EngAGE changes lives by transforming affordable senior and family housing communities into vibrant centers of art & creativity, learning, and wellness.
EngAGE is looking for two creative and enthusiastic individuals with strong communication and social skills to build strong and healthy older adult communities through our whole person approach to creative living, with programs provided in the arts, wellness, education, and community building.
Both positions are for Program Director. One serves communities in Tustin and Fountain Valley, and one serves communities in Garden Grove and Buena Park.
These are part time positions: 15 hours weekly / $19.00 per hour
Get the full job description here on our website, and find out how to apply.
Job applicants please note: Condition of employment for all positions requires a LiveSCAN criminal background check.
From Alma Wright, Program Director at The Magnolia @ Highland Senior Apartments in San Bernardino, CA:
“In March of 2020, the world came to a stop. The ladies in the Artists Round Table were in the middle of making these wonderful dolls using fabric, and learning some sewing skills along the way. Sixteen months later, I’m happy to report that this month we were able to pick up where we left off and finish our dolls just yesterday! In admiring all the dolls, it dawned on me that my ladies managed to put a little or a lot of themselves in each one. Sooo very cool!”
Congratulations to the talented artists! What a joyful story!
EngAGE NW celebrated the groundbreaking for Amanda Court Apartments on July 14th in Portland, OR, with the developer, Stewardship Properties. This new construction project will provide new homes for 38 households of all ages, including 10 homes reserved for workers in Oregon’s agricultural industry.
“We are pleased to join with Stewardship Properties and our other partners, including Oregon Housing and Community Services, Banner Bank, Redstone Equity Partners, and Metro regional government in bringing this new affordable housing to families in Portland,” said EngAGE NW Regional Director, Maria Rojo de Steffey.
In addition to delivering programming centering on art, wellness, lifelong learning, and civic engagement at Amanda Court Apartments, EngAGE serves as Managing General Partner of the development.
Learn more about EngAGE Northwest here on our website.
Residents Dayan Margan-Sylvaen, Gabrielle Redheart, and Mary Haislipat of Cascadian Terrace in Portland, OR, participated in an EngAGE NW class taught by renowned storyteller Will Hornyak. In his class, “Well Told!”, they experimented with narrative and poetry in a variety of writing and storytelling exercises to develop and tell their personal stories in their own unique voices and styles. To celebrate the body of work they produced, Will and the writers held a culminating event on Zoom attended by their neighbors, families, and friends. Each writer took a turn to read their writing and share their experiences.
Nancy Goodhart, EngAGE COO, shares a personal story.
Rooted in Art
Art and I met quite unexpectedly, under dire circumstances. Here’s how it all went down.
Life happened one day. After 33 years of marriage, we abruptly split up. It all went south so fast. Everything I thought I had was gone. My future plans and lifelong investments became null and void, overnight. I entered a new world, unprepared, dazed and confused.
Without the distraction of possessions to gather or assets to chase, my new reality, as a single woman in her late fifties, seemed uncomplicated, at a glance. But instantly I knew what I was challenged with: I needed to find my center, my purpose, my Self. I needed a new game plan, a new life plan, and a new perspective. I moved through, with a head full of windy thoughts, one day at a time.
Fortunately, I was employed with a very cool and creative nonprofit organization as a fitness instructor and Program Director for older adults. I had a secure job, and it was feel-good work. Days were full of energy, creativity, and positivity. Then, every workday would come to an end, and I would find myself in that hollow emotional space, that empty place. Unfilled spaces can go awry so easily.
It was an average day on the job when I was first introduced to Art. I was well aware that flirting with Art was way outside my comfort zone and my skill set, yet I felt gutsy and intrigued. It was good timing. Defaulting to my pragmatic, familiar self, I reviewed my situation to inform my next move. My money was tight, and there was no room in my budget for outings or costly pastimes. What I did have was a plentiful amount of free time and emotional space to invite in a new energy. Forget my lack of experience, I told myself, a healthy distraction is a good thing, So, if not now, when? It was calculated. I was going to do the Art thing and see where it went.
I took the initiative and made the first move with the tools that I knew I had, and with the mental images that I had been entertaining.
Pencil and Paper. Trees and Leaves.
I was drawing, one pencil stroke at a time. Trees felt safe – their shapes and designs were imperfect and unpredictable – Wabi Sabi-like. Each pencil mark, each crooked branch and tenacious root, grew energy and hope inside me. Forming leaves of life, in all their stages of sprouting, maturing, and falling, grounded me. Brushing away the dust from erased mistakes felt heart-healing.
I was feeling content, and curious about myself, if just for minutes at a time. And those minutes were golden. Art was way more than just a distraction or a time filler; we found meaningful connection in a simple and unassuming way. Art became my unpaved path to healing. We were traveling together, footloose and fancy free. And it wasn’t about where we were going, where the bumpy path would lead us; it was about our journey, our detours, our do-overs, and all the discoveries along the way.
Through the years, in a quiet and unannounced way, we grew deeply rooted and entwined, spending more and more time together. We were EngAGED and energized with all the creative possibilities our union presented.
As I write this, seven years later, Art and I have tied our creative knot. I am wholeheartedly committed to, and grateful for, this soul soothing, imperfect and forgiving, endlessly supportive presence in my life.
Check your email for a confirmation and link to join.
Dr. Imani Woody, Founder & CEO, Mary’s House for Older Adults, Inc.
Dr. Woody is an internationally and nationally recognized thought leader and an advocate of women; people of color; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/same-gender loving (LGBTQ+/SGL) people for more than 25 years. She has spoken out nationally and internationally about the circumstances of elder LGBTQ+/SGL individuals, and the specific jeopardies that LGBTQ+/SGL elders of color face as they age. Dr. Woody brought these perspectives and decades of community praxis to the 2015 White House Summit on LGBT elder housing development, partnered with SAGE as a panelist in the National LGBT Elder Housing Symposium in 2019. Most recently, Dr. Woody was invited to the White House by Vice President Kamala Harris to join a small, intimate group to discuss issues that impact LGBTQ/SGL elders.
Dr. Woody retired from AARP to become a pioneer in the building of alternative housing and creating welcoming environments. She is the founder and CEO of Mary’s House for Older Adults, (MHFOA) with the vision and commitment to serve LGBTQ+/SGL elders, experiencing housing insecurity and isolation. Dr. Woody has secured an expert board of advisors and a commitment of $1.2 million from the District of Columbia to begin construction on the first MHFOA dwelling, a 15-room communal residence in WDC and the only one in the country.
Dr. Woody has been a three-term Mayoral Commissioner appointee to the DC Office of LGBTQ Affairs and appointed by Mayor Bowser to serve on the Global Age-Friendly Task Force. She was the first Program Officer for the 50+ Ministry of Metropolitan Community Churches and is the President of the Greater Brookland Intergenerational Village.
Dr. Woody has a PhD in Public Service Leadership, and a Master of Human Services degree from Lincoln University. She has received many awards including Next Avenue’s 2019 Influencers in Aging, Forbes Business of Pride, and the SAGE Creating Change Advocacy Award. She created a Living Life Like It’s Golden program that empowers people to live their lives more fully through visioning. Dr. Woody lives with her wife of 20 years in Washington, DC.
Alan Acosta, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Los Angeles LGBT Center
Alan Acosta is responsible for spearheading implementation of key elements of the Center’s strategic plan, which includes supervision of special projects and organizational initiatives. Prior to working at the Center, Acosta served as Associate Vice President and Director of University Communications at Stanford University. As associate vice president, he was the chief university spokesperson and oversaw the Stanford website, news and media relations, external and internal communications and video production. He worked closely with the senior executive staff on a wide array of strategic management and communications issues.
Prior to his tenure at Stanford, Acosta was the deputy city editor of the Los Angeles Times; during his tenure at the Times, he shared in two Pulitzer Prizes awarded to the staff for coverage of the Los Angeles riots and the Northridge earthquake. He also worked as an editor and reporter at the Orange County Register, the Dallas Times Herald and the Hartford Courant. Acosta has taught journalism at the University of Southern California and creative nonfiction writing at Stanford. He served on the Center’s board of directors from 1991 to 1996. He co-chaired the board of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and has served on the executive boards of numerous other organizations, including the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists’ Association and Kitchen Sisters Productions.
Acosta earned a bachelor’s degree in politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and received a master’s degree in journalism, with honors, from Columbia University.
Kathleen M. Sullivan, PhD, is an accomplished speaker, author, and trainer on issues related to LGBTQ aging, gender equity, affordable housing, and social environments. She is the recently named Executive Director of Openhouse San Francisco, which develops affordable housing for LGBTQ older adults; provides a suite of programs and services including the nations first LGBTQ specific PACE program in partnership with On Lok; and provides comprehensive training to providers in the greater Bay Area on the intersection of race, gender, and sexual orientation to create accepting, supportive environments for LGBTQ seniors.
Dr. Sullivan holds a Ph.D. from the Nohad Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University where she coauthored Oregon’s first study on transportation issues for older adults. She is past Board President of the Oregon Gerontological Association, is a member of AARP’s Diversity Advisory Committee and held an appointment to the Governor’s Commission on Senior Services in Oregon. She is the author of a book on meditation, and an avid skier; runner and tennis player. Dr. Sullivan and her wife recently relocated to the Bay Area, and look forward to exploring the neighborhoods, outdoor space, and all the region has to offer.
We are pleased to announce the addition of Craig Arthur Kolins, R. Lyne Martin-Modica, and Juanita Santana to our esteemed EngAGE Northwest Board of Directors. Please visit our website to see the entire list of dedicated board members.
Craig Arthur Kolins, Community College Administrator (retired) – Craig has experience conducting racial discrimination, sexual harassment, student and employment professional conduct, and Title IX investigations, and he is a diversity, equity and inclusion facilitator/trainer on implicit bias, whiteness/privilege and fragility. He also has experience in trauma intervention/emotional support, addiction/substance use and suicide prevention. He currently serves as Board Chair for SE Works, Inc. Craig is a survivor affected by HIV, with many personal and professional relationships involving people living with HIV going back decades. An early volunteer with Cascade AIDS Project in the 1980s, he now— over 30 years later—works to support the well-being of aging adults in the HIV community. He values collaboration and community advocacy, and continues to lean in to understand how bias, white centeredness, fragility, and privilege impact US culture, social isolation, and the human need for belonging and intergenerational connection. Craig has been married to his husband, Kelly, since 2006. They enjoy traveling internationally.
R. Lyne Martin-Modica, Executive Assistant, Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty – Lyne’s many years of experience in county and city government have lent her an understanding and appreciation for the community’s needs. She has worked for former County Chair Gladys McCoy, Beverly Stein, and County Commissioners Maria Rojo de Steffey and Dan Saltzman. Lyne is a lifelong Oregonian who is interested in serving on a Board that helps and provides a better standard of living for the members of her community. She brings a sense of humor to every encounter, and enjoys reading, traveling, and cooking for family and friends.
Juanita Santana, Executive Director, San Francisco State University Head Start/Early Head Start Programs (retired) – Juanita has been an active volunteer with AARP Oregon State Diversity Committee, Oregon Treasurer’s Financial Education Advisory Team, Oregon Governor’s appointee to the Oregon Retirement Savings Board, and Multnomah County Community Involvement Committee. She holds both a B.A. and a Master of Science in Business Administration. Ms. Santana is a National Head Start Fellow and a UCLA Head Start/Johnson & Johnson Fellow. She received the Certificate of Honor presented by San Francisco’s former Mayor, Gavin Newsom, for “positive contributions to the city, which will benefit generations to come.” She also received The Plate of Bounty Award, presented by the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association in Washington, D.C., for making significant contributions to improve the lives of migrant and seasonal farmworker families at the national and state levels. Juanita has one daughter, Karla, who is married to Matthew Morgan. She has two grandchildren Elizabeth, 12 years old, and Paul Benjamin, eight years old.
