Directors & Management

Karim Kassam

With Optima Living Communities

Karim Kassam is the Co-Founder and Principal of Optima Living Communities with residences located in Alberta and BC. Karim has over 25 years of senior executive leadership experience leading in a variety of organizations leading commercial, sales and corporate development. He has had extensive experience in cleantech, commercial real estate, hospitality and seniors health care and housing.

Karim held senior executive officer roles at Ballard Power Systems (BLDP:NASDAQ) for a decade, been a Franchisee at Boston Pizza (BPF:UN) for over twenty years and was recognized as one of the top agents in Canada at Colliers International (CIGI:TSX) where he led the creation of its multi-family investment division in Edmonton.

Karim has completed the Executive Development Program at Harvard Business School (HBS) and the Doing Business in China Executive Program at the China European International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai. He holds an MBA from Queens and is a designated CMA.

He has volunteered extensively with a variety of organizations including being the Honorary Secretary of the National Ismaili Social Welfare Board for Canada and a member of the Ismaili Councils of BC and Edmonton. Karim has also served as a Board Member on the Stratford Hall School Foundation, Vancouver Economic Development Commission, and the Wildlife Rescue Association. Karim served on the inaugural Board of the Women’s Health Research Institute in 2010 and subsequently has been on the board of BC Women’s Health Foundation as a Director since 2013 and more recently in 2017 was elected Chair of the Board.

Adena Waffle

with Concert Properties Ltd.

Adena has over 15 years of seniors housing experience with responsibility ranging in sales, marketing, operations and leadership. In her current role as Vice President Seniors Housing for Concert Properties, Adena leads the vision for Tapestry’s future, oversees the 3rd party management of the Tapestry communities, while working with the team at Concert to build the Tapestry portfolio. Concert currently has 3 Tapestry independent and assisted living communities in operation, 1 under construction in Victoria and 5 additional communities in various stages of development. Adena is a strong and innovative leader whose diverse skill-set will make an excellent asset to the BCSLA Board of Directors.

Marie Lashley

with Chartwell Retirement Residences

Marie Lashley is a Director of regional Sales at Chartwell Retirement Residences with 9 properties in her portfolio that encompass all levels of care including Independent living, assisted living, long term care and most recently Memory living.

She has over eighteen years in sales, marketing, and business development, the majority of which were in the healthcare sector, and seven years in seniors housing.

Marie has her Bachelor of Arts in Leadership from Trinity Western University and has a passion for leadership, especially when it comes to leading positive change. She works closely with her team at Chartwell to motivate and equip them to become leaders in their community when it comes to seniors issues, and to be an advocate for change to ultimately make their lives better.

She has lived in BC for over 35 years, and is very excited to be working with BCSLA and bringing her background in senior’s housing to promote quality seniors’ health and independence.

Ernie Hee

with Element Lifestyle Retirement Inc.

Ernie had 45 years of experience as a practicing lawyer with a major focus on real estate for over thirty five years. He is a retired licensed lawyer in Alberta and B.C. and most recently a former partner in the Vancouver office of a leading business law firm serving clients across key industries in Canada the United States and internationally. Ernie acted as counsel for Element Lifestyle Retirement Inc. for over 4 years and was appointed as an Executive Vice President in December, 2019.

Ernie in his legal career has advised on all aspects of commercial real estate and corporate/commercial law including advising Limited Partnerships in structuring and raising capital from investors. He had a varied client base which includes well known REITS, developers, pension funds, limited partnerships and private individuals. He also acted for European real estate investors and has acted for prominent U.S. investors and real estate funds on various acquisitions in B.C.

Sheri Brown

with Verve Senior Living

Sheri Brown has been fortunate to be an active member in the seniors industry since 2014. Coming from the real estate industry with over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing, Sheri has had a wide range of experience, which includes operations at a community and corporate level. Understanding the current issues that sales and operations must navigate through the seniors housing industry today is an important aspect of Sheri’s beyond-the-box thinking. Advocating for our seniors is a passion. Sheri is the Regional Director of Sales & Marketing for Western Canada with Verve Senior Living. Volunteering on several boards in the past, such as the North Delta Rotary and the City of Delta on the Standing Committee on Finance, Sheri understands fiscal management, organizational alignment, and quality improvement to help make the lives of our seniors better.

Tony Baena

with PARC Retirement Living

Tony has over 30 years of experience in finance, accounting, human resources and operations in both the public and private sector. In his 10+ years of experience working at Canadian Airlines, Tony learned firsthand the value of providing outstanding customer service. He also has 13 years of experience working in private pay and funded seniors housing and care.

Tony chose to work in the seniors industry because he has a deep respect for what seniors have contributed to the country and to society. He believes that seniors deserve to live in a safe, caring, active and fun place as they age. He is proud to be able to provide this type of environment for seniors at PARC Retirement Living. Outside of work, you can find Tony learning, reading, exercising and traveling.

Kirsten Allenberg

with Baptist Housing

Kirsten is currently the Director of Operations for a portfolio of eleven properties within Baptist Housing. This portfolio includes: Independent and Assisted Living (private pay & government funded), Long Term Care, and Affordable Housing. I have worked in the senior housing industry for over 8 years in several different capacities including sales and marketing as well as operational leadership at the site level. Working for Baptist Housing has afforded me the opportunity to work for a non-profit organization and provided me with experience working with both funded and private pay clients and operators. My dedication to serving those living and working in our communities is driven by my desire to advocate for, and improve the lives of older adults in British Columbia.

Alison Howard

with Revera Retirement

Alison McCarthy

with Amica Senior Lifestyles

Alison McCarthy leads Amica Senior Lifestyles continuous improvement program as Director, Operations Optimization in an effort to create a best in class performance culture. She partners with Operation leaders and Residence teams to define and prioritize process improvement opportunities related to the implementation of standards, and cross-functional collaboration.

Alison has been working in the Amica Senior Lifestyles Resident Experience 4 years including as the Manager, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance. During this time, she has developed and supported a quality assurance program to ensure that risk awareness is embedded in the way we work. The results have been impressive, not only, for the optimization of operating standards within the residences, but also where our standards have been independently reviewed.

Prior to joining the Residence Experience Team at Amica Senior Lifestyles, Alison held numerous roles in retirement homes since 2013. Alison’s background in roles such as Resident Caregiver, Medication Caregiver, Activity and Volunteer Coordinator, Memory Care Coordinator and General Manager has provided her with a very broad perspective that has allows her to seamlessly weave between different areas of operations, and tailor her advice/support to meet the needs of the residences. In her 7 years at Amica Senior Lifestyles, Alison has won awards such as GM of the Year, Residence of the Year, Occupancy of the Year, Collaboration award, highest satisfaction score on the Support Office Survey, and most recently Leadership Award.

Jacqueline Omstead

Jacqueline is passionate about the senior living industry and has grown her career in operations and sales roles at a site-level and corporate level over the past 18 years. She is currently the Vice President of Regional Operations at Aspira Retirement Living (the Retirement division of Sienna Senior Living). Jacqueline is also a founding member of Aging2.0’s Vancouver chapter, which strives to accelerate innovation to address the biggest challenges and opportunities in aging. She is a collaborative, results-centered leader who focuses on encouraging seniors to enhance their lives in a vibrant, creative and independent way. Jacqueline is looking forward to bring her passion for the industry to work alongside her peers on the BCSLA board to inspire and execute the best experience for all seniors in the industry, as well as for the employees who serve them.’

Graham Freeman

Sana Santosh

Sana holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a Minor in Print and Digital Publishing. She has worked in industries such as post-secondary education, real estate, and IT. Sana provides leadership and direction for communication initiatives at BCSLA. She works to proactively and effectively promote the vision and mission of BCSLA to it’s members, stakeholders, and the public. She also promotes association activities on behalf of it’s members, and highlights and amplifies the work BCSLA members do in the communities in which they operate.

Kristie Kekewich