Leadership
Ann Albert
Ann began working with AgeBetter, Inc., as a consultant in early 2004, when Sharing Active Independent Lives (SAIL) was being launched as a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community demonstration project. Several years prior, she was an assisted living administrator at Oakwood Village. This experience, along with a master’s degree in rehabilitation psychology from UW-Madison, helped immensely in the formation and success of SAIL. She has helped shape the program into a unique and sustainable community resource for older adults that also takes a leadership role in the national “village movement.”
In addition to overseeing SAIL, Ann led the development of the Safe at Home Pilot in 2023. Safe at Home offers free home safety assessments to seniors living in Dane County. Assessments are provided by volunteers who are Occupational Therapy college students, retired Occupational Therapists, or other retired health care professionals. The successful pilot helped position AgeBetter to receive funding by Dane County beginning in 2024 to support a part time program coordinator.
Ann is a member of the Madison West Middleton Rotary Club as well as various local professional aging services groups. She serves on the UW Health Adult Trauma—Community Falls Prevention Committee and the UW Madison Geriatric Health Services Research Lab Advisory Board.
Our Board
Working closely with Executive Director Ann Albert, the AgeBetter board of directors includes: Michelle Godfrey (Attic Angel Community President and Chief Executive Officer, AgeBetter Secretary/Treasurer), Janice Hamilton-Crawford (Oakwood Village President and Chief Executive Officer, AgeBetter Board Chair), Debby Ochoa, Tom Vercauteren, Colleen Knudson, Terry Mouchayleh.
Click the names below to read about each member.
Michelle Godfrey joined Attic Angel Community in February 2022 as the President and Chief Executive Officer. Michelle has worked in senior living since 2005—primarily in leadership roles at Oakwood Village and Marquardt Management Services (MMS). Her most recent roles at MMS included developing a new campus in Fitchburg and also serving as a Campus Administrator at St. Elizabeth Nursing Home in Janesville and Sinsinawa Mound in Hazel Green.
Michelle serves on the LeadingAge WI Board and enjoys being able to advocate for and with many great non-profit organizations in Wisconsin.
Michelle holds an undergraduate degree in Fitness Management from Carroll College and a graduate degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Phoenix.
Janice (Jan) Hamilton-Crawford joined Oakwood Village at Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in October 2023. Jan was most recently employed by Trinity Health Senior Communities from March 2018 to January 2023. Trinity Health is a Catholic, not-for-profit health system serving communities across the country. From 1987 to 2017, Jan was employed by CHRISTUS Health System—an international faith-based, not-for-profit health system.
Jan is a Fellow and past Board member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a member and past Board member of the American Hospital Association, and Elder Care Committee Member of the Catholic Health Association.
Jan has a BBA and MBA from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio Texas.
Debby Ochoa joined Oakwood Village in 2021 as Talent Acquisition and Human Resources Director. Debby has spent over 20 years in Human Resources, working for organizations including Starbucks, American Girl, and Pacific Cycle. She also has been certified to teach leadership workshops including James Autry’s Servant Leadership, Paul Hersey’s Situational Leadership, Franklin Covey’s FOCUS, and several Starbucks leadership training workshops, covering financial acumen, staffing, and performance management. Debby brings expertise in talent development and talent acquisition.
Debby holds a BFA from Chapman University, a Master of Science in Learning and Organizational Change from Northwestern University, along with a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certificate through HRCI and a Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) Senior Certified Professional certificate. Debby is active in the community, volunteering with Madtown BMX, Centro Hispano, and the First Presbyterian Church of Waunakee.
Tom Vercauteren is a trust and estates attorney for Boardman & Clark, LLP in Madison. Originally from De Pere, Wisconsin, he met his wife, Nicole, while attending the University of Wisconsin Law School. Tom and Nicole are raising their two daughters in the Sun Prairie area and enjoy volleyball, hiking, and international travel. Tom is an avid fan of his alma mater University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, much to Nicole’s consternation as a UW alum. Tom has been a professional services member of SAIL since 2016 and looks forward to taking on a greater role as Oakwood Village’s representative to the AgeBetter board of directors.
Colleen Knudson is the Vice President of Member & Life Engagement at Attic Angel Community in Middleton, WI. Colleen has worked in Long Term Care for over 20 years in a variety of settings- Nursing Home, Assisted Living, Memory Care and Adult Day. She is currently serving as the Outreach Director for the National Association of Activity Professionals and previously served six years as the President of the Wisconsin Representatives of Activity Professionals. Colleen is the author of multiple activity resource books and is an international speaker on the topics of recreation, dementia, and wellness for seniors.
Although born a Midwesterner, Terry Mouchayleh spent most of her adult life in Texas, as a higher education faculty member and administrator for almost 40 years. When she retired in 2017, she and her husband Imad moved to Madison, and would never consider living anywhere else. She has been a member of Attic Angel since 2019, volunteering and serving on the Attic Angel Association Board. She also continues to teach at MATC as a part-time English faculty member. Imad and Terry have one daughter Maggie, and one granddaughter, Stevie.