By Amanda Ranowsky
On February 18, 2020, my first day at Goodwin Living, I had no idea what the future would hold. Would I like my new coworkers? Would the work be fulfilling? Would I be able to grow professionally? Would Goodwin Living be a place I wanted to stay?
Six years later, the answer to all those questions is a clear and unequivocal “Yes!”
I am not the only one to have this experience with Goodwin Living. Earlier this month, I attended a Service Awards Ceremony, where I was among dozens of team members honored for reaching milestone years in their tenure with Goodwin Living during calendar year 2025: five years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, 25 years…there were even several team members honored for more than 30 years of tenure with Goodwin Living!
As each team member took their turn in the spotlight, I heard inspiring stories of friendship and growth, of exciting opportunities met and of support received at just the right moment. These stories illustrate why team members stay with Goodwin Living.
The First Five Years: Choosing to Stay in Uncertain Times
For many team members, that journey began during a moment of extraordinary uncertainty.
Those among us who began their tenure with Goodwin Living in 2020 experienced the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. After just four weeks on the job, my own role transitioned overnight from fully in-office to fully remote, and I ended up getting to know most of my colleagues over email and Microsoft Teams chats. My boss and I pivoted from building a marketing and communications practice for the organization, our department still being in its infancy, to full-time COVID communications.
Though it was certainly an interesting time to join a senior living and healthcare services organization, the support of my amazing colleagues and the opportunity to engage in truly meaningful work meant that I never once regretted making the move to Goodwin Living. On the contrary – I was incredibly grateful to be in my new role!
A majority of Goodwin Living team members continued to work in-person throughout the pandemic, serving on the front lines. Goodwin House Alexandria (GHA) Life Enrichment Director Kim Butler joined GHA as a Catering Manager in 2020. “When I joined Goodwin Living during the pandemic, the campus was unusually quiet,” Kim shared. “Residents were eating in their apartments, and the dining venues were completely empty. With no events happening and very limited in‑person interaction, it took about six to eight months before I really had the chance to get to know the residents.”
“Coming from a fast‑paced catering environment that had also shut down due to the pandemic, the slower pace here was a big adjustment,” she continued. “I chose to continue my professional journey with GHA because, as the dining rooms gradually reopened, I was able to take on more responsibilities managing the dining venues. Being part of that reopening process helped keep me motivated and optimistic about my future with GHA.”
In 2022, Kim took an opportunity to transition into a new role: Director of Life Enrichment at GHA. She shared her gratitude to Goodwin Living for supporting her career growth. “I’ve consistently felt encouraged, never once told ‘no’ when I wanted to explore a new idea, take a class, attend a webinar or participate in a seminar,” Kim said. “That openness and trust have made a tremendous difference. The support I receive from leadership transforms work from something routine into something meaningful. Their belief in me makes coming to work feel less like a challenge and more like a privilege.”
Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads (GHBC) Fitness Manager Olga Cardoso didn’t think she would get the role when she interviewed for a position as Fitness Specialist in 2020. “As I was applying for the position, it seemed like everything went wrong,” she said. “The day I first tried to fill out the application form, my Internet went down. When I interviewed for the position over Zoom, I had no light in the room, and we had to redo the interview on another day. Then I did a virtual demonstration, teaching a class online, and the Internet went out again. It was a real blessing when I found out I got the job!”
Though her interview process had been rocky, Olga felt she had an auspicious start to her tenure at GHBC. “A fun fact about me is that I’m crazy about Elvis,” she shared. “When I arrived for my orientation at GHBC, I passed by the fitness center and saw a statue of Elvis outside of it! I took a picture and sent it to my friends, saying, ‘It’s a sign! Elvis is waiting for me at the door!’”
Olga saw two Fitness Managers come and go during her first years at GHBC. During each transition, she spent several months as the only fitness personnel on the campus. Though challenging, she looks back on this time with pride. “I’m proud that I was able to keep up the level of customer service in the fitness center all by myself,” she said. This time also prepared her to take on the role of manager herself in XXXX.
Fifteen to Twenty-Five Years: Growing a Career, and a Community
Olga and Kim are not the only ones to experience professional growth at Goodwin Living. That same sense of possibility carries forward for team members who have built long‑term careers at Goodwin Living. Many of those with longer tenure shared stories of opportunities and support that helped their jobs blossom into careers.
Human Resources Generalist Septima Piedu has held six different roles across a variety of departments during her 15 years with Goodwin Living. “Throughout the different stages of my life and career, Goodwin Living has not only provided me with employment, but also stability and growth,” Septima said. “Each role has prepared me for the next, and I have so much gratitude to those in leadership who believed in me and gave me the opportunity to grow with the organization.”
Zainab Thomas, Nurse Practitioner at GHBC, built her career over 25 years at Goodwin Living with support from the Goodwin Living Foundation. “The Foundation gave me tremendous tuition assistance over the course of my nursing career,” she said.
Zainab also credits her colleagues for their support during her long tenure at GHBC. “There are so many people who have made a difference to me at GHBC, but the one who stands out to me most of all is Maritess Pita, a Registered Nurse in the Clinic, whom I have known for more than twenty years,” said Zainab. “She is not interested in accolades; she just continually strives to get the job done. She genuinely cares about a job well done. She makes me a better practitioner with the invaluable support that she gives to me, colleagues and residents.”
Septima shared that support from a former colleague who experienced a similar career trajectory at Goodwin Living had made a difference to her own experience. “My former teammate, Heba Sikander, and I had a similar career path working our way up through the organization,” she said. “It was such a comfort to have someone who had gone through what I was preparing to go through with transitioning into different roles. Having her guidance and support made me feel that I was making the right decision even when I did not believe that I could do it. She always had a can-do attitude, and I admired how she always went after what she wanted no matter what.”
Thirty Years and Beyond: Purpose That Endures
While careers at the 15‑to-25‑year mark reflect growth and evolution, those who have spent more than three decades at Goodwin Living show what it looks like when growth gives way to something even more enduring: purpose.
Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) Elfidia Cortez never expected to spend 35 years in the same organization when she joined GHBC in 1990. Her advice for anyone building a career is simple: “You have to care and love what you do,” she said. “What’s kept me coming back all these years was never obligation, but rather genuine purpose and a team I consider family.”
Audrey Keith, fondly known as “Ms. Audrey,” has the distinction of being the longest-tenured team member at Goodwin Living, having spent her 55-year career in dining services at GHA. When asked for words of wisdom from her long career, she shared, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it. You can have anything you want working right here at Goodwin Living, in whatever job you’re in.”
Continuing to Choose Goodwin Living
Whether five years or fifty‑five, each story shared at this year’s Service Awards pointed to the same truth: people stay at Goodwin Living because they are supported, valued and connected to something meaningful. They stay for the colleagues who encourage them, the leaders who believe in their potential, the opportunities to grow and the residents and clients whose lives give purpose to their work.
At Goodwin Living, years of service tell a story not just of time spent, but of lives touched by residents, by colleagues and by the work we do together every day. As I reflected on my own journey during the ceremony, I was reminded that staying is not a single decision; it’s a choice made again and again, across different seasons of life and career. And it’s a choice I plan to continue to make for years to come.
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As Marketing & Communications Manager, Amanda Ranowsky partners with colleagues throughout Goodwin Living to tell our stories and raise brand awareness. From printed collateral to digital marketing, Amanda covers many bases. Before joining Goodwin Living, Amanda worked for a small, family-owned business where she gained experience in content marketing. Amanda’s creative expression extends beyond the office. She is an active member of community theater and chorus groups.
