BELLEVUE, Wash.—Transforming Age has made several changes and appointments. Ken Noreen will be vice president of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), Cathy Danigelis is joining the organization’s board of directors, and Jay Woolford will transition into the fulltime role of vice president of real estate development.
Noreen brings more than 35 years of senior living leadership experience with a focus on project development and operations of nonprofit CCRCs. Most recently Noreen served as the senior vice president at Wohlsen Construction, the nation’s 3rd largest builder of senior living communities.
Noreen will be directly responsible for Transforming Age’s CCRC communities, while also serving as interim executive director at Skyline, which recently expanded their downtown Seattle campus with the opening of the Olympic Tower, a 21-story high rise.
“Ken brings incredible knowledge and experience to our organization,” said Torsten Hirche, CEO of Transforming Age. “His diverse experience in CCRC operations and development combined with his passion for our mission and his focus on systems and outcomes will be an invaluable resource as we continue to grow the impact of our efforts to improve the lives of older adults. Ken’s strategic approach for working with communities aligns perfectly with our culture of innovation.”
Over the course of his career, Noreen has cultivated a deep knowledge of CCRCs having served in many different roles and capacities at national nonprofit operators including Covenant Living, Asbury Communities and Retirement Living Services. As executive director, vice president of project development, vice president of operations, and chief strategy officer, Noreen has pioneered operational systems and industry-wide benchmarks.
Danigelis is an accomplished real estate lender specializing in affordable housing.
“Cathy brings incredible insight and real solutions to the housing crisis affecting too many of our nation’s seniors,” says President and CEO, Torsten Hirche. “Her expertise in finding sustainable solutions for affordable housing, as well as her background in consulting with entrepreneurs adds incredible value to Transforming Age as we further our mission.”
Danigelis currently serves as the western region manager for KeyBank and is based in Seattle. She is responsible for a team of lenders financing affordable housing projects across the nation. She has been a real estate lender for over 30 years specializing in affordable housing for the past 20 years with several institutions including US Bank and Bank of America. She also had a successful entrepreneurial venture in sales and consulting for over five years and is a lifelong volunteer. Since 2017 Ms. Danigelis has served as member of the SHAG board, offering governance and oversight to the non-profit that provides affordable housing to over 6,000 older adults. She has a bachelor of arts degree from Michigan State University.
In taking the role of vice president, real estate development, Woolford will step down from his current position as CEO and Executive Director of Sustainable Housing for Ageless Generations (SHAG) to focus on Transforming Age’s push to develop innovative solutions to serve the vast cohort of aging baby boomers needing sustainable and affordable housing solutions. Last year, Transforming Age and SHAG affiliated to leverage their combined resources and expand further into middle-market senior housing, among other strategic objectives.
The affiliation between SHAG and Transforming Age has paved the way for a dedicated Transforming Age affordable housing group to emerge, combining DASH, the Community Living Foundation (CLF), and SHAG to become one of the nation’s leading affordable housing providers under the name CIRC. This new organization will provide affordable housing, management services to other affordable providers as well as services in those communities following the successful integrated housing and services approach pioneered by SHAG.
This group will be headed up by Kim Loveall Price, vice president of community development at Transforming Age and a strong team consisting of the legacy teams of DASH, CLF and SHAG.
In his new real estate development role, Woolford’s vision includes developing more mid-market housing options for the aging baby boomers that do not qualify for subsidized housing nor can afford private-pay senior living options. “We want to be able to begin to look at ways that we can really focus on taking models that we’ve developed and be able to deploy them into that sector of the market with the greatest need,” Woolford said.
About Transforming Age
Transforming Age is a nationally recognized leader in nonprofit senior living and care dedicated to creating unlimited possibilities to enhance the lives of older adults by integrating housing, community services, technology, philanthropy and partnerships. The organization provides housing and services to over 14,000 people nationally including affordable and workforce housing, independent living, assisted living & memory care and continuing care retirement communities. Its HCBS affiliates provide social and community services including home care, adult day health and social & health care coordination to thousands of older adults. Transforming Age affiliated foundations provide philanthropic programs aimed at supporting those in need of financial assistance, the creation or enhancement of programs and services. Transforming Age also provides business service solutions to industry partners including management, development, and consulting services. The organization’s technology initiatives aim to improve the lives of older adults and those who serve them at scale.
