January 2026

Five Years of Transformative Leadership at Pasadena Village

As Pasadena Village celebrates Executive Director Katie Brandon's fifth work anniversary, the organization reflects on remarkable growth and meaningful community impact through the eyes of Katie. What began in 2020 with a vision to strengthen the village movement has evolved into a thriving nonprofit serving over 1,000 older adults annually through free programming and direct support to its 260+ members.

Katie's journey with Pasadena Village began long before she accepted the Executive Director role. When she first learned about the organization around 2016, she immediately recognized its value, thinking, "I hope that it is there for me when I am old enough to join." This personal connection to the mission drove her research into the village movement and its fundamental principle: we all need people to rely on. When the Board of Directors sought new leadership in 2020, Katie was ready to lead the organization toward ambitious goals of increased membership, greater visibility, and sustainable funding.

Katie describes her leadership style as caring, from the heart, and collaborative. She credits her success to strong support networks, including fellow executive directors through the Pasadena Executive Directors Roundtable and Village Movement California. She emphasizes that improved communication can solve or improve most organizational challenges and continues to refine this essential skill.

Katie takes particular pride in the Strategic Plan developed in 2021 during the height of the pandemic. Despite challenging circumstances, the plan's flexible framework enabled Pasadena Village to weather significant changes and effectively respond to unexpected crises. The organization's peer-to-peer, community-led programming model distinguishes it from other nonprofits and makes it uniquely responsive to member needs.

The past five years have witnessed extraordinary expansion at Pasadena Village. The organization has more than doubled its reach and now serves the community through expanded office and gathering spaces, increased volunteer support, and significantly enhanced community partnerships. Perhaps most notably, Pasadena Village grew from just two staff members in 2020 to nine staff members in 2025, though some were temporary hires due to the influx of funding related to the Eaton Fire. Managing this growth required Katie to develop new skills in human resources, training, and staff supervision while maintaining her core focus on operations and sustainable funding. This evolution reflects the organization's success and the trust placed in Katie's leadership.

The Eaton Fire in January 2025 tested Katie's leadership and the entire Pasadena Village team. On the morning of January 8, staff members demonstrated extraordinary dedication, spending the entire day making calls to ensure no member was forgotten. With no established roadmap, the team engaged in creative problem-solving and showed remarkable resilience. Their efforts extended beyond outreach—Pasadena Village, partnering with organizations like Connect 2 Rise and Foothill Family, provided direct assistance to fire-affected members. One particularly moving example involved Donna, a 77-year-old resident who lost her home in the fire. Donna learned about Pasadena Village when she attended one of the free educational programs: Rebuilding Altadena: Your A-Z Guide to Designing & Rebuilding. She told Pasadena Village staff that she was doing ok but her back was starting to hurt because she had been sleeping on a cot for months at a friend’s place. Through funding from FireAid, Village staff was able to purchase and arrange delivery of a mattress, bed frame, and pillow for her. Donna later decided to join Pasadena Village as a Villager and has enjoyed meeting neighbors through Village events including the Altadena Reconnect lunches and other gatherings. 

Reflecting on her five years, Katie views Pasadena Village as a community she has been privileged to help grow. Her message to Villagers, donors, and the broader community remains clear: "Take the mission of Pasadena Village to heart—we can all do more to support the older adults in our lives." As Katie enters her next chapter with the organization, her dedication to aging-in-place and community connection continues to shape Pasadena Village's promising future.