Explore Riderwood’s History

An evolving project of the Riderwood History Group

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Riderwood Highlights

Browse through the years with our past Executive Directors.

Lenora Booth
Executive Director 2000 – 2002

  • 2000 Riderwood Village welcomes first residents in May.
  • 2001 Riderwood TV, channel 99, begins broadcasting; Riderwood’s resident population reaches 500; the first Opportunities Fair held.
  • 2002 Renaissance Gardens opens (later renamed Arbor Ridge).

Kerry Jones
Executive Director 2002 – 2005

  • 2003 First major snow storm emergency in January; Hampton Square opens in April; Madison Green opens in October; full continuum of care now available (independent, assisted, skilled); 454 new residents.
  • 2004 Chapel opened in March; TNC build-out complete; 531 new residents.
  • 2005 Lakeside Commons Opens, with opening of Orchard Point and Forest Crossing; MST dining room and lobbies renovated; 432 new residents.

Donna Mason
Executive Director 2006 – 2011

  • 2006 Orchard Point and Forest Crossing completed in March; Polling sites at Riderwood were established for each county ; Intermissions Program starts; 423 new residents moved in.
  • 2007 Oak Grove open; Official combo created in Walden Court and Park View; Coupon Cutters were active; Received award from the Wildlife Habitat Council; Renaissance Gardens completed; occupancy at 98%!
  • 2008 Recession and housing market downturn. Supported a butterfly garden at East Silver Spring Elementary School in cooperation with the Audubon Naturalist Society’s Green Kids program.
  • 2009 First time for Lobster Feast; Renaissance Gardens’ Rose Court 4 opened. Many renovations on campus and enhancements to Rose Gardens were completed; Erickson Retirement Community files for bankruptcy.
  • 2010 New Assisted Living units were completed and occupied; Wye Oak Pub opens in Town Center.
  • 2011 Montgomery Station renovation; Rose Court renovation; Additional combo apartments created.

Chip Warner
Executive Director January, 2011 – 2016

  • 2012 Renamed the Montgomery Station Catering room and Performance Hall as Chesapeake Room and Maryland Hall; 20 meal plan introduced in July; Dining received award for Crab Soup recipe; Calendar Girls Calendar raised $23,000 for Benevolent Care Fund; Legacy Tree started; There were 46 employees honored for 10 years of service; Seasonal Farmers’ Market started; Renaissance Gardens renamed Arbor Ridge.
  • 2013 Potomac Cafe renovated; Nook cafe opened in VSQ; Dog Run and Bocce Court were built; Swift Reach used to notify residents about urgent messages; Treasure Chest raised $500,000.00 so far; Added adult learners to scholarship awards
  • 2014 Fitness room added to Montgomery Station; Pilot MyErickson and MyEvents offered long range listing of happenings; Riderwood Connect installation begins.
  • 2015 Entry gate mechanisms replaced; the 2nd and 3rd floors of Orchard Point converted for Assisted Living apartments; Riderwood Connect was complete throughout the campus;

Gary Hibbs
Executive Director March, 2016 – 2022

  • 2016 Smoke-free campus begins; keyless access installed for resident buildings; The Glen at Orchard Point opens; refunds of 90% starts.
  • 2017 Signature Dining introduced; Town Center repositioning begun; Glen completed; automatic door openers installed throughout the campus.
  • 2018 Groundbreaking begins for Wellness Center; Town Center repositioning complete; Lakeside Commons repositioning begins; partnership with Adventist Hospital commences; parking lights changed to LED; MyErickson launchs app for smart phones.
  • 2019 Wellness Center opens; Lakeside Commons repositioning continues; Calvert Landing new elevator operational; Blue Heron Pub opens.
  • 2020 Montgomery Station repositioning begins; Hilltop Table restaurant added to Montgomery Station.; pandemic hits in March changing everything.
  • 2021 Vaccine clinics conducted for residents and staff; Wellbeats offered for web based exercises; partnership with Calverton Elementary School begin; held a Turkey Trot; online dining reservations implemented.

Dee Dee Gray-Weaver
Executive Director October, 2022 – present

  • 2022 Occupancy rate of 91.8%; Hosted an inter-community pickleball tournament; had Opportunities Fair, Spring Fling carnival, 2nd Pride Parade; participated in Erickson softball tournament; updated MyNutrition website; sustainability efforts increase with participation in Trex plastic bag recycling and composting dining kitchen waste.
  • 2023 CVS store opens in VSQ; six outdoor pickleball courts were added; Montgomery Station repositioning completed; a Food Scrap Drop-off Pilot was initiated by residents.
  • 2024 Local Trips program enhanced and expanded to include more resident input; Meditation Garden opened; a post-rehab program was created to ease transition between outpatient rehab to independent exercise; a vehicle donation program was implemented for the BCF; regular transportation to local hospital and medical offices resumed.
  • 2025 25th Anniversary: John Erickson keynote speaker; Pioneer luncheon and celebrations; integrated catalog for all RWV libraries; Village Square repositioning begins.

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