EngAGE Blog

From the Board of Directors and the EngAGE Leadership Team

Dear Friends of EngAGE,

After founding and leading EngAGE for almost twenty-five years, our beloved CEO, Tim Carpenter, has announced his decision to transition into semi-retirement. The nerve of him to leave on a high note with the organization so strong, with more than 50 communities in California and Oregon! The EngAGE Board of Directors has now begun our search for someone to fill his size 13 shoes.

Those of us who have been there since the beginning may recall the way it all started. How a young man with a huge brain and an even bigger heart became fixated on one of the strangest quirks of being American – the way our culture, in ways great and small, acts to consistently marginalize, patronize, and dismiss as ridiculous adults who, after a lifetime of striving and competing and gathering unto themselves, have finally reached the time when they are able to turn their honest attention to the big questions of what really matters and what constitutes a truly good life.

Our uniquely cynical narrative of aging as a sad, slow-motion tragedy in which the ravages of mental and physical decline act to diminish one’s ability to project personal power has a certain self-reinforcing ring of truth to it. But we think it misses the most important part of the story of growing old: the emancipation from stress afforded by wisdom gained through time and experience.

The enlightened perception that informs many older adults to finally set aside old grudges and form bonds of connection; to trade competing against one’s neighbors for supporting them; to focus more on the enduring joy that comes from giving than on the fleeting pleasure of getting for oneself; to finally, truly understand that life is a gift to be savored, not a battle to won at any cost, may in fact be the defining feature of older age. For many people living in EngAGE properties, becoming an elder is not a time of invisibility; it is the time when one is, finally, liberated.

From its first property, the now-famous Burbank Senior Artists Colony in Los Angeles, to the most recent, fifty-ninth one, Broad Leaf Arbor in St. Helens, Oregon (a community for all ages developed with our partner, CDP), EngAGE’s chief ambition has remained constant: to turn the story of aging upside down. By creating the opportunity for older adults to live in safe, clean, beautiful communities, intentionally designed to promote intergenerational connection and help residents find their inner artists, EngAGE communities have become boiler rooms for a new story of respect and optimism that is getting national attention.

But there is still a lot of work to do. Despite the various social and political movements that seek an end to all forms of discrimination by elevating marginalized voices, one substantially stereotyped and widely exploited group of Americans continues to be left to fend for itself – the elderly. The Board of Directors at EngAGE is taking seriously its charge to find the right person to whom Tim can pass the torch, even as we lament his loss, celebrate our stunning achievements over the last twenty-five years, and reaffirm our commitment to our cause.

Exciting times indeed, so stay tuned!

All our best,
The EngAGE Board and Leadership Team

A personal message from Tim Carpenter

Hello, colleagues, partners, and friends,

After leading EngAGE since its founding, I have decided that the time has finally come for me to move into a new phase of life, and that means stepping aside as CEO. The pull to move into semi-retirement has grown strong recently, but it has been a tough decision to leave something where I believe I have been able to make a difference. Our Board of Directors has been working diligently on the Succession Planning process and is beginning the search for a new CEO who will step into the leadership role of EngAGE just as we prepare to celebrate our 25th anniversary. The organization is stronger than ever, adding new communities, exploring new and wonderful programming opportunities for residents, and making a positive difference in the lives of more people than ever before.

If someone had told me a long time ago that I would spend more than half of my adult working career doing one thing, I would’ve laughed. But back then, I could not possibly have known that the product of my journey with EngAGE – a sea of stories and experiences and connections of love that make me laugh and cry daily – would turn out to be the thing that today makes me feel like the guy who hit the lottery. It has been such a gift to work with our amazing staff, including 20 years with the talented, sensitive, deeply compassionate Nancy Goodhart, our brilliant Board, and our myriad partners, collaborators, and co-conspirators. What a creative, rewarding, and meaningful piece of my life. I am so very grateful and humbled by it all.

I will remain in my position during our Board’s search for our new CEO and for a time thereafter to support that person and help ensure a smooth organizational transition. I hope to connect directly with all of you at some point soon to thank each of you individually for playing the important role you did in my life and in the story of EngAGE.

What a ride it has been. Thank you for coming on it with me. And now let’s all look to the future and EngAGE’s next great chapter.

Onward,
Tim Carpenter
Founder & CEO, EngAGE