Meet the Team

Jesseca Tighe, Ph.D.

Executive Director

Dr. Jesseca Tighe is Aspens at Fort Collins’ executive director. Her passion for seniors began in graduate school while she was studying for her Ph.D. in psychology. After many years of working in mental health, she went back to her roots. Dr. Tighe has been working in senior care for the last 12 years in various leadership roles. During that time, she served in independent living, assisted living and memory care, and as an executive director since 2017. She enjoys helping seniors and their families at every level of care, but memory care is her heart and soul. Residents with dementia are unique, and they deserve special attention and guidance. Dr. Tighe finds a great sense of fulfillment helping seniors with dementia continue to live a purposeful life and even try new things.

David Catanese

Culinary Services Director

Chef David Catanese joined the Aspens at Fort Collins team with over 10 years of experience in a variety of culinary pursuits, including menu development, catering, restaurants and now senior living. His passion is creating vibrant, delicious and nourishing meals that use high-quality, local and seasonal ingredients. David prides himself on providing a dining experience that includes individual residents’ preferences and needs to make every meal a unique and memorable culinary experience. David gets a profound sense of joy and satisfaction in creating food that residents and their families truly enjoy.

Shawn Wyburn

Business Office Director

Shawn Wyburn comes to the Aspens at Fort Collins team with years of banking experience, an immense passion for life and a penchant for serving others. Shawn’s role as the Business Office director allows him to serve as a financial resource for families as they move through every step of the senior living experience, starting at move-in and throughout their stay.

Jaya Bruce

Director of Sales and Marketing

Aspens at Fort Collins’ director of Sales and Marketing is Jaya Bruce. Born and raised in Fort Collins, Colorado, she has been working in senior living her entire professional life. Starting as a caregiver, Jaya later became a care coordinator and learned to teach, train and manage the team to provide the best quality of care to the residents in the community. Jaya is very passionate about memory care and has worked in the field for six years. Aspens at Fort Collins has become her second home, and everyone inside of it has become a second family. Jaya hopes everyone sees the community through her eyes as the best place to live.

Larissa Brothers

Generations Program Director

Larissa Brothers is Aspens at Fort Collins’ Generations Program director. She comes with a wealth of nursing experience at all levels of care. Larissa has been an assistant director of Nursing for several years and is the key to the success of our caregivers and medication technicians. She oversees all aspects of resident care, from initial assessments to liaising with physicians and families. Larissa is passionate about person-centered care, emphasizing quality of life for our residents and making every day purposeful and enjoyable. Larissa has already initiated several new programs that have brought joy to our residents.

Tigerlily Lopez

Generations Program Coordinator

Tigerlily Lopez joins the Aspens at Fort Collins team as the Generations Program coordinator. Tigerlily, a Colorado native, developed a passion for senior care after her grandparents were diagnosed with dementia and has turned that passion into a career. Tigerlily looks forward to making sure the next stage of our residents’ lives is filled with purpose, possibility and joy. She works to ensure that Aspens is a place where residents can be empowered, accepted and celebrated. In her free time, Tigerlily likes to read, crochet, and spend time with her fiancé and her cat, Beetle-Bee.

Linda Brown-Smith

Vibrant Life^® Director

Linda Brown-Smith joined the Aspens at Fort Collins team as the Vibrant Life^® director. Before pursuing her career in senior care, Linda spent many years in the nonprofit world, where she designed programs for recreation and senior centers. Linda enjoys curating activities through our Vibrant Life^® program, which goes far beyond the industry’s typical activity programming. This program focuses on the importance of providing our residents with abundant opportunity to participate in meaningful endeavors, connect with the local community through charitable causes and cultivate intergenerational relationships, ultimately helping our residents live purposeful lives. Linda’s creativity and ability to bond with the residents is second to none. Her favorite part of the position is building relationships with each of the residents and learning about their lives. Linda has a passion for working with seniors and is grateful to share her big heart and creativity with them!

Chad Moore

Building Services Director

Chad Moore is the Building Services director at Aspens at Fort Collins, which means that his mission is to ensure all buildings are operating properly while providing a safe and secure environment throughout the community. Chad’s goal is to always provide unparalleled customer service and constantly advocate for the residents and their comfort, safety and well-being.

Now this is living ... senior living!

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