Speakers

Brenda Connelly is president of The Springs Living, where she leads strategy, culture, and long-term growth for the senior living organization operating more than 20 communities across Oregon, Washington, and Montana. Known for championing a people-first culture that invests in front line team members and strengthens the communities they serve, Connelly is helping redefine how senior living supports older adults. As the company celebrates its 30th anniversary, she is guiding The Springs Living into its next stage, advancing a vision to innovate how people think, feel, and experience senior living.

Previously serving as chief operating officer, Connelly led all aspects of community operations across The Springs Living, including community management, health services, culinary services, sales, and marketing. She was promoted to the role after serving as chief quality officer, where she led the development of a comprehensive company-wide quality program that strengthened standards, compliance, resources, and resident satisfaction. Connelly began her career as a certified nursing assistant and spent 14 years working in nursing and executive leadership positions in skilled nursing before progressing into senior living leadership roles. That frontline experience continues to shape her leadership philosophy and her belief that the future of senior living depends on investing in the people who care for older adults every day.

Connelly is an active contributor to advancing quality and innovation across the senior living industry. In 2023, she was appointed to the Oregon Health Care Association Board of Directors after previously serving on its Compliance and Quality Council. She was also appointed by the Oregon governor to the state’s Quality Measurement Council where she currently serves as Chair. McKnight’s Senior Living named Connelly to its Women of Distinction Hall of Honor in 2022, and she received the Oregon Health Care Association’s Special Services Award in 2021.

Connelly holds a master’s degree in quantitative management with a focus in health analytics from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from North Dakota State University.