Meet Ed Kohl
Associate Operations Officer for Corporate Services,
Community Care

Ed Kohl, Community Care’s new Associate Operations Officer for Corporate Services, is a surfer, but not the kind who hangs out at the beach to catch a wave. Nor is he a surfer of the Internet. He doesn’t have that kind of time.

“I like to be a part of things growing and dynamic,” says Ed, a life-long resident of southeastern Wisconsin. For 23 years with Lutheran Social Services (with the last 15 as a Regional Vice President), Ed helped that organization rise from 13 million to its peak of 95 million. As its growth slowed, he saw Community Care rising up over the horizon. “As one wave peaked, I picked up the next,” he says.

But Ed plans to do much more than catch a wave. “Coming to work for Community Care is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Ed. “At Community Care, I can be one of the people moving the earth, shaping what Wisconsin’s long-term care system will look like.”

Ed is one of those people for whom work has to be more than just a job. “Helping people live independently and improving the quality of their lives has always been an important part of my professional career.” He was attracted to Community Care’s mission to help people live as independently as possible in their homes and communities. He was impressed by the high quality of care Community Care provides. He also appreciates the commitment to service. “Community Care has a track record of making its vision a reality,” says Ed.

At Lutheran Social Services, Ed developed long and deep relationships with the counties that are now passing the reins of managed long-term care to Community Care. For the past two years, Ed participated in the Family Partnership Managed Care Consortium, a group of public and private leaders in long-term care reform. “As a provider of LTC services to the counties, I was the only representative of providers at the planning table.”

Now at Community Care, Ed has wide-ranging responsibilities. He has oversight of contracting, network development and provider relations; of properties and expansion; and of functional screening. Then there is the biggest category of his new responsibilities – “other duties as assigned,” he says. With Community Care on the cusp of expansion into five new counties, Ed’s “other duties” include finding office and work space, among other miscellaneous tasks.

Developing a strong provider network is essential, he says. “We are as good as our provider network. Many long-term care providers have a long history of working with people with disabilities and will be an asset. We all have to adapt to a new world called ‘Family Care.’ It is challenging, but I am confident that together we’ll adapt to this new structure. Our goal is to provide quality care for people in ways that also benefit the providers.”

Ed is just as passionate about developing high quality facilities in which to serve people. “What we provide speaks volumes about how we care for people. Providing clean, bright new facilities speaks volumes about the quality of life we want for the people we serve,” he says.

Increasing both the quality and quantity of services is not an easy thing to do, he says. “The good news is that we do everything as a team and we have a great team in place and a great team can make incredible things happen.”

When he’s not at work, you can find Ed in the stands at high school track meets and activities, cheering for his son. “That’s my single biggest outlet. The great thing about kids is that they don’t care what mountains you’re trying to move. They just expect you to be Dad.”