Laura always knew in her heart that she wanted to serve her community through her professional pursuits. Her journey of community-based work began as a public school teacher for 9 years. In addition to working with students in her classroom, Laura took on various leadership positions and even completed many steps toward becoming a principal, including earning a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology Leadership from Lamar University.

Though she experienced a deep satisfaction from educating children, Laura felt a strong drive to expand her horizons further in serving her greater community. She reflected on her family’s experiences of supporting her grandmother through the journey of aging, receiving care, and ultimately living at various senior living communities. While the care and support felt sufficient, Laura felt there was always something missing. She followed this curiosity into researching the senior care profession as a possible career, and when she interviewed for the Executive Director position at Bella Groves she found the perfect opportunity to bring together her skills in teaching, heart for service and desire to grow as a leader. The mission and vision of Bella Groves helped Laura to articulate what was missing her family’s senior living experience.

“From the moment I stepped foot inside Bella Groves, I knew this was where I belonged; where I could serve others and be blessed with the opportunity to help my team make a difference for people living with dementia. Everything about what we create here at Bella Groves would have changed my grandmother’s life in ways I didn’t even know were possible. It is this mindset that drives me to lead my team to facilitate that joy for our residents, families, and community members.”

When Laura is not at work, she enjoys traveling the hill country, cooking for her family and friends, and restoring vintage furniture with her husband, Patrick, all while raising their youngest child, Charlie.

Kayla has been working in geriatric care for over five years now. While she was completing her undergraduate degree in English at Texas State University, Kayla knew that she wanted to have a job with a sense of purpose. That was when she applied to become a care partner at an assisted living and memory care facility. It was in this role that Kayla truly fell in love with the senior population. She realized that she always came home with stories to tell from the first-person account of her elders; some that were hilarious, others heartbreaking, and many that were tales of encouragement and wisdom. These stories became the inspiration for a book she wrote titled, “When We Kneel, We Learn: A Look at Caregiving Through the Lens of Faith.”

After receiving her Bachelor’s degree, Kayla became a full-time memory care coordinator. Almost a year into that role, the doors opened for Kayla to go back to school to work on and earn her Master’s degree in Dementia and Aging Studies. She chose the long-term care track, which included a 1,000-hour internship at a skilled nursing facility. Kayla credits both her professional and educational experiences in leading her to her present opportunity to serve as the Director of Dementia Programs & Education for Bella Groves.

In her own words, “I have no doubt that this field of work has been a calling in my life from the Lord. Holding the position as Dementia Director at Bella Groves is truly a dream come true in my life. It encapsulates everything that I wanted in this field of work: the ability to truly enhance quality of life for our elders through person-directed care, activity engagement, multigenerational living, community involvement, working one-on-one with families, and equipping care partners with high-level training in the realm of dementia care. This work is not just intended to serve one population but it will contribute to the betterment of the city of Bulverde and society as a whole.”

James has served the senior living industry for 13 years and counting. He started his career as a caregiver and has held six community roles, including Resident Programming and multiple Executive Director roles. James has also served in numerous senior and national level roles in Sales, Operations, and Learning & Development for well-respected organizations. He is a trusted advisor, speaker, and thought-leader in the senior living profession. James completed an Executive MBA from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business in 2020, and lives in San Antonio with his wife, Piper, and their daughter and soon-to-join son.

“I am so proud to have the opportunity to serve my community of San Antonio with dementia care resources, training, and a care facility. I want to help make the Alamo city a more joyful place for everyone affected by dementia. We’re not a big corporation with a home office in another state. We’re local people helping our neighbors. That’s how it should be.”

Lora started her career as a C.N.A and has 20 years of experience in the senior living industry ranging from caregiver to Health & Wellness Director overseeing an entire care team to being a clinical learning specialist for a major senior living company. Her career has focused on raising standards of excellence in the industry by creating training programs that actually work. Lora’s teams have consistently produced amazing care outcomes such as decreased falls, high resident and staff engagement, and warm relationships with families. Lora is also the founder and CEO of Williams Career School of Excellence based in Kyle, Texas. She and her husband, Cedric, have two beautiful daughters who are the pride and joy of their lives.

“I understand the pain points that senior living facilities have with training and development. Nothing is more important to me in my career than helping caregivers be successful at doing the work they love to do – take care of seniors.”