Meet Allyson

My personal experience with senior living options dates to 1992 when I was introduced to an independent and assisted living community during a tour with my Grandma Tina, in Clinton, NY. I found the experience life changing and from that day forward, dedicated my career to helping other people’s grandparents, or other family members, the same way someone helped my grandmother.

 

Upon realizing a new construction project was going to be a senior living community in my then hometown of Manlius, NY, I tracked down the person who would soon become my boss. After learning successful pre-opening and lease-up marketing strategies, I entered the realm of professional consulting at Senior Living Associates (now Kleger Associates), a Philadelphia-based senior housing marketing firm where I mastered the arts of opening brand-new communities and helping distressed communities get back on track for senior housing providers in the northeast. My work at SLA resulted in a role at CareMatrix that led me to Las Vegas, NV to open an assisted living and memory care community there. Subsequent leadership roles followed at Alterra Healthcare (now Brookdale) and Silverado Senior Living, among others, until I temporarily changed course during the economic downturn and served as Vice President of Marketing and Sales Support on the team that launched the reverse mortgage division of Countrywide Bank.

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While grateful for the wealth of high-level corporate experience garnered at Countrywide, I couldn’t return to senior living fast enough and formed Nathan Marketing, a senior industry marketing firm, in 2010 to support senior housing developers, operators and affiliated businesses. My clients included: Cadence Senior Living where I served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing and helped create the brand identities for Cadence Living, Inspira Senior Living and Acoya Senior Living; Retirement Community Specialists (RCS) where I was the corporate sales and marketing specialist until joining its development partner, IPA Management, as Corporate Director of Marketing overseeing marketing and sales for LivCommunities, known for the Generations senior living and Liv multifamily housing brands; a house-call physician practice that served senior living residents; and Thoma-Holec Design where I created and managed the nationally renowned senior living interior design firm’s marketing and PR initiatives.

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Following a 25-year career, primarily marketing retirement and senior living communities, I founded Fortina Solutions ... for senior living in 2019. The Santa Fe, NM-based company assisted people and families navigate the overwhelming maze of senior living options that halts most people’s efforts to explore their options. Fortina Senior Solutions evolved as a NY-based company in 2023 to continue empowering people to take control of their futures. Fortina Senior Solutions serves people throughout New York State and the US. 

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I attended Boston University, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University at Buffalo, a Certificate in Marketing Strategy from Cornell University, and other certifications through ongoing education through the American Society on Aging and other organizations. My volunteer and non-profit work includes The Alzheimer’s Association in several states, 100 Women Who Care – Santa Fe, Hadassah, and several professional and social networking groups. I am currently serving my second term on The Santa Fe Estate Planning Council's Board of Directors and am a past board member at Solace Sexual Assault Services in Santa Fe with a special interest in the prevention of elder abuse and financial exploitation.