Integral Senior Living President And Ceo Gray To Retire

Integral Senior Living CEO President and Collette Gray is retiring after three decades as an industry leader. Her retirement was announced Friday and is effective June 30.

She is stepping down from her role later this year to spend more time with her family and friends. She is slated to remain an advisor and member of the Discovery Senior Living board of directors post-retirement.

Gray, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1995, said her disease is progressing, prompting her decision to retire. As she steps away from the industry, Gray said her decision to retire was not an easy one to make, and that the moment feels “bittersweet.”

“I am leaving an industry that I am passionate about and have worked in for 30 years. But at the same time, I am going to be able to spend time with family and friends,” she told Senior Housing News.

Integral Senior Living COO Laura Fisher is set to manage the company’s portfolio now that Gray is retiring. Gray also was CEO of Solstice Senior Living, and the company’s portfolio will now be led by COO Steve Flynt.

In 2023, Discovery Senior Living acquired and merged with ISL as sister companies, with Gray serving an “instrumental” role in that process.

“Collette has been a transformational leader, not only for Discovery, but for the entire seniors housing industry,” Discovery Senior Living CEO Richard Hutchinson said in an announcement about Gray’s retirement. “Her vision and approach ensured the seamless integration of ISL while also helping to establish Discovery as a national leader, delivering exceptional experiences and care to our residents, their families and all our communities.”

Today, Discovery Senior Living’s holdings include nearly 35,000 units across 350 communities and nearly 40 states, and an umbrella of companies that in addition to ISL includes Discovery Management Group, Provincial Senior Living, Morada Senior Living, TerraBella Senior Living, LakeHouse Senior Living, Arvum Senior Living and a handful of other brands.

Gray, who joined Discovery after the acquisition and combination of the companies, said she is “incredibly proud” of what they have accomplished in just a couple of years. ISL brought on five more communities in early January, and Gray said the operator has succeeded in hiring a “strong team” for its next phase of growth.

Her biggest accomplishments within the company were “developing a culture where people want to come to work every day, developing talent within the industry and seeing people with potential and growing them to new heights.”

Gray has spent time with a few different companies throughout the years. Before joining ISL, she worked with Merrill Gardens for six years, and worked in several roles at Atria Senior Living after its merger with ARV.

Mentoring Gray over the years were industry veterans including former Vintage Senior Living President Vicki Clark, former R.D. Merrill President and Merrill Gardens Founder Bill Pettit and ISL Founder Sue Farrow.

Gray also helped mentor several people now in prominent industry positions over the years, including Cassondra Blair, who rose through the ranks starting as a receptionist with ISL and now works as Discovery’s vice president of licensing and legal assimilation; ISL COO Fisher, who Gray initially hired as a business office manager; and current Oakmont Senior Living President and CEO Courtney Siegel, who Gray first hired as a sales director.

“I feel truly honored to have been able to participate in and be part of some incredibly talented people growing in this industry,” she said.

Gray also served on the Argentum board of directors and chaired its Women in Leadership committee, which she co-founded in 2017.

As she surveys the senior living industry, Gray said she is “incredibly optimistic” for the year ahead. She added that 2025 will be the year she sees the industry “working smarter, not harder” in light of all its recent challenges.

“I definitely see us moving forward,” she said. “Innovation, technology, people doing out of the box things are going to be key in 2025, and that excites me.”

Gray’s next chapter will include spending time with friends and family in addition to volunteering. She is particularly passionate about traveling, and as of 2025 she has traveled to all seven continents and is close to reaching a goal of visiting 100 countries across the globe.

Gray also works with charitable organizations such as the Women’s Resource Center, which helps women who are victims of domestic abuse; and the Coastal Humane Society, an organization that helps pets and animals.

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