About

Rose Villa is a nonprofit, single-site Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), also known as a Life Plan Community. Founded in 1960 we are located on 22 lush acres overlooking the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, and we boast a long and memorable history in helping older adults live lives full of self-purpose, independence and autonomy.

Rose Villa’s mission sets our community apart. We are singularly focused on our mission of supporting older adults to live the life of their own choosing, within and beyond our campus. What does this mean?

Put simply, it means you are in the driver’s seat, at all times, and in all stages of your life. We don’t hand you a road map when you move to Rose Villa. Rather, you get to choose the activities, events and programs that most interest you! No matter your choices, our role remains unequivocal: to support, not force.

How do we accomplish this? We do what no one else does: use the power of community to celebrate everyone in it to make them stronger, braver, and more independent. A deep foundation of interdependence calls forth the singular strength and unique abilities of each person who contributes to it.

Our Values

Our core values are at the heart of everything we do for our residents and for our staff, and permeate all aspects of life at Rose Villa. 

Start with Yes. We embrace an open-minded approach to decision making and believe no idea is too big or too crazy to be considered. 

Embrace Quirky. We encourage you to bring your authentic self to everything you do.  Preconceived assumptions about aging, living in community or the ability of older adults to continue to influence and shape the world have no place in real life – why limit the possibilities?

Curiosity is Critical. We have zero interest in the status quo. Asking questions and challenging everything we think we know makes us and our community better. 

Assume Positive Intent. If you live or work at Rose Villa, it's because you believe in our community and what we're doing here. When we let that inform our interactions we can accomplish so much more because we're in this together.

Our History has a Heritage

In the summer of 1957, the Rose Villa retirement community was conceived, originally envisioned as a neighborhood of single-level, garden-apartment style homes for middle-income elders. Initial plans for the site included 90 units on 6 acres, but these plans expanded to 195 units on 13 acres before construction began.

Since its inception, Rose Villa has been served by just five executive directors. Vassar Byrd began her tenure as executive director in July 2006. Shortly thereafter, she was elevated to CEO where she served Rose Villa through November 2023. Vassar emphasized meeting every resident where they are at, teamwork, and a shared goal to position the organization as a leader in senior living. This vision was made possible through innovative partnerships with the community, an emphasis on person-centered care in Madrona Grove Supportive Living at Rose Villa, in-home services provided by Avencia Home Care, and a commitment to sustainability for the future.

The story of Rose Villa has been one of expansion over the years as well as the legacy of second- and third-generations of residents calling the community home. The first residents took occupancy in September of 1960 and since then the campus has grown to include 218 independent living homes.

Restoring Rose Villa’s Bloom.

Like many small organizations, after decades of initial success, by the early 2000s Rose Villa had fallen behind the times. Infrastructure was outdated, the community was not supported by modern technology, and staff morale was low. The community itself had been led by a traditional, top-down culture. One of the first things Vassar did was flatten the reporting structure and make herself and other senior managers available to staff and residents to build trust and change the culture of the organization. As part of this process Rose Villa's mission statement of supporting older adults to live the life of their own choosing was adopted along with the establishment of our Core Values: Start with Yes, Curiosity is Critical, Assume Positive Intent and Embrace Quirky.

At Rose Villa, our mission statement means everyone in our community supports not how we think residents ought to be living, but how they choose to live. Everyone here is focused on helping people lead their best lives, make their own choices and live as independently as possible for as long as possible.

Early in her tenure, Vassar began reimagining the campus; a dream that became reality in April 2014 with the first shovel in the ground for the $60 million-dollar Phase 1 redevelopment. In Spring 2016, Phase 1 of redevelopment was completed and brought 75 new cottage and apartment homes to Rose Villa, as well as the Main Street promenade, restaurants, Wellness, Performing Arts and Spa areas.

Phase 2 brought four more neighborhoods to Rose Villa, which were completed in 2019. The Oaks, the first zero-energy senior living community in the Pacific NW, Garden Grove, North Pocket and two lofts above the Creative Arts Building added 42 homes, all built to financially support the efforts of Phase 3. Phase 3, slated to begin in early 2020, will conclude the multi-year redevelopment effort and culminate in a brand new, state-of-the-art Madrona Grove Supportive Living neighborhood. Additional independent living homes, including a second zero-energy neighborhood provide further financial stability to Rose Villa to make the re-envisioned Madrona Grove a reality.

Services have expanded over the years as well. Rose Villa’s Avencia In-Home Care provides services for residents in their own homes; residents can access 24-hour long-term care services in Madrona Grove Supportive Living; housecleaning services are offered six days a week; custom gardening is available for residents in addition to care of all shared areas; there is on-site maintenance coverage seven days a week with 24-hour security; a full-service food and beverage department serving meals seven days a week; and a team of drivers for personal transportation both on and off the Rose Villa campus.

In addition, there are many amenities available on campus, including an aquatic center with a lazy river, lap swimming, a hot tub and a slide; weight and cardio rooms; yoga and tai chi spaces; a full-service salon and spa; a licensed massage therapist; a classroom where Clackamas Community College and others offer various courses; arts & crafts programs; a fitness room; a library; a carpentry shop; the resident run resale store, the Treasure House; and SEEDS Garden Center run by the Rose Villa Foundation. Residents can have virtually all their day-to-day concerns taken care of while living here, which affords them the opportunity to continue to travel, learn, entertain, exercise and volunteer – all things that support them to be active, healthy and involved – for as long as they so desire.

We're Hiring

Not your typical retirement community! We are a nonprofit Life Plan community in SE Portland. As an organization, Rose Villa is full of ideas, very collaborative, and recognizes that everyone—including residents, families, and staff—is a contributor.

Our mission is supporting older adults to live the life of their choosing and our core values are:

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Rose Villa offers a comprehensive benefits package including*: 

We work hard to make Rose Villa a place where people want to work, grow, and thrive. For the past six years, Rose Villa has been named by Oregon Business Journal as one of the 100 best nonprofits to work for in Oregon and recognized as one of the Healthiest Employers in Oregon!

*Benefits vary according to full-time or part-time status.


Rose Villa is a Welcome, Diverse and Inclusive Employer
The Rose Villa DEIA (Diversity Equity Inclusion and Accessibility) Coordinating Committee exists to transform Rose Villa into a community known for promoting the honor of all.

We agree to:

Volunteer

Bring your passion for elders! Rose Villa is a great place to volunteer because of the people who live here. For more information about volunteer opportunities.
Contact Us

Staff

As staff members, we take our role seriously in helping you love life at Rose Villa, and great care in setting a positive tone and can-do energy to help make this the best retirement community for our residents. We encourage you to contact any one of our staff members at any time if you have questions or suggestions.

Angela Hansen, CMAChief Financial Officer

Erin Cornell, LNHADirector of Health Services

MaryHelen Clausing, LCSWDirector of Social Services

Jacob FullerDirector of Nursing

Michelle LaCroixDirector of Human Resources

Jim WillefordDirector of Strategic Operations

René SwarDirector of Wellness

Molly WattsMarketing Manager

Rick HamellIT Director

Cheryl FranceschiDirector of Development, Rose Villa Foundation

Norine MulryDirector of Food and Beverage

Marty BrackenExecutive Chef

Board of Directors

The Rose Villa Board of Directors consists of individuals with diverse professional backgrounds. It also includes the chair of the Residents’ Association Council (RAC) as a full voting member. The Board establishes policies that govern the community, as well as hires and oversees Rose Villa’s CEO, who is responsible for carrying out Rose Villa’s mission and vision both now and into the future.

Wade ClowesPresident

Eleanore Hunter, PHDVice President

Susan Nestor, CPA, CFP®, PFS™Treasurer

Ron Stock, MD, MASecretary

Glenn Rodriguez, MDMember

Kirsten M. Jacobs, MSWMember

Dan SteffeyMember

Steve MorrisResident Member