Atlas’ mission to serve seniors truly lasts by inviting our upcoming younger leaders to learn, grow and be willing to accept the passing torch.
They will not only be dedicating themselves to this current population of seniors, but to the future generations such as baby boomers and beyond. Maintaining an innovative approach for ourselves and the industry as a whole is important, as well as teaching our upcoming leaders on all that they should expect.
As Executive Assistant, Lauren Little has a lot on her plate while also learning the world of senior housing. Since she was hired, however, she has hit the ground running, learning different aspects of senior housing in not just one, but all departments, from accounting to operations to marketing. She is even in the process of obtaining her administrator license!
Lauren comes to Atlas Senior Living from the health administration program at Auburn University. With President and COO Wyman Hamilton on the health administration advisory board at Auburn, he knew Lauren would be a perfect fit for the Atlas family.
Since January 2020, Lauren has been learning the ins and outs of the senior living industry by training in every department and in different communities. Learn more about Lauren below and why we are excited to have her on the team!
- When did you join the Atlas family?
I was hired around the beginning of December 2019 after interviewing with the Atlas corporate team here in Birmingham. I knew after the interview this is exactly where I wanted my career to start off! I then graduated from Auburn University and moved to Birmingham to start working at Atlas on January 6, 2020.
- What is your exact title and which department are you in?
My official title is Executive Assistant. I am not really in a designated department, which makes my job really fun! I started off by mainly helping with payables, weekly reports, and completing projects within different departments. I mainly work in financials and marketing for now, but I am about to start the process of getting my administrator license in Alabama and Florida. I will soon be working more in the communities and traveling to help wherever I am needed!
- What does it mean for you to be a part of Atlas Senior Living?
Being a part of the Atlas Senior Living team is an honor. I was connected to our COO Wyman Hamilton while working on my senior capstone group project and continued to stay connected with him while starting my job search. I initially knew something was special about Atlas when Wyman generously traveled from Birmingham to meet with my group and even offered to help any of us look for a job after graduation, whether it was with Atlas or through another connection.
I ended up applying for a job on the Atlas website hoping to even be considered for a position. Wyman eventually reached out to ask if I would be interested in interviewing for a new position in the corporate office, which thankfully led to a job offer!
My story is just one example of how much Atlas really goes above and beyond for others, not just for their associates and residents. I am now five months into my job at corporate as their Executive Assistant and I have learned and grown so much over the past few months. As I continue my career, I am so happy to have my Atlas family with me along the way!
- What does it mean for you to be a part of this industry?
I have always had a desire to work in healthcare management but was not sure where I wanted to start off my career. I went into my major at Auburn with the intention of going into senior living but was unsure if it was the right fit for me. After contemplating what seemed like every single job in the healthcare field, I had an internship that made me circle back around to senior living. I know working with seniors is where I am best fit to make a positive impact on others! I am so excited to start off my career in senior living and so glad it is with Atlas.
- How do you feel about the training process so far? (visiting every dept., visiting different communities, etc.)?
The training process at the corporate office has been such a great learning experience and I am so grateful Atlas is allowing me to have this opportunity. By working with all departments at corporate, it is giving me a full perspective on what it takes to keep communities moving despite what curveballs are thrown… like a worldwide pandemic! Watching how this team navigates through obstacles and how they celebrate wins will have such a positive impact on my career as a manager. Being a manager will not be easy but they have shown me that it is worth it in the long run.
- What is your educational experience?
I graduated from Auburn University in December 2019 with a degree in Health Services Administration and a minor in Business. Picking that major was one of the best decisions I made in college. It led me to my best friends, a faculty team that taught us to be “experts” in all things healthcare, and ultimately led to my job at Atlas. I often look back on how I got here and stand in awe of how everything transpired. Getting to this point was not a straight path by any means but I eventually got to where I wanted… and thankfully this is only the beginning!
With her training, Lauren will be ready to lead the way with the integrity Atlas’ foundation rests on while serving seniors. If you are interested in a rewarding career with the greatest generation, visit our careers page. Our communities are always looking for bright minds to help us in our mission to serve seniors!
