DALLAS, TX – August 25, 2025 – Lifespace Communities, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit senior living organizations, announced the appointment of Nicole Ornelas as vice president, experience, a newly created role focused on advancing the overall customer and resident experience. In this role, Ornelas will lead efforts to strengthen the connection between team member engagement and the delivery of exceptional service and care across Lifespace’s 15 communities. Ornelas officially joined Lifespace on May 27 and reports directly to Chief Experience and People Officer Nikki Kresse. 
Ornelas brings more than 20 years of experience in customer experience strategy, brand innovation, and transformation leadership across a range of industries. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President, Head of Consumer and Business Customer Experience at Bank of the West, where she led enterprise-wide initiatives that elevated customer satisfaction for more than 1.7 million customers. In that role, she aligned the organization around key experience goals and drove business growth through customer-centric innovation. Her deep expertise in aligning experience strategies with operational priorities makes her uniquely positioned to lead Lifespace’s experience evolution.
“Nicole is highly collaborative and brings a rare combination of operational insight, customer-centric design, and data-driven strategy to the Lifespace team,” said Kresse. “Her passion for putting people first — customers, residents, and team members alike — makes her the ideal leader to elevate our experience strategy in ways that are meaningful, measurable, and scalable.”
In her new role, Ornelas will guide the development and execution of Lifespace’s enterprise experience strategy. This includes elevating resident journeys, introducing innovative service models, and embedding experience as a data-driven business discipline rooted in continuous improvement. She will partner closely with the Director of Resident Experience and Lifestyles, recognizing that dynamic lifestyle programming is a cornerstone of thriving communities.
In addition, Ornelas will collaborate with the Vice President of Human Resources and other functional leaders to ensure the team member experience reflects Lifespace’s broader cultural vision — fostering an environment of empowerment, connection, and pride that enables high-impact service delivery.
“I’m excited to join a purpose-driven organization like Lifespace that places so much value on relationships and resident well-being,” said Ornelas. “By turning insights into thoughtfully designed experiences and amplifying every voice, we will continue building communities where older adults and team members truly thrive.”
About Lifespace Communities
Lifespace Communities, Inc., founded in Des Moines, Iowa, and based in Dallas, Texas, is a not-for-profit organization proudly serving older adults for more than 45 years. Founded in 1976, Lifespace Communities has grown to own and operate 15 continuing-care retirement communities in seven states, serving more than 5,100 residents and employing more than 4,000 team members. For more information about Lifespace and its communities, visit LifespaceCommunities.com.
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