Meet the Team

Amanda has a lifelong love for serving seniors, beginning with her "Gogo", who also lived in a faith-based CCRC. In her grandmother's journey through Alzheimer's disease, Amanda was exposed to the whole spectrum of care levels, and felt a calling to become an advocate for quality of life, dignity, and individuality for all seniors, regardless of their needs. Amanda began her career in senior living working in a variety of front line roles, including dining room server and caregiver. This experience led to Amanda's passion for employee engagement, particularly through career development and genuine expressions of appreciation.

Amanda came to The Holmstad in 2016. She spent the previous decade of senior living leadership in the for-profit side of the sector, and was drawn to the mission of Covenant Living as a faith-based non-profit. Amanda attended Wheaton College, where she received her Bachelor of the Arts with a double major in Business/Economics and Sociology. She became a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator in Illinois in 2008.

Karen happened upon a job working with seniors back in the year 2000, and she never looked back! Her heart has derived more fullness from working with seniors than she ever thought possible. Their experiences, fortitude and wisdom deserve high regard and honor, and it takes a team of dedicated individuals working alongside our seniors to break the barriers, myths, stereotypes and fears that surround aging well in society-at-large.   Karen is thrilled to be a part of that team. As staff, she feels we are invited to serve seniors in a close and personal way, right in their home’s atmosphere. This creates the opportunity to cultivate relationships with each resident, to appreciate their uniqueness, and to develop an enriching culture that brings meaning and peace to their lives. What a job! What a joy!

Lindsey started working with seniors in 2008 as a care giver. Building those personal relationships was a very special part of Lindsey’s life. After experiencing the aging journey of her Grandma, Harriett, Lindsey knew she was going to dedicate her career to serving seniors. She earned a degree from Northern Illinois University in Public Health and a minor in Gerontology. Lindsey’s role as the Sales Director allows her to work alongside people interested in learning more about The Holmstad and help them through the process of becoming a resident in our community.

Ray has been a member of The Holmstad since 2008. Before working here, Ray graduated from North Park University and spent 12 years serving on the pastoral staff of a local Covenant Church. He completed a Master’s Degree at Wheaton College in Educational Ministry with an emphasis in Spiritual Direction which he believes helps him not only in the interpersonal part of his position but also in presenting information in a way that is able to be processed by a variety people. When moving into his role in the sales department, he initially thought it was a great opportunity to extend a caring, helping, encouraging hand to folks as they entered this process. He quickly learned that the interpersonal benefits flowed both ways. He has met some of the most wonderful folks and maintain great relationships after they become residents of The Holmstad.

Darletta joined The Holmstad team with past experience in social work and real-estate. She was excited to work for a faith-based organization that allowed her to help others in such a direct and impactful way. With such a unique personal background, Darletta loves working with families to help people see what fear will not let them see. She enjoys painting a picture of the true value of The Holmstad and helps them through the process of choosing their new residence and taking the steps to move to a new adventure.

In 2017, Kim saw a position was available at The Holmstad, and she jumped at the opportunity! Now, she loves the interactions she gets to have with the people getting ready to move into The Holmstad. She is the smiling face who helps with all of the little details and ensure the move in process goes smoothly. Kim gives her love and care to everyone she works with. She personally saw how big of a decision this is when her Grandmother moved to a CCRC on Ohio. Getting to know the new residents and their families is the most rewarding part of her job.

Kalsang joined The Holmstad as the Michaelsen Healthcare Administrator in 2018. With great knowledge and experience, Kalsang oversees the daily workings of our long and short term skilled nursing facility. She has a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and is a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator. Kalsang learned of her passion for working with seniors many years ago when she volunteered at a local skilled nursing facility, and then she never left! Her personal and cultural values for seniors were the main driver for her interest in the field. Today, Kalsang leads a motivated and caring team of clinical staff who ensure the care of all of our residents in our Michaelsen Healthcare Center.

Anna-Lisa has been a team member since 1998 when she started as a part time receptionist! With such tenure, The Holmstad is certainly her home away from home. Currently, Anna-Lisa assists all families coming to stay at Michaelsen Healthcare Center for short term rehab services or long term care. When Anna-Lisa had family members who needed rehab after an operation, she knew exactly where she wanted them to get their rehab services – Michaelsen! This is a true testament to the quality of the care and services provided. Anna-Lisa loves that she can really make a difference with the work she does: whether it’s helping someone with insurance and rehabilitation or providing support while navigating next steps in care.

Jennifer started working at The Holmstad in 1992 as a server in the dining room! After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Health & Aging, a minor in gerontology and a Master’s degree in Human Resources, she returned to our community as the Human Resources Director. Jennifer oversees all of the innerworkings of hiring new employees, training processes, employee appreciation and more. Jennifer’s heart is with our residents. Being able to enjoy meaningful conversations and spend time listening to their stories is her favorite time each day.

Since 2017, Nicole has been bringing the fun and excitement to The Holmstad residents! From booking concerts, planning parties, and bringing in new and vibrant art and exercise classes – Nicole and her team does it all! Nicole works in tandem with our residents to learn what they love to do and are interested in learning to tailor our programming to their lives. Spending the time with residents to learn about how to give meaning to their lives is so rewarding for Nicole. She lost both of her parents in her 20’s, so she greatly values having these loving relationships.

Algis joined Covenant Living at the Holmstad in 2018 after over 15 years of experience in high-end restaurant dining, catering, and retirement communities. His cooking style is simple local scratch cooking that everyone can enjoy. Algis grew up in a large Lithuanian family and enjoyed many old Baltic dishes all made from scratch, which ignited his passion for cooking. Today, he works closely with his team and our residents to learn the foods they enjoy and want to see on our Specials Menu. When Algis is not at the Holmstad, he enjoys cooking for his wife and two children. Being creative and mixing different types of cuisines is inspiring to him and that shows through his love for food.