Peter J. Kress serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, and has been with Acts since 1993. Before joining Acts, Mr. Kress was President of his own software consulting company for over 10 years. He serves as a commissioner for the Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) where he chairs the standards committee, and is a member of Florida’s Health Information Exchange Coordinating Committee. Mr. Kress is actively involved in promoting the use of technology to support well-being for seniors and frequently speaks on a variety of industry topics at regional, national and international conferences. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Covenant College and a Master of Arts degree in Gerontology from the University of Southern California. Mr. Kress has also completed graduate studies in divinity and theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. Acts began in the early 1970s, when a suburban Philadelphia pastor and members of the Church of the Open Door, a nondenominational church, sought a new and better way of living for the retired church members. Fulfilling instruction of the Scriptures, their idea was to provide a fulfilling and meaningful independent living lifestyle with a quality skilled health care environment that would be available if ever needed. Using their own resources, this group built the first part of what today is known as Fort Washington Estates, which opened in 1972. As of 2023, Acts provides housing and services to more than 10,000 seniors through its family of 26 senior living communities in nine states, and employs approximately 8,000 people.