At Transforming Age, we believe that every person deserves to live a life of dignity, respect, and fulfillment, regardless of age. Our values are embedded into what we do and who we hire. The growth of our mission and impact is fueled by team members that continually strive to be better and take leadership in improving our systems, processes, and Culture of Excellence©. That’s why we’re delighted to highlight the stories of three extraordinary team members who have made a significant impact at Transforming Age and significantly advanced their careers while advancing the Transforming Age mission. Their journeys and dedication to the Culture of Excellence bring our shared values to life, demonstrating the highest levels of integrity, teamwork, respect, grace, fun, innovation, and accountability in their daily leadership. They continue to inspire us and their residents with their commitment improving the lives of older adults.
Meet Our Leaders
Ellie Olson, Executive Director of The Rivers (Burnsville, MN), and Jasmine Banks, Executive Director of Heathers Manor (Crystal, MN), started their Transforming Age careers as teenagers and have a deep connection and experience with our residents. Ibtissam Davis, Regional Director of Facilities at Transforming Age, comes from an extensive engineering and healthcare background, and her knack for community connectedness folds seamlessly into our Culture of Excellence.
“The growth of our mission and impact is fueled by team members that continually strive to be better and take leadership in improving our systems, processes, and Culture of Excellence©.”
What is your current role, and what was your previous role?
Ellie: As of September 2024, I’m the Executive Director of The Rivers. I started in housekeeping at The Rivers in 2008, then as Lead Receptionist, where I also did lots of administrative assistant work. In 2014, I was a Director of Resident Relations (handling move-in, paperwork, welcome committee, and educational programming). 2016-2019 I was Community Relations Director, handling marketing, tours, move-ins, and outreach. In 2019, I wanted to get a feel for a different role and fully manage teams, so I became Assistant Executive Director and Life Enrichment Director. I think I went back closer to resident relations and became Support Services Director in 2021. Then, finally, I was Assistant Executive Director from 2022 until this September!
Ibti: My current role is Regional Director of Facilities at Transforming Age. I started working at Skyline in September 2018 as Director of Facilities. Before joining Skyline, I worked at Covenant
Shores for two years and at hospitals in Lebanon, prior to coming to the US.
Jasmine: I was promoted to Executive Director of Heathers Manor in April 2024. I began working part-time in the dining room when I was about 16. I worked my way up and eventually became Lead Server and then Culinary Director. Once I was Culinary Director, I began managing a second restaurant at The Rivers. My supervisor encouraged me to pursue executive director education, and I started taking courses in early 2023. After two and a half years of commuting between Heathers and Rivers, I was offered my current position.
What inspired you to pursue a career in senior living, and how has your journey evolved and led to this promotion?
Ellie: Originally, when I applied, I’d just withdrawn from nursing school to spend as much time as I could with my mother, who’d been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. I happened to walk into The Rivers one day after school, and the Director of Maintenance offered me a job. The work made me realize I wanted to help come up with solutions, build relationships, and help find resources for people more than actually be a nurse. Then, later in my career, the Vice President of Operations offered me mentorship and helped me get my LALD certification.
Ibti: I have always loved working in
healthcare. I feel like sometimes you’ll have so much in your heart to give;
the only way you can give it all in 24 hours is by working in healthcare. It’s
just a different feeling. From healthcare, I made the jump to long-term care.
Jasmine: When I got the server job at 16, I discovered I enjoyed working with seniors. I have a rule: you have to have a passion for caring for seniors to work on my team. I can’t work on a team with someone who doesn’t care about people.
What new responsibilities are you most excited about in your new role, and how do you plan to make an impact?
Ellie: I have the benefit of residents’ trust from being here so long. I’ve shared half my life with them. My husband and I had a second wedding reception here; both my children had their gender reveal parties here, and residents even came to my mom’s funeral. Two residents passed away in the last year and a half that I’d known my whole 16 years here.
Ibti: I’m really excited to take the process, the procedures, the things that we’ve done right or wrong, and modify, adjust, and just have that be able to be implemented across our organization. My vision for the facilities team is that we become a consistent, connected system and be able to reach out to one another for support. I’m most excited about that, conducting bigger pictures.
Jasmine: I’m looking forward to growing more in the field. I dream of working in a larger community and having an even greater impact. I’ve been truly blessed to have found a job that I loved at such an early age.
What do you enjoy most about working with seniors, and how do you build strong relationships with residents and their families?
Ellie: I look forward to coming to work. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had tough days, but everything– the team members, residents, families– they are my second family. In terms of strong relationships, keep your word and be honest. Not having an answer is okay but remember to get back to someone when you say you will. Small gestures go a long way. Give praise when needed, but hold people accountable.
Ibti: The relationships that come with working with seniors. You have a longer relationship with those you care for. You become connected to the residents and their families. It’s just a different feeling than healthcare, and I love it.
To build relationships, you listen to them and are honest. You make sure you know your limitations and what you can offer, and you are honest with the resident and family. Be there with them. When you say you will do something and promise that you can, do it and do it right. At this time in residents’ lives, they need people to be present.
Jasmine: I enjoy helping seniors live as independently as possible. Their wisdom and life experience is plentiful; it’s such a pleasure to talk with them and learn what brings them joy.
With families, communication is key. I send out weekly updates, and families can sign up for regular notes. Even when something goes wrong, it’s the ED’s responsibility to own up to things when mistakes happen. It’s our job to be vigilant.
What advice would you give to others in the industry looking to grow their careers and advance in serving older adults?
Ellie: Find an organization where you feel you can make a difference and stick to it, even through the tough times, because that’s what people notice. One of my favorite sayings is, “They may not remember what you said, but they’ll remember how you made them feel.”
Ibti: My first-ever manager asked me, “So what do you do every day at nine o’clock at night?” He advised me to take an hour every night to think about what I tried during the day and what I needed to do differently. He taught me the importance of changing your thought process. So I’d say look at the problem from the top and think about how you can change it from there. Improve your critical thinking and then improve your problem-solving skills.
Jasmine: There is a very high level of satisfaction when caring for people at this stage of their lives. Aging is a blessing. The stereotypes about aging need to go away. These are some of the kindest, most interesting, and appreciative people you will ever meet.
These inspiring leaders highlight the dedication among our team members for honoring and enriching the lives of older adults. Moreover, their stories of growth and perseverance inspire us all to strive for excellence and foster a culture where compassion leads. As we celebrate the accomplishments of our team members, let’s continue to support each other in our mission to create unlimited possibilities to enhance the lives of older adults.