Meet The Riverside At Belfair Team

Our 24-hour caring and specially trained staff not only administers a full range of services for our residents, but considers them part of the Riverside family. You will often see our Executive Director sharing stories with residents, our Life Enrichment Coordinator playing cards or baking a cake with residents in the activity center, or our Chef coordinating special events for residents in the private dining room. This is how the Riverside family knows when our residents had a grandchild, expect a visitor for lunch or just need a light bulb replaced. Our team encourages resident feedback to develop programs that will compliment our resident's interests and help them cultivate new ones.

Lara Williams, CDS

Executive Director

Lara has been the Executive Director at Riverside at Belfair since 2010. She is responsible for overseeing daily operations of the community, ensuring high quality care and services are provided to residents and achieving high resident satisfaction. Lara was the Executive Director at other independent living, assisted living and memory care communities for over 20 years. Lara is a Certified Dementia Specialist and received her National Dementia Care Specialist certification from the Dementia Care Professionals of America. She is certified in Advanced Behavioral and Cognitive Care and as a Lewy Body Dementia support group facilitator. Lara has also completed the Dementia Dialogues program through the University Of South Carolina, Arnold School Of Public Health, and is a South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium Continuing Education Trainer for Virtual Dementia. Lara attended University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned her degree in Business Management. Lara is a member of the Alzheimer's Association, SAGE Institute, Healthcare Network Group of the Lowcountry, South Carolina Society of Association Executives, ASAE - Center for Association Leadership and the Assisted Living Federation of America. She sits on the Advisory Board of the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. Lara has received numerous awards throughout her distinguished career, including: "Geriatric Best Practice"; A Duke University Endowment Collaboration from South Carolina Geriatric Education Institute; "National Award of Excellence" from the Assisted Living Federation of America; "Leadership in Aging Award" from South Carolina Office on Aging and "Order of the Palmetto Patriot Award" from South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer. Lara currently serves as the Executive Director of South Carolina Assisted Living Federation of America.

Sadie Jenkins

Dietary Service Director

Sadie has been the Dietary Service Director at Riverside at Belfair since 2011. She is responsible for overseeing the Dietary Department and makes delicious and nutritious home-cooked meals from scratch every day for our residents using only the freshest ingredients. Our residents enjoy a five-star dining experience lead by Sadie filled with a rich assortment of menu options. In collaboration with our Registered Dietician and certified Sous-Chef specializing in pastries, Sadie incorporates resident’s personal recipes, special requests and old time favorites so our well-balanced gourmet menus are designed with their health, personal tastes and preferences in mind. Understanding how important great food is to our residents, Sadie is consistently introducing exciting new cuisines for the community to enjoy. She's known around our community for hosting weekly sessions with our residents regarding the menu. Sadie has 2 decades of experience as a Chef, previously worked at other senior living communities (in Bluffton and Hilton Head) for nearly 15 years and has won several cooking competitions during her career including an Iron Chef. Her other accomplishments include "2010 Ultimate Chef of America" participant hosted by Brookdale Senior Living and "Five Star Dining Service" awards. Sadie is ServeSafe certified.

Savannah Fuentes

Life Enrichment Coordinator

Savannah has been the Life Enrichment Coordinator at Riverside at Belfair since 2008. She is responsible for planning and coordinating community-sponsored activity, exercise and wellness programs for residents. Savannah previously owned an advertising company and worked for the South Carolina Yacht Club coaching racers at regattas. Savannah attended University of South Carolina and College of Charleston. She graduated cum laude with a degree in Business Administration and Economics and received numerous distinctions including College of Charleston Scholar Athlete, Distinguished Honor Student, Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and South Carolina Life Scholarship Recipient. She was a member of the College of Charleston Investment Club, Downtown Macon Rotary Club (where she received the Rookie of the Year award) and College of Charleston NCAA Sailing Team (where she participated in two National Championships). She was also a board member of Home Builders of Middle Georgia Association. She volunteers as a Special Olympics coach.

Dianne Hillyer

Community Relations Director

Dianne has been the Community Relations Director at Riverside at Belfair since 2010. She is responsible for sales and marketing and has helped numerous families find placement for their loved ones. Dianne previously oversaw marketing for a memory care community in Columbia, South Carolina and worked in advertising, fundraising and as a special education teacher. She is a certified Lewy Body Dementia support group facilitator. Dianne received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from North Carolina Wesleyan College and her Master’s in Special Education from California State University. She is a member of the Hilton Head - Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk Committee, American Heart Association, Rotary Club and Healthcare Network Group of the Lowcountry.

Linda Browne

Leasing Director

Linda has been the Leasing Director at Riverside at Belfair since 2011. She is responsible for helping families find placement for their loved ones and oversees move-in coordination services. Linda previously worked in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She spent 17 years at other independent and assisted living communities and 13 years with the Xerox Corporation where she also attended Xerox University: an innovative sales and marketing initiative. Linda attended George Washington University. Linda is a licensed South Carolina Realtor.

Edward Warren

Maintenance / Housekeeping Director

Edward has been Maintenance and Housekeeping Director at Riverside at Belfair since 2006. He is responsible for maintenance, repairs and improvements to the community and overseeing housekeeping. Edward ensures our residents' homes and surroundings are in a safe and clean condition. He is a self-motivated achiever who simply gets the job done. Edward previously served in the United States Army. Edward received various certifications from the Licensed Trades of America, including EPA 608 Technician, R407C Industrial Technician and R410A Industrial Technician.

Brittany Giron

Office Manager

Brittany was promoted to Office Manager at Riverside at Belfair in 2011 due to her outstanding work and dedication to our residents and families. She is responsible for maintaining day-to-day office operations and procedures, including payroll, rent deposits and resident billing. Brittany was the Lead Concierge and Assistant To Executive Director at Riverside at Belfair from 2008 - 2011. Brittany is currently taking college classes and majoring in Healthcare Administration.