April 7, 2026
This article is one of three interviews conducted by Amber Busch with Tana Gall.
Recruiting and Retaining Talent in the Senior Living Industry
Summary
From university classrooms to retail floors, senior living leaders are finding talent in unexpected places. Tana Gall, President of Merrill Gardens, discusses how hands‑on recruiting, structured development programs, and hospitality‑inspired training models are strengthening the industry’s workforce. By recognizing potential in real time and investing in people early, senior living organizations can build sustainable leadership pipelines.
Developing the Next Generation of Senior Living Leaders
Amber Busch:
One thing I’ve been curious about is talent development in senior housing. For a long time, the industry relied heavily on hospitality to bring people in, and there was a lot of conversation around how to grow professionals who would come directly into senior housing. Programs like the Granger Cobb Institute at Washington State University were created for that reason. I’m not sure how many similar programs exist today, but have we made real progress on that as an industry?
Tana Gall:
We certainly have. A few things come to mind. I still teach at least one class each semester at Washington State, and programs really vary by university. For example, at USC, senior living is housed within their gerontology school, while at Washington State, it sits within the business and hospitality school. Everyone has carved out their own niche.
I still teach at Washington State every semester, and it’s been interesting to see how things have evolved. When we first started, we would ask the class how many students had any experience with senior living. Back then, they would look at us like we were speaking a completely different language. They genuinely didn’t know what senior living was.
Amber Busch:
Like, “Why would we do that?”
Tana Gall:
Yeah, absolutely. And what’s really encouraging is that today, that number has changed. Is it 100 percent? No, but it’s significantly higher. What we’re seeing now is that many students worked in a dining room or completed volunteer hours in high school, and they ended up in a retirement community. That exposure makes a difference, and people are much more open to the industry.
When I teach, I tell students: I fully support your interest in hospitality, and I would never want to take that away from you, but don’t forget about me. Connect with me on LinkedIn. And when you’re working until 2:00 in the morning on Christmas Eve and start thinking you might want a little more work-life balance, call me. Don’t forget to call me.
That’s one side of it. Exposure is better today than it’s ever been, not just at Washington State University but across the country, and that will continue to help.
The other side is what we’re doing internally. At Merrill Gardens, and I think at many other operators as well, we’re being much more intentional about developing young talent. The challenge is that when you graduate from college at 22, you’re not ready to run one of our communities, and there aren’t many natural stepping-stone roles. So, we created them.
We now have a two-year program called the Elevate Program. It’s not an internship, you’re a full-fledged employee, but it rotates recent graduates through every department in the organization. We start with activities and programming, not because it’s easier, but because it’s fun and doesn’t require special credentials. It allows people to learn quickly whether they enjoy working with this population.
From there, they rotate through maintenance, housekeeping, dining—every aspect of community operations. By the end of two years, they know whether this is a career they want to pursue. Even then, they may not be ready to run a building, but they’re well-prepared to step into a department head role within a community. We’re seeing a lot of growth that way.
We also created roles for those who are willing to travel. With this training, someone might work as a business office leader in California, Oregon, or Alabama. It gives them a meaningful, interesting job right out of college. And I truly believe that once someone decides this is a population they can work with, they rarely leave it.
Amber Busch:
Is that similar to how the hospitality industry works, where new graduates rotate through different roles at a hotel and eventually work their way up to running the property?
Tana Gall:
Yes, very much so. Many of the larger hotel brands have training programs that look a lot like what I described. People start in different roles, learn the operation from the ground up, and then work their way into leadership over time.
Hiring for Heart: Why Kindness Matters More Than Résumés
Amber Busch:
I was talking with someone on our human resources team recently about this same idea, that it’s so important to talk with people about what they want for their career path, rather than assuming they want the same path we took. Everyone wants something different, and part of leadership is helping them explore that and supporting them along the way.
Tana Gall:
Totally. And that really mirrors my own story. I don’t think I’d be where I am today if someone hadn’t seen something in me along the way. That experience has made me very sensitive to looking for intangibles when we’re recruiting.
I tell people all the time: look for spirit, look for heart, because you can’t train kindness. I can teach skills, but you can’t teach what it really takes to show up and do this work day in and day out. Finding the right people is everything.
Amber Busch:
And along those lines, I was reading an article online about you going into a Bed Bath & Beyond that was going out of business and passing out your business card.
Tana Gall:
I did.
Amber Busch:
Do you still do that kind of stuff?
Tana Gall:
I do. When you look at retail, especially as big‑box stores continue to close, you realize that many of those employees are trained in customer service. That’s a skill set we’re always looking for.
There was a Bed Bath & Beyond near me that was closing, and while our HR team was already talking with their HR department at a higher level, I decided to just go in myself. I brought my business cards and asked staff directly if they were interested. I told them we had communities in Ballard and the University District and that we’re always looking for great people with strong customer service skills.
I do this everywhere. Just the other day, I had great service at an In‑N‑Out Burger. The cashier was engaging and welcoming, and then I watched her walk around making sure everything was clean and that customers were comfortable. I went back up to her and said, “You’re awesome for In‑N‑Out, but if you’re ever looking for the next thing…” and handed her my card. I just think there’s something really powerful about recognizing people in the moment.
Amber Busch:
I love that. Especially when you can see people in action. Like how they treat you is how they’re going to hopefully treat anybody.
Tana Gall:
Well, the way I look at it is, even if she decided that she wasn’t going to make the call, I hope I made her day. You know, just make somebody feel good.
The Intersection of Hiring and Culture in Senior Living Leadership
Amber Busch:
So, you talked a bit about heart and finding people who truly care. I’m interested in how you maintain a strong culture across such a large organization.
Tana Gall:
It really does start with hiring. Going back to what I said earlier, you can’t train kindness. One of my biggest mistakes early on was hiring off a résumé alone. On paper, everything looked perfect. They checked every box. But if there wasn’t a real connection in the interview, and I should have trusted my gut. That’s a lesson I learned the hard way.
So hiring is the foundation, finding people who genuinely want to be part of the culture, not trying to change someone to fit it. You want people who are already craving that kind of environment.
From there, we focus heavily on empowerment. We trust our general managers and executive directors to run their businesses. That’s incredibly important to me. I sleep well at night knowing I’ve hired the best leaders I can find—and then I stay connected to them.
Culture has to live throughout the organization, and I try very hard not to lose touch with it. I spend about 50 percent of my time in the communities themselves. During COVID, we also leaned heavily into video communication to convey emotion and authenticity—what we were really dealing with in real time.
Like many people, I barely knew what Zoom was before COVID, but tools like Zoom and Teams became essential. I started holding weekly calls with community management teams. When things began to stabilize, I told them, “You’re good, you’ve got this. We can stop the calls.” And they said, “Let’s not.”
So now I meet with our general managers every other week. To me, that’s a huge part of keeping the culture alive. They can share what’s happening in their world, I share what’s happening in ours, and there’s full transparency. That ongoing connection is what really makes it work for us.
Amber Busch:
It really comes down to building relationships. When you have strong relationships with the people you work with, they tend to assume positive intent, even during difficult times. That kindness and trust make such a difference.
Tana Gall:
Absolutely, and it’s about genuinely caring about what people are saying. We’ve created a group we call senior general managers because I want people to see a real career path if that’s what they want. You and I talked earlier about how important that is.
Sometimes, I worry that if someone is a great general manager but doesn’t want to move into a home office role, they might feel stuck. So, we created a senior general manager role where they continue to run their communities, but I rely on them heavily for strategic input. I’m somewhat removed from day‑to‑day community life, but I don’t want to be disconnected. I want to understand what matters to them and what will make their jobs easier, more efficient, and more fun.
I spend a lot of time with that group, and they help shape our strategy—for the day, the year, and the long-term outlook. When people are given that opportunity, and when their peers know that’s where the feedback is coming from, they feel heard.
A Defining Leadership Lesson
Amber Busch:
What’s one lesson from your career that continues to shape how you lead and support people across your organization?
Tana Gall:
I think there are really two. First, what we do truly matters—and when you do the right thing, it has a way of working out.
The second takeaway, which is industry‑specific but has served me well far beyond senior living, is that people are people. You shouldn’t assume that just because someone is in their 80s, they want to play bingo. People don’t fundamentally change; they are who they are. At 27, I didn’t fully understand that. But at 58, I do, because I don’t feel all that different than I did when I was younger, and there’s no reason to think I’ll suddenly change when I’m in my 80s.
That lesson—treat people like people—has guided how I work with residents and with my teams. Don’t put people in a box. Don’t assume that because someone lives in a retirement community, they should only do certain things. If they want to volunteer, we help them volunteer.
The same applies to team members. Don’t force people to be something they’re not. Let them be their authentic selves, and you’ll get the best results from them.
-End of interview-
Click here to read more about Amber’s interview with Tana Gall.
This interview has been edited for readability while preserving the substance and intent of the original conversation.
© Clark Nuber PS, 2026. All rights reserved.
