policy through serving on other member and community boards.”

Kevin’s leadership has included an emphasis on diversity and inclusion. “I feel very fortunate throughout my career and also my personal life that as a gay man I’ve been accepted, not only by my family, but also in the industry,” Kevin shared. “Early on, I was denied jobs because of that. But again I count myself very fortunate that with all of the employers I’ve had throughout the years, I’ve been able to be authentic and be who I am and not have to hide that.”

Kevin says that being President and CEO of Covia has been the culmination of his career. “I’m very grateful to be able to say that and that the job that I’m closing out my career with has been my favorite job.”

He notes that what he will miss the most are “the relationships with the residents,” He adds that, “This COVID year has been really, really difficult. Zoom is not the same as being able to see all of you in person, and I will miss that. I’ll miss the team, and I will miss all of our board members who have dedicated their time and their talent to seeing Covia grow and expand. And I am very hopeful, as we move into the affiliation with Front Porch, that that will all continue.”

*This article was originally shared in the Spring 2021 edition of Community Matters.

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Although it’s not particularly well known, today is officially recognized as Employee Appreciation Day, and I’m grateful for the chance to share my deepest appreciation for all of you before my departure at the end of March.

As I shared with many of you recently, my first job in senior living was as an orderly at the nursing home where my grandmother lived when I was growing up in Minnesota. I vowed to myself that I would never forget what that felt like, how hard that work is and how often that work is not recognized or rewarded. And I never have.

Caring for people is hard work. It’s hard work physically, whether it’s cooking, cleaning, maintaining buildings, providing health services, or anything we do to provide for all the daily care needs of our residents. It’s hard work mentally, as we try to balance the different needs and desires of each individual, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year. And it’s hard work emotionally and spiritually, because caring for people means investing ourselves, growing attached, and experiencing loss and grief over and over again. Thank you for caring for our residents and for one another.

I am proud of each one of you, and I am proud of how you work together as a team. You show up every day to do this hard work, and you do it very well. Although this has always been the case, it is even clearer to me this year as you have dealt with COVID-19 on top of all of the other demands that are already placed on you.

I am proud to be part of an organization that lives out its guiding principles of respecting one another and embracing individuality. I have seen you demonstrate these values in how you work together, support one another, and hold one another accountable. That’s something I know you will continue to do long after I’m gone.

I am proud of how far we have come, and I know that good things lie ahead for this organization. Although change is never easy, I am excited about our upcoming affiliation with Front Porch and how these two organizations will build on each other’s strengths. Front Porch will be fortunate to have you as our combined team builds a new, enduring organization together.

I will miss Covia, and I will miss you. It will be very hard to say goodbye. But I will remember this Covia team and the great work you do every day. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Kevin Gerber

Kevin J. Gerber has been the President and CEO of Covia since 2005. 

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Dear Covia,

I write to you as my home town of Oakland is in turmoil. All of us were already tired after weeks of shutdown and fear of illness. And, with the death of yet another Black man at the hands of police, another burden has been placed on our African American residents, employees, and neighbors.

I am writing with two messages today. One is to stay mindful of our guiding principles. We say that we have been shaped by our values of welcome, inclusion, social justice, and grace. We will do our utmost to demonstrate those values in all that we do. We say that we will respect one another and treat one another with dignity at all times. Black lives matter, and we resoundingly refuse to give in to racism, hatred, fear and violence. We say that we reflect, celebrate, and foster the diversity of those who live and work within the Covia family and society as a whole. We commit ourselves to supporting our African American residents, employees, and neighbors and to working with our greater communities to build a just society for everyone.

My second message is this: be kind and gentle with one another in these very difficult times. Recognize the burdens that those around you may carry, and help how you can.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Kevin Gerber

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On Tuesday, October 30th, Kevin Gerber, Covia’s President and CEO, along with Doug Pace, Director of Mission Partnerships for the Alzheimer’s Association, welcomed LeadingAge members to the Inclusion Reception, an event at the LeadingAge Annual Meeting and Expo in Philadelphia. Covia was one of the Signature Donors for the event. 

Kevin – Good evening and welcome to the City of Brotherly Love and to LeadingAge’s Inclusion Reception. My name is Kevin Gerber and I’m the president and CEO of Covia, one of the proud sponsors of tonight’s event.
Doug  – And I’m Doug Pace, Director of Mission Partnerships for the Alzheimer’s Association, also one of the proud sponsors this evening.

Thanks to Jerry Brown’s perseverance and advocacy, the first Inclusion Reception occurred when AAHSA, as LeadingAge was then known, held its annual meeting in San Francisco in 2006. Back then, many members never had even heard the term LGBT. Now, we’re hearing it from the podium at the plenary sessions. Then, there were no sessions dedicated to LGBT seniors. This year, we have workshops on preventing elder abuse and person-centered care specifically focused on LGBT seniors.

We’ve come a long way, but we have a long way to go. Only recently we saw the news of a same-sex couple who were refused entry into a senior living community because of their relationship. We still hear of LGBT seniors who decide to leave communities due to the homophobia of their neighbors. We know of friends and colleagues in this industry who still to this day feel they must hide their authentic selves in the place where they work. And many of the gains that we have made as a society seem vulnerable to reversal.

And so, although we’re here tonight to celebrate and enjoy one another, let’s not forget that this is a Party with a Purpose. We can’t rest and say our work is done. In her keynote address on Sunday, Frances Frei said, “You can’t argue for inclusion for one without arguing for inclusion for all.” We need to carry this spirit of inclusion with us to our communities and to our industry, for LGBT persons, and for everyone. After the party is over, let’s go back to our communities and our industry, speaking up for the inclusion of all and working to ensure that the differences among us are not merely tolerated, but welcomed and celebrated.

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