Team Member Profile: Lucinda Henry

By Cypress Cove Resident Marcia Goldberg

You’ll find Lucinda behind the glass door marked Executive Director, to the right of the Concierge desk. It enters to a newly-painted and carpeted office, where Lucinda can point to the corner where her blow-up sleeping mattress sheltered her for a time during Hurricane Ian. This is the antechamber to the office of Mary Franklin, whom she serves as Executive Assistant.

She is ending up where she started 18 years ago in 2005, as Executive Assistant to the then Executive Director Dick Mulfinger, but her path wandered to assist in the new Philanthropy Department for five years. Much important and exciting work took place there for the capital campaign for The Cottage. She recalls it as a nice interlude, but when Mary Franklin was promoted to Executive Director, Lucinda transferred back to Administration and was home again.

Mary admires her work on the volunteer program and notes that Lucinda put together the orientation packet for new volunteers and the program for tracking volunteer hours, and implemented volunteer opportunities such as beach cleanups and intergenerational events. Mary says she works quietly without boasting because she loves it.

Lucinda views herself as a facilitator – a liaison for residents and staff, an intermediary with people, and as a conduit to Mary herself. There are times that she can solve the problem for you (as several people have told me she has).

She radiates quiet joy and enthusiasm for Cypress Cove and her work here. When speaking to orientation classes for new employees, she tells them, “I am happy to be here, and you will be too.”

Equally important and interesting is where she came from and where she’s been. Lucinda was born in Caracas, Venezuela, to parents who were both native Californians. Her father was working abroad, and when she was three the family moved to California while her father went to Stanford Law School. A few years there saw another move to Juneau, Alaska, where Lucinda spent kindergarten to seventh grade.

Yet another move occurred when her parents divorced, and Lucinda moved with her mom to Hawaii. They lived on Oahu, in the town of Kailua where she went to Kalaheo High School and later the University of Hawaii. Fascinating how the wheel of life keeps rotating: following schooling, she worked for a retirement community in marketing and then as human resources director. Its name, Pohai Nani, meaning “surrounded by beauty.” She lived in beautiful Hawaii for 25 years all told.

Two sons from her first marriage were born in Hawaii: Dion and Jacob. She met Kendall, her second husband, there, and in 2003 they moved to Cape Coral and had two daughters, Betsy and Diane. Betsy, who is attending Florida SouthWestern State College, was last year’s recipient of The Jim and Ardeth Westrope Scholarship. Lucinda was blessed with her first grandchild when Dion’s daughter Sophia was born in 2018.

Lucinda continues to travel for pleasure and enjoys exploring the state with her family, and snorkeling, scuba diving and bird watching. Her mother’s 90th birthday was celebrated with a big family reunion mid-April in California, and she and her family went on to Yosemite.
Last, but certainly not least important, is what those who directly report to Lucinda have to say about working with her. Our concierges are a ‘direct report’ to her and have provided this stellar report of their supervisor’s duties and performance. Lucinda:
Gets to know employees; takes personal interest; strong Manager/Employee relationship
Supportive
Accountability
Adaptability (flexible approach)
Communicates clear vision (for a variety of employee personalities)
Optimism (Ability to stay positive, even during times of uncertainty and after two years of COVID and MONTHS following the aftermath of IAN)… challenged beyond measure!
Innate ‘calming’ personality …calming some of the most difficult waters during life’s many ‘stressful storms’ (soft spoken; humming throughout the chaos!) Patient to a fault!
Sets performance expectations; positivity to motivate team members to do their best work and exceed expectations; critical thinking to evaluate employee performance
Team Building: Encourages teamwork and collaboration; inspires team members to contribute their best work
Open-door policy! (For all … residents & employees)

Lucinda tells of her 25- year career with retirement communities with a chuckle: first she thought she was supporting grandparents, then parents, and now she says it feels like she is working for older brothers and sisters. With a good sense of humor and a positive attitude, she views our Cypress Cove as she expressed to a recent new hire, “We are moving forward but retaining the feeling of neighborhood and community that sets us apart.”

And special people like Lucinda also set us apart.