Changemakers: Glen Lewis, Ceo, Rosevilla

Meet Glen Lewis, CEO of RoseVilla, a single-site continuing care retirement community located in Portland, Oregon. The community, which was founded in 1960, prides itself on “breaking the mold of traditional senior living,” with Lewis leading the charge.

From its Rosebud Preschool program — a Reggio-inspired intergenerational preschool — to its approach to DEIA [​diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility], education and sustainability, RoseVilla has forged an ongoing path toward positive change for its entire existence — and it isn’t slowing down.

In this Changemakers interview, Lewis discusses his change philosophy, as well as where more change is needed in senior living as a whole. He talks about the changes RoseVilla has embraced during his tenure, as well as his advice to operators taking on new changes and challenges themselves.

In what ways do you think the senior living industry is changing right now?

I think it’s changing in a lot of ways, but I also believe it’s changing a little too slowly. I often talk to our leadership team about this. I compare senior living to the early arc of change in technology — those initial shifts between one iPhone to the next were gradual. But over time, those changes accelerated, and now each release brings amplified functionality.

That’s how I see senior living. The expectations of incoming residents — those arriving in two, three or five years — are multiplying quickly. Their desires are changing faster than we’re adapting. So yes, we are seeing changes: new business models, evolving services and product design improvements. But I often ask, are we changing fast enough? And honestly, I don’t think we are.

In what ways do you think senior living operators need to change to meet the needs of the incoming generation of older adults?

I think operators need to ask themselves the tough question more often: “Would I move in and live here today?” I ask myself that all the time when I walk our campus. And while there are areas I’d absolutely live in, there are others that still need redevelopment.

Future residents will have different expectations than those currently living with us. It’s about more than just the physical environment — it’s about engagement, autonomy and purpose. They’ll want to live in communities that reflect their values and allow them to contribute meaningfully. That’s the shift operators need to embrace.

A common challenge operators mention is educating prospective residents and their families. How can the industry improve in this area?

One powerful way is to become more open and integrated into the broader community. Too often, operators treat the campus as closed — just for residents and their families. But when we bring in preschools, host intergenerational programs and open our campuses to clubs and public seminars, we create meaningful interaction between generations.

Take our climate resiliency summit, for example. Our residents organized it, inviting people from other communities and the public. That kind of event challenges the outdated perception of senior living. It shows that important, forward-thinking conversations are happening here — conversations you might expect on a college campus. Initiatives like our Rosebud preschool also engage families and reshape how people think about these communities.

How can senior living organizations change the public’s perception of what senior living is?

We have to be willing to take risks — to break the mold in what we build, how we operate and the types of programs we offer. Initiatives like our sustainability work and our preschool are examples of that.

But taking the risk isn’t enough. We also need to tell the story. It’s mission-driven for me. I want people to be drawn to senior living — not just to live here, but to work here, partner with us and see us as a community asset. That’s why we share what we’re doing outside our own circles, even presenting at conferences unrelated to senior housing. It creates crossover interest and shifts perceptions.

Can you share some recent efforts you’ve led to change the industry for the better?

Sure. One is our 25-year resiliency action plan, which we created with residents, architects and staff. To my knowledge, it’s the first of its kind in senior living. It focuses on making our campus more resilient and self-sustaining in the event of a natural disaster — moving beyond basic emergency plans into true resiliency.

We’re also starting a 25-year sustainability action plan to become the most sustainable senior living organization in the U.S.

Another example is our technology incubator. We partnered with three startups that are introducing senior-focused technologies. Residents and staff use these products, give feedback and help improve them over six to nine months. It’s mutually beneficial and helps us stay on the leading edge.

And finally, while many organizations are pulling back from DEIA efforts, we’re leaning in. We’re conducting a full assessment in partnership with consultants to ensure we’re building a culture where everyone is seen and respected.

Is the senior living industry moving quickly enough to change in the ways it needs to?

As a whole, no. And I think our customers are telling us that. You might not see it in occupancy numbers — many communities, including ours, have waiting lists. But that can lull us into complacency.

The next generation of residents is used to autonomy and tech-enabled convenience — whether it’s ordering food in an airport or checking into a hotel with an app. They’ll expect the same ease and freedom in senior living. Many of them are still working when they move in, but most of our spaces aren’t built for that. We’re only just starting to talk about things like flex workspaces.

Beyond technology, they want values alignment. They want to leave a legacy. And I’m not sure we’re offering them enough ways to do that yet.

Can you share an example of a change initiative that didn’t go as planned? What did you learn?

Absolutely. One example is our attempt to restructure our waitlist at Rose Villa. We had a traditional system: a flat $3,000 fee and a sequential list. But it didn’t account for product preferences or allow for deeper engagement.

We created a tiered system with the top tier committed to moving within two years and giving a higher deposit. The idea was to build better relationships and prepare people more meaningfully. But it sparked a lot of pushback. People were emotionally attached to their place in line — it felt like a rite of passage.

In hindsight, we didn’t do enough resident engagement beforehand. We didn’t realize how personal that waitlist spot was. We had to pause, take a step back and rethink. Ultimately, we launched the new system a few months later with better feedback and a better outcome.

What’s the biggest change you’ve made in your career, and what did you learn?

Transitioning from the hotel industry into senior living. I spent 17 years in hospitality and had no plans to change. I had assumptions about senior housing and wasn’t interested.

But I was recruited by Aegis Living, and the culture drew me in. I took the leap — moved my family from Portland to Seattle — and joined an assisted living and memory care organization in a highly regulated state. It was a huge learning curve.

I felt everything was on the line, and that pressure pushed me to learn and adapt quickly. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made.

If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about the senior living industry, what would it be?

I would change how regulatory agencies approach their work. I wish every regulator asked themselves, “Would I want to live in this community under these rules?”

Safety is important — but so is quality of life. Regulations often focus strictly on compliance, not on whether residents feel free and autonomous. We need to balance safety with the human experience.

What fictional character would you enlist to help change the senior living industry for the better this year?

I’d enlist help from the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. Senior living is at a crossroads and operators are reassessing roles and how to accommodate a new generation of residents.

“Which way do we go?” “What path is the best path forward?” Much like his guidance to a lost Alice, the Cheshire Cat’s wisdom cuts through the confusion with a simple yet profound answer: That depends. “Where do we want to get to?”

As senior living operators, if we don’t have a clear vision of where we want to be, then the path we take and the decisions we make become more and more irrelevant. We’ll eventually get somewhere, but it may not be the best place for our organization, team members or residents.

No one wants to sail on an aimless ship. People need purpose and direction. Rather than asking, “Which path do we take?” ask, “Where do we want to be in one, five, 10, 20 or 30 years?” If we know where we’re going, we’ll know how to get there.

Pretend the senior living industry is a streaming service. What movie or television series best describes the industry right now?

What’s Next: The Future with Bill Gates, a NETFLIX Documentary. Professionals, tech gurus and other changemakers join Bill Gates in this series to talk about the challenges our world faces and innovative solutions that promise a better future. In our own industry — and living in our communities — we have some of the brightest minds exploring, innovating and advocating to make senior living better and make the world a safer, more equitable place.

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