Our Team

Brenda joined Walker Methodist in 2013. Prior to working at Westwood Ridge, Brenda worked as a Social Worker, Director of Social Services, Care Center Administrator, and a Regional Administrator at two different nursing homes. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, studied Long-Term Care Administration at the U of M – Carlson School of Management, and received a Master’s in Organizational Leadership at St. Catherine University. Brenda is licensed as a Social Worker, Nursing Home Administrator, and is qualified as a Health Services Executive.

She was attracted to Walker Methodist because she felt her values aligned nicely with ours and was excited for the opportunity to serve residents in a continuum of care. Brenda feels truly blessed to be able to serve the residents, families, and team at Westwood Ridge. The team inspire her regularly with the care and compassion they show to those we serve.

On a daily basis, Brenda is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations at Westwood Ridge. She partners with all of the departments to ensure our residents get the quality care they deserve. Her decision to work in healthcare was inspired by her grandmother who passed away from Alzheimer’s. Some of her favorite memories are of spending time with her, and the love and respect she had for her reinforced her decision to work for a senior living community.

When she’s not at work, Brenda enjoys spending time with family and friends, going to the movies, reading, and in the fall she enjoys Sunday Funday. Go Vikings!

Brenda is passionate about fundraising and has led the team in raising over $50,000 for the Walker Methodist Foundation. At the end of the day, she would like to be remembered for being hard-working, honest, and for having a good sense of humor. Although she works hard, she tries not to take herself too seriously. Life’s too short to be anything but happy.

Carol joined the Walker Methodist team in October 2012 as a Marketing Assistant. Before becoming Director of Sales & Marketing, she held a Marketing Specialist position. Prior to working at Walker Methodist, Carol took a short respite from work after the passing of her husband to spend time with her grandchildren. During this time, she did contract work as a “Mystery Shopper” for senior living communities. This is where her interest in senior living began.

On a day-to-day basis, Carol reaches out to families and individuals to invite them to visit and learn about what Westwood Ridge has to offer. She conducts tours, plans events, and does outreach visits to create awareness and increase referrals to the community.

Carol is known for being a strong communicator and has a history of being able to resolve conflicts. Being able to build relationships with seniors and providing them with choices that allow them to live life fully is what excites Carol most about her job. She is motivated when she is able to match a prospective resident’s needs with what Walker Methodist has to offer, while providing comfort and guidance to the families who sometimes have to make tough decisions in regards to their loved ones.

Outside of work, Carol enjoys playing golf, fishing, and hanging out with her four beautiful grandchildren. Carol has a son and a daughter, Amanda and Adam, who are the light of her life! At the end of the day, Carol would like to be remembered as someone who “said what she meant, and meant what she said” – honest and sincere.

Danielle joined the Walker Methodist family on March 17, 2014, and brought with her 17 years of nursing home experience. She was drawn to Walker Methodist because of the opportunity to grow more in her field and the desire to do more with our larger population.

On a day-to-day basis you will find Danielle collaborating with the staff that leads the activities on campus, creating monthly calendars and newsletters of events and activities, attending meetings and training programs, and fundraising. She is known for being creative and has a knack for making something out of nothing. She is passionate about her job because of her ability to give her residents the life and fun they deserve to have.

When she’s not creating fun events and actives for our residents, Danielle enjoys scrapbooking with her sister, shopping, camping, going to the cabin, and four wheeling. She has a 10 year old daughter named Gracie and recently married her husband Timothy in January 2015. Their family is completed with their cat Lily.

Danielle is an active volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association and enjoys helping out at the Walker Methodist 5k/10k Run/Walk each year as a way to give back to those who have done so much for us. At the end of the day, Danielle would like to be remembered as someone who had a good heart, loved people, and loved God.

Ace Yang is the Culinary Director for Westwood Ridge in West St. Paul. Ace began his career with Walker Methodist is 2013 and has held a variety of positions, each one with increasing responsibility and leadership.

Ace’s favorite thing to do is provide the residents with a great meal – and the smiles they share with him drives him to cook an even better meal tomorrow. He believes he can make a difference in residents' lives through delicious food and having good conversations with them.

Ace’s favorite thing is the outdoors, and he loves talking about fishing, hunting, and farming. He has five sisters, is married to May Lor, and has two children Aidyn (8) and Stella (2). Ace grew up in St. Paul, and when he’s not at Westwood Ridge creating delicious meals, you’ll find him with his family enjoying the great outdoors.

Chase started working at Westwood Ridge almost 10 years ago. He has held many positions including Grounds Keeper, Maintenance Tech. 3, Maintenance Tech. 1, Maintenance Engineer, Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Supervisor, and Director of Environmental Services. Chase was drawn to Walker Methodist because he enjoyed working outdoors and the Grounds Keeper position allowed him to do just that.

On a day-to-day basis, Chase ensures that the building is efficient and safe. He has a knack for mechanical troubleshooting and problem solving and is also very detail oriented and takes pride in doing a great job. He enjoys working for a senior living community because he loves finding out what our residents used to do for work and fun.

When he’s not taking care of Westwood Ridge, you will likely find Chase hunting, fishing, or doing something outdoors. He has a wife, baby, and two very energetic dogs – a Vizsla and Weimaraner. At the end of the day, he would like to be remembered as someone whose support was only a phone call away, day or night.

A native of Faribault, MN, Sydney graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies and a minor in Gerontology. Sydney has been with Walker Methodist since October 2014. Her previous work as an Activities Director and Resident Assistant prepared her for her current position as Resident Services Manager of Memory Care and Care Suites.

Sydney knew she wanted to work in senior living during her senior year of college while volunteering at a nursing home in Wisconsin. After volunteering finished, she stayed in touch with a Resident for a few years. Sydney would visit a few times a week, write letters, and talk on the phone regularly. Their bond helped Sydney realize how sometimes the simplest things can make a big difference and that creating relationships with the Residents and families is what’s important. 

Sydney loves spending time outdoors walking her dog, running, and gardening. She’s passionate about dog rescue and all animals. She has experience fostering dogs and says she would keep them all if she could! Sydney grew up as an only child and remains very family-oriented. She lives with her husband Sam, son Emmitt (1), and German Shepherd Aida in Faribault, MN.

LuAnne joined the Westwood Ridge team in July 2012. She holds degrees from Minneapolis Community College and Metro State University and has worked as an office manager, Corporate Meeting Planner, and as a Sales & Marketing Manager. After a re-organization at Murphy Warehouse, LuAnne decided she “wanted to work with people, not pallets.”

As the Business Office Manager, LuAnne is responsible for billing, census, HR duties, and assisting residents as needed. She is known as an office Jack (Jill) of all trades and can fix the copier/telephone/TV, set up AV, make graphs, design killer spreadsheets, and so much more! LuAnne loves to interact with the residents and says that she’s met the most amazing people here at Westwood Ridge.

When LuAnne isn’t at Westwood Ridge, you can likely find her golfing or floating on the river. She has a wonderful husband, five kids, 11 grandkids, and two dogs. She also enjoys fundraising for the Walker Methodist Foundation. 

At the end of the day, LuAnne would like to be remembered as someone who was kind and always willing to help.

Larry joined the Walker Methodist family in 2004. Before stepping into his role as TCU Nurse Manager, Larry worked as a floor nurse and a complex supervisor. He has a diverse nursing background, including Long Term Care and TCU nursing, as well as medical surgery, orthodontics, and transplants. Larry also has some surgical circulating nursing experience as a travel nurse.

Beyond nursing, Larry loves golf, travel, and adventure. He used to ride a Harley Davidson motorcycle and he even tried skydiving for a while. On weekends he enjoys taking his three grandchildren off-roading in his Jeep Wrangler.

Bio coming soon.

I have worked in healthcare my entire career and pursued nursing in 2008. I discovered a passion for serving the older adult population when working with them in an Ophthalmology Clinic.

In my role at Westwood Ridge I have a variety of responsibilities and ways that I can make a positive difference in the lives of the older adults I serve. I love this! It is so very rewarding making a difference in their lives.

I love working at Westwood Ridge with other like-minded leaders. We come to work every day to ensure the ultimate satisfaction of our residents and family members.

My career started as a Certified Nursing Assistant, then Licensed Practical Nurse, and now Registered Nurse. The majority of my nursing career has been in the skilled care setting. I worked as a floor nurse, charge nurse, nurse manager, and MDS Coordinator in skilled care. I also worked in Assisted Living as a floor nurse and Director of Nursing. I've enjoyed all of my past nursing roles and like caring for the residents.

When I worked as a floor nurse, I made lasting connections with residents and their family members and realized how much of a blessing it is to work with this wonderful population. I realized that, although challenging at times, this was the work that was fitting for me, and I feel connected even now at a higher level. I like to know that I make a difference in the quality of care that the residents receive.

I started working for Walker Methodist in September 2015 as the Admission Manager in the Transitional Care Unit, then transitioned to Assisted Living as the Director of Health Services in January 2017. I really enjoy being part of the Leadership Team at Westwood Ridge. There are inspiring leaders here, and I'm fortunate to be part of the team.

I like to stay organized and appreciate a nicely constructed 3-ring binder. I am married and have two energetic children and a 90-pound Goldendoodle. During my free time I'm usually hanging out with them and being a typical mom.