Meet The Belfair Gardens Team

Our 24-hour caring and specially trained staff has been carefully selected for not only what is in their heads, but for what is in their hearts. They not only administer a full range of services for our residents, but consider them part of the Belfair Gardens' family. We provide ongoing training well exceeding state and national requirements for caregivers. Our staff is trained in geriatric rehabilitation, cognitive restorative therapies and memory care. Most importantly, our associates are taught how to keep their sense of humor and laugh everyday with the residents. Our Self-Directed Work Team approach encourages each staff member to leave every day knowing that they truly made a difference in the life of a person coping with Dementia. With such a great team, Belfair Gardens brings unsurpassed quality of life to residents and peace of mind for their families. We encourage resident and family feedback to develop programs that will compliment our resident's interests and help cultivate new ones.

Lara Williams, CDS

Executive Director

Lara has been the Executive Director at Belfair Gardens since its opening. She is responsible for overseeing daily operations of the community, ensuring high quality care and services are provided to residents and achieving high resident satisfaction. Lara was the Executive Director at other independent living, assisted living and memory care communities for over 20 years. Lara is a Certified Dementia Specialist and received her National Dementia Care Specialist certification from the Dementia Care Professionals of America. She is certified in Advanced Behavioral and Cognitive Care and as a Lewy Body Dementia support group facilitator. Lara has also completed the Dementia Dialogues program through the University Of South Carolina, Arnold School Of Public Health, and is a South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium Continuing Education Trainer for Virtual Dementia. Lara attended University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned her degree in Business Management. Lara is a member of the Alzheimer's Association, SAGE Institute, Healthcare Network Group of the Lowcountry, South Carolina Society of Association Executives, ASAE - Center for Association Leadership and the Assisted Living Federation of America. She sits on the Advisory Board of the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. Lara has received numerous awards throughout her distinguished career, including: "Geriatric Best Practice"; A Duke University Endowment Collaboration from South Carolina Geriatric Education Institute; "National Award of Excellence" from the Assisted Living Federation of America; "Leadership in Aging Award" from South Carolina Office on Aging and "Order of the Palmetto Patriot Award" from South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer. Lara currently serves as the Executive Director of South Carolina Assisted Living Federation of America. Bloomfield Senior Living awarded Lara a "Certificate of Excellence" for her outstanding accomplishment of receiving a "Deficiency-Free Survey" from the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control.

Kerry Byrne, LPN

Wellness Director

Kerry has been the Wellness Director at Belfair Gardens since 2012. She is responsible for overseeing resident health care services, the medication delivery system and conducting "Habits of a Lifetime" assessments. Kerry is a Licensed Practical Nurse and has been caring for seniors in that role since 1981. She comes to Belfair Gardens from Five Star Senior Living, a national assisted living and memory care provider, where she was the Director of Memory Care. During her distinguished 30-year career, Kerry worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse for national and local home health agencies, assisted living communities, skilled nursing facilities, hospitals and a non-profit, multi-specialty medical group practice providing care to adult and pediatric patients. Kerry received her nursing degree from Maiden Hospital School of Nursing.

Marvin Smart

Assistant Wellness Director

Marvin has been the Assistant Wellness Director at Belfair Gardens since its opening. He is responsible for helping the Wellness Director oversee the day-to-day activities of the nursing department. For the previous decade, Marvin worked in Alzheimer's and dementia care assisted living communities as a Medication Technician and Supervisor-In-Charge. He spent 8 years as a Combat Medic in the United States Army. Marvin graduated from Coastal Georgia College.

Kaylie Layman

Executive Chef

Kaylie has been the Executive Chef at Belfair Gardens since 2012. She is responsible for making delicious and nutritious home-cooked meals from scratch every day for our residents using only the freshest ingredients. Our residents enjoy a five-star dining experience lead by Kaylie filled with a rich assortment of menu options. In collaboration with our Registered Dietician, Kaylie incorporates resident’s personal recipes, special requests and Bloomfield Senior Living old time favorites so our well-balanced gourmet menus are designed with their health, personal tastes and preferences in mind. Understanding how important great food is to our residents, Kaylie is consistently introducing exciting new cuisines for the community to enjoy. She is known around our community for hosting weekly sessions with our residents regarding the menu.

Paula Richardson

Life Care Coordinator

Paula has been the Life Care Coordinator at Belfair Gardens since its opening. She is responsible for planning and coordinating community-sponsored activity, exercise and wellness programs for residents. Paula previously worked as the Life Coordinator in a free standing Alzheimer's & dementia care assisted living community in Columbia, South Carolina. Paula is a certified Activity Director and received Modular Education Program for Activity Professionals I & II certifications from National Certification Council for Activity Professionals. Paula attended Midlands Technical College and completed activity-based Alzheimer care training. She is a member of the National Association of Activity Professionals.

Carl Mcteer

Maintenance / Housekeeping Director

Carl has been Maintenance and Housekeeping Director at Belfair Gardens since 2011. He is responsible for maintenance, repairs and improvements to the community and overseeing housekeeping. Carl ensures our residents' homes and surroundings are in a safe and clean condition. He is a self-motivated achiever who simply gets the job done. Carl has extensive experience as a maintenance specialist and has worked for various companies, including Wal-Mart and D&A Roofing, in such capacities.

Crystal Seay

Office Manager

Crystal has been the Office Manager at Belfair Gardens since 2013. She is responsible for maintaining day-to-day business office operations and procedures, including payroll, rent deposits and resident billing. For the previous 12 years, Crystal has been overseeing human resources, managing front office operations and administrative services and promoting customer service initiatives for a variety of staffing, retail and tax companies. She graduated from Ashford University with a degree in public administration and is currently taking course in administrative healthcare. Crystal has taken many training courses in valuing diversity, management for executive women and support specialist programs at the Human Resources Development Institute.