Senior housing investment and finance executive brings more than 20 years of experience
and over $1 billion in capital transactions to Distinctive Living leadership
FREEHOLD, NJ — September 28, 2026 — Distinctive Living, a trusted leader in senior living management and development, has welcomed Dayton Wheeler, MBA, to its leadership team as Senior Vice President of Investments, Asset Management, and Business Intelligence.
Wheeler brings more than 20 years of experience spanning private equity, senior housing investments, and multi-site healthcare finance. Throughout his career, he has participated in more than $1 billion in capital transactions, including acquisitions, developments, joint ventures, preferred equity investments, and tax-exempt bond financings.
“Dayton brings a powerful combination of investment expertise, financial discipline, and a deep understanding of senior living operations,” said Joe Jedlowski, Founder and CEO of Distinctive Living. “His ability to connect capital strategy, asset performance, and business intelligence will be instrumental as we expand our platform and pursue new opportunities. Just as importantly, Dayton shares our commitment to creating lasting value for capital partners, asset managers and REITs.”
In his new role, Wheeler will help drive Distinctive Living’s continued growth by cultivating strategic capital partnerships and leading underwriting for acquisitions and new developments. He will bring institutional discipline to the company’s investment evaluation and deal structuring while strengthening asset management and revenue strategies across its managed portfolio.
Wheeler will also advance Distinctive Living’s business intelligence capabilities by enhancing the reporting frameworks, dashboards, and automations that provide leaders with timely, precise, and actionable data. His integrated approach will help connect capital strategy and portfolio performance with the operational insights needed to make informed decisions and deliver sustainable results.
“Distinctive Living has built an entrepreneurial, people-centered organization with a clear vision for growth and an impressive ability to execute,” said Wheeler. “By aligning investment strategy with operational execution, we can create sustainable, risk-adjusted value for our investors while continuing to deliver exceptional outcomes across the communities we manage.”
Before joining Distinctive Living, Wheeler served as Vice President, Real Estate Investments, where he managed a $650 million senior housing portfolio. He previously spent a decade as Vice President of Finance at StoneGate Senior Living, a post-acute care operator with more than 40 locations.
Wheeler earned an MBA in International Finance and Business from Oklahoma City University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Houston.
His appointment further strengthens a leadership team focused on pairing exceptional people with disciplined execution, data-informed decision-making, and meaningful results for residents, team members, and capital partners.
About Distinctive Living
Distinctive Living is a nationally recognized senior living management, development and operations company headquartered in Freehold, New Jersey. The company oversees assets across independent living, assisted living, memory support and specialty senior housing communities. Its fully integrated platform supports the entire asset lifecycle from acquisition, planning and development through lease-up, day-to-day operations and long-term performance. Distinctive Living combines experienced, hands-on leadership with data-driven operating systems, business intelligence, institutional-grade financial controls and comprehensive clinical and regulatory oversight. The company’s resident-centered approach encompasses care delivery, team development, sales and marketing, restaurant and hospitality, health & wellness, life enrichment and its signature Moments Matter™ memory support program. Through an ownership-minded operating philosophy, Distinctive Living seeks to create meaningful resident experiences while strengthening occupancy, operational performance and long-term value for its partners. For more news, visit https://distinctive-liv.com.
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