United Church Homes Welcomes Hughes to Newly-Created Executive Role

United Church Homes (UCH) announced Nov. 15 that Michael Hughes will join United Church Homes in late November as senior executive vice president and chief transformation and innovation officer. In this newly created role, Hughes will lead digital product and service line development, manage major change processes, and drive important partnerships that advance innovation and growth. The role is a strategic one created to better serve older adults, and increasingly those still living in their own homes.

Hughes currently resides in Silver Spring, Md., and comes to UCH with more than 17 years of experience in managed care, health innovation and with expertise in developing programs and partnerships that improve care management. 

Most recently, Hughes was Principal at Mitchell-Lowey LLC, where he worked with organizations at the intersection of aging, technology and health. This included the evaluation of opportunities and solutions to use technology in aging services and care giving. His other roles included vice president of strategic development for Senior Helpers and several positions with increasing responsibility at AARP. Hughes volunteers his time at the Techstars Future of Longevity Accelerator, where he mentors emerging organizations in the aging, health and tech spaces. He was named an All-Star Mentor for 2020 and 2021.

“I look forward to welcoming Michael to the United Church Homes leadership team and working with him to drive the evolution of our service lines,” said the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Daniel, UCH president and chief executive officer. “Michael brings valuable experience that will help us serve more older adults through both new products and digital delivery models.”

Several factors drew Hughes to this opportunity, he said, including UCH’s unique team culture and dedication to its social mission, but he’s also passionate about developing affordable and effective solutions as healthcare costs continue to escalate. 

“It’s estimated that two thirds of us will need help with day-to-day living at some point and this comes with costs that Medicare currently does not cover,” said Hughes. “Next generation approaches are needed to allow us to be more proactive and prepared as our needs and abilities change. UCH’s growing independent living offerings and service delivery strategies seem well positioned for this and I’m excited to help accelerate their direction.”