senior living team
They Lead Who First Serve
In pursuit of excellence since 2020, our dedicated team members make community life a daily success for residents and their families. We are enterprising, innovative, creative and caring, and we never lose our focus: creating a living experience that seniors can’t get anywhere else.
Lori Closs
Executive Director, Independent Living
Lori was born in Nebraska and raised in western Kansas which is where she fell in love with senior living working as a Business Office Director at a home health agency and skilled nursing facility. She obtained her CNA certification so she could assist her team on the floor when needed. Lori moved to Colorado and took a position as Business Office Director in a memory support community she helped to open in 2014. Soon after, she obtained her Executive Director certification and served as the Executive Director there. She joined The Ridge Pinehurst in 2020 as the Business Office Director and soon was promoted to Associate Executive Director. The loss of her grandfather to Alzheimer’s in 2017 and that spurred her empathy and passion to serve families who’s loved ones are affected by the disease.
John McElderry
Executive Director, Assisted Living and Memory Support
After 15 years in hotel and restaurant management, John redirected his hospitality and leadership skills toward senior living. He has opened communities and managed others and, for 25 years now, found his joy helping older adults, their families and each community’s team members grow and succeed. Loyal to colleagues and known for his integrity, John’s goal is to do his best today and then better his efforts tomorrow. John grew up on Nantucket Island and has a BA in History & Comparative Literature and Culinary Arts and an MA in Long-Term Care Management & Gerontology. He loves scuba diving, spending time in the kitchen and puttering around his hobby farm. He’s inspired when he’s with family and friends — and whenever he can savor the satisfaction of a freshly mown field.
Gisela Dennis
Senior Sales and Marketing Director
Gisela has spent the majority of her life in Littleton, CO, where she moved when she was three years old. She fell in love with senior living and the people when she was a Pilates instructor. That experience changed her career trajectory and she launched her future career in senior living where she’s been a part of a sales team in all levels of living and types of communities. She considers the community her home away from home and a privilege to work where people live. She loves the amazing stories of the residents and what brought them to this stage in the lives. She’s passionate about doing the right thing and treats her team members and residents like they are her own family. She’s never afraid to roll up her sleeves and jump in where necessary. Outside of work, you’ll find her near the water—paddleboarding with her husband and dog, white water rafting, scuba diving or relaxing by the pool. In the winter months, they will don their snow shoes and enjoy the brisk breezes of Colorado.
Austin Murphy
Sales Director
A self-described work-hard / play-hard veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Austin’s five-plus-year military career included deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he was awarded Airman of the Quarter honors for his service as AGE mechanic, a member of the aerospace ground equipment team. Born in Pittsburgh, Austin earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Cincinnati. He’s worked as a home care consultant for Home Instead Senior Care, and he served as admissions director for Genesis HealthCare before assuming his current post as director of community relations at The Ridge Pinehurst. Austin’s heart belongs to the seniors he works with. His pride and passion are in helping them transition to their new homes within the community, and he’s touched and inspired by the appreciation they show.
Brianne Meyer
Community Life Director
Brianne is a Colorado native who loves the outdoors, her golden retriever, and trying new things. She has worked in Senior Living for about 10 years, graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a baccalaureate in Healthcare Management with a Minor in Marketing and is a certified lifestyle coach. Brianne’s passion is to empower seniors to age successfully in their own way, providing the tools for a well-rounded lifestyle. Working in senior living brings joy to her life and inspires her to support as many community members as she can.
Chef Ruben Haunte
Executive Chef
Driven to teach as he’s been taught, Ruben loves mentoring his team. He draws on vast culinary experience to do so, having been mentored by James Beard Chefs Roy Yamaguchi, Troy Guard and Jeff Osaka. He worked under “Food and Wines” 1999 Top 10 Best New Chefs James Mazzio at 15 Degrees, and also worked at Roy’s Hawaiian Restaurants, TAG Restaurant and Osaka Ramen and Sushi. Plus, he spent three years in the senior living kitchen at Covenant Living in Westminster, Colorado. Often described as detail-oriented, creative and hard-working, Ruben also loves to draw, play basketball, hike with his husky Hazel, and spend time with his partner Hannah and her son Desmond.
Chef Morgan Carroll
Sous Chef
Chef Morgan has used his culinary talents, sound technique and work ethic throughout the Denver area for the last 15 years. His first foray in the kitchen was when he was 14 years old as a dishwasher and over time has worked his way to Executive Chef at one restaurant in the area. He is most passionate about what good ingredients bring to food as well as the experience it brings to the table — it is very rewarding to see residents enjoy the atmosphere good food delivers. Not only is he a talented chef, he also enjoys developing new systems in the kitchen to ensure better function and enhance the resident dining experience. He is a Colorado native where he grew up on top of St. Mary’s Glacier in a town called Clear Creek. He looks to his family for inspiration outside of work, balance and the assurance of enjoying the little things in life.
Richard Nix
Director of Dining Services
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Richard was a “military brat” who was fortunate enough travel the world, attending high schools in Idaho, Germany, and Guam. Richard graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor of science in hospitality administration. Richard brings his 30 years of experience in hospitality to The Ridge Pinehurst and enjoys providing residents a second-to-none dining experience every day. In a reflection of our core values, he strives to say, “yes, of course” whenever possible to residents, their families, other guests, and team members. He is an avid sports fan of all sports but is fanatical about his beloved Florida State Seminoles and has already joined the Colorado Florida State Alumni group. He looks forward to following the local teams here. Richard recently moved here from Surprise, Arizona where he spent the last 22 years raising his two children, Teresa and Zachary.
Rudy Santuario
Director of Building Operations
Rudy enjoys being a father, helping others, and has a passion for getting things done right. In his spare time, Rudy enjoys quality family time and tackling home projects. Rudy has worked for Radio Shack and AT&T Prime communications for several years in a supervisory position and store manager. He then worked for GTS, a technology/construction company. He learned about security, sound, and home automation systems and met a few notable celebrities through that job. After some years installing and wiring sound systems, he searched for a new opportunity to expand his already impressive vault of knowledge and had a chance to work for Shaw construction, where he could then move to the great state of Colorado. So, with several years of experience in a multi-faceted realm as a Field Superintendent, Rudy joined our ever-expanding family at The Ridge Pinehurst.
Kristal Wynn, LPN
Assisted Living Director
Currently working on her BS in Healthcare Administration, Kristal has been steadily advancing her skills since 2009, when she earned her Practical Nursing Degree. She worked as a CNA in a skilled nursing community, then helped open a CCRC in Bonita Springs. Her nine years in long-term care awakened her love for senior living. She became a nurse consultant for a long-term care pharmacy. Then she joined a memory care and assisted living community as its weekend director. Four and a half years later, she’s come to The Ridge full of compassion, loyalty, understanding and a readiness to serve. A southwest Florida native, she treasures her family and her young daughter.
Natasha Northway
Memory Support Director
Originally from Minnesota, Natasha moved to Colorado in 2013, down to Georgia in 2021, and returned back to Colorado in 2024. She’s worked with older adults for more than two decades. After ten years as a CNA, she became an LPN and worked in long-term care. She has eight years of assisted living and memory support experience and continues to be passionate about giving seniors the best care she can. She’s known as honest and compassionate, loves mountain drives and time with her family, and finds her joy in her children and grandchildren.
Jessica Balerio
Move-In Coordinator
Jessica is a Colorado native and brings more than 10 years of healthcare experience to The Ridge Pinehurst having earned her CNA license in 2011. Her studies in both nursing and healthcare administration make her uniquely qualified to serve as Move In Coordinator as she’s empathetic to the health and social issues that attract older adults to senior living. She believes that her work with seniors has given her a profound sense of gratitude for life and the learnings that age bring. Her time outside of work is devoted to her two children who inspire her to be the best person she can be. She is inspired by overcomers—those who beat the odds, no matter what.
Kimm Gillogly
Team Operations Director
Kimm says she stumbled into senior living in March of 2020 when the pandemic struck because she couldn’t just sit around and not help. So she approached a nearby senior living community and said, “Can I help?” They handed her a uniform and thus began her career in senior living. She worked as a memory support caregiver. Even though she went home exhausted, she was happy knowing that she wanted to work with seniors the rest of her life. She also has experience as a QMAP, Assistant Memory Care Director and Assisted Living Director before finding The Ridge Pinehurst. A native of central Ohio, Kimm will always be a Buckeye at heart. From Ohio, she moved to San Francisco and then on to Boulder. She graduated summa cum laude from Ohio State University with a BS in Elementary Education and an MA in Reading Instruction. She also graduated summa cum laude from Otterbein University with an MA in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She is most passionate about teaching and learning which is particularly important in her new role as she facilitates the training of the clinical teams. She’s a scientific and curious thinker and will continually strive to better serve our residents.
Brandy Boozer
Spa & Fitness Director
Brandy has a varied background with a degree in Criminology and Forensics from Colorado Technical University, a real estate license and a cosmetology license. Yet, she chose The Ridge because the 28 years she’s spent doing seniors’ hair has brought her such joy and fulfillment. She loves to help residents and her team to become their best through listening and understanding. Her compassion, organization and hard work set her apart. She was born in Houston, TX, and has lived in Georgia and Colorado for most of her life. When not at work, she’s enjoying the beautiful Colorado surroundings—soaking up all its goodness and keeping that beautiful smile on her face.
Luxury Living Awaits
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