Deidra Jane Massie has enjoyed a successful career in sales and marketing for nearly 30 years, the past nine of which have been dedicated to the senior living industry. Now, she is pleased to be joining Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge, which she regards as the premier senior living community in Charlottesville.

We are pleased to welcome Deidra as the new Vice President of Marketing. In this role, she will share the community’s legacy to the world.

“I am honored and excited to contribute to the success and future of WCBR,” she says. And WCBR is very pleased to have her.

“She has a strong understanding of senior care and our local market, having served in marketing and sales roles for several communities,” says President Gary B. Selmeczi. “Please join me in welcoming Deidra to Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge.”

Deidra is described as passionate about seniors. As a University of Virginia graduate, she also is passionate about Charlottesville.  Although she lived her first 17 years in the Washington, D.C. area, Deidra and her family have a deep connection to the Charlottesville area.  Deidra’s grandparents were natives of Charlottesville and were both educators in the community for over 50 years.  She spent much of her time with them during summers and holidays.

Her family’s strong ties to the area prompted her and her brother to pursue study at the University of Virginia. Right away, she felt connected to the institution, starting with “my ancestors who were enslaved and contributed to the building of UVA.”

Today, her mother is 83 and still lives here, and Deidra herself has been deeply involved in the community for years. She serves on three different boards:

• OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UVA. This is an esteemed lecture series that inspired WCBR’s Westminster Lifelong Learning Institute.
• The Center at Belvedere. This community center for seniors is devoted to healthy aging for all through social engagement, physical well-being, civic involvement, creativity, and lifelong learning.
• The Contemporary Club of Albemarle County. This organization of almost 200 women is based on one started in Chicago 150 years ago, by a small group of women to discuss the special needs and concerns of women. Today the club continues to preserve and promote a progressive interest in literature, art, and contemporary thought; bringing active, engaged, and educated women together to maintain and enhance one another and their community.

Each of those organizations addresses issues seniors, staff, and residents at WCBR care about, which is another reason why Deidra is glad to join WCBR.

WCBR is to her the pinnacle of senior living, and she looks forward to introducing more families to the community.

“I’m feeling very honored working for the gold standard,” she says, remembering that when she was with Johnson & Johnson, she promoted a medication that was at the time considered the gold standard in that area of treatment. She learned that you must always be creative and innovative for continued growth and sustainability. You have to keep adjusting your message to appeal to your audience.

Deidra believes that WCBR is all that and more, and she’s eager to share why so many embrace the community and call it home.