Buckner International: News

(BEAUMONT, Texas) — Buckner Retirement Services, Inc. has named Ben Mazzara as the new executive director for Calder Woods. Mazzara will assume his position Oct. 29.

Charlie Wilson, director of operations at Buckner Retirement Services, said Mazzara is “full of zeal for Buckner.

“I don’t know of many people who get this excited about a new job,” Wilson said. “His passion for Buckner and our service to the elderly combined with 20 years of healthcare experience may prove to be one of our greatest assets at Calder Woods.”

Mazzara said he considers his new responsibilities more than a job.

“It’s a ministry,” he said. “It’s all about the residents and the dedicated staff members.”

Before coming to Buckner, Mazzara served as administrator for The Texas State Veterans Home in Big Spring, Texas, which has been managed by the Sears Methodist Retirement System since 2004.

Before that, he was executive director for Methodist Retirement Systems Inc. in Galveston and Lufkin from 1997-2004. And in 2005, Governor Rick Perry appointed him to the Nursing Facility Administrators Advisory Committee, in which he still serves.

Mazzara said that as soon as he begins his job, he plans to spend time speaking to Calder Woods staff and learning as much as he can about the community’s past and future.

“I look forward to meeting with staff members for any ideas they may have in making the community better for residents,” he said. “Staff members know their jobs and the needs better than anyone else.

“The Calder Woods community has a wonderful reputation,” he added. “So I want to learn more about how it is functioning now, and then work to see how it can be improved further. We are all here for the residents and we want to be the leaders in long-term care and make our retirement community the best in Texas.”

Mazzara received his bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of Texas School of Allied Health. He also participated in long-term care administration courses offered at The University of Houston, Clear Lake.