Co-Founder/President/Chief Executive Officer

Cooper Vittitow serves as Co-Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Civitas Senior Living. He guides the organization’s direction by aligning its near-term priorities and long-range plans with what the data, the market, and the people inside each department tell him. His role centers on steering enterprise-wide strategy, strengthening performance at scale, and ensuring Civitas continues delivering value for residents, families, and partners.

Cooper leads company growth by identifying and evaluating new opportunities, building strong partnerships, and overseeing the planning and execution of high-impact initiatives. His focus remains steady: position Civitas for sustainable progress while supporting the teams who bring the company’s mission to life every day.

Cooper began his senior living journey in 2007 when his then-girlfriend (now wife) Amy Vittitow introduced him to Wayne Powell as a potential job candidate. Wayne took a chance on him and hired him as an intern at The Courtyards of River Park, where he discovered that the senior living industry was the perfect fit. It wasn’t long until he was promoted – first to Assistant Executive Director in 2009 and then to Executive Director in 2011.

In 2012, he co-founded Civitas Senior Living with Wayne Powell, Misti Powell, Jay Dempsey, and Amy Vittitow, beginning his leadership path as Vice President of Operations. He later advanced to Senior Vice President of Operations, then Chief Operating Officer, and today serves as President and CEO.

Throughout his tenure with Civitas, he has been instrumental in building the company’s infrastructure while positioning Civitas for tremendous growth without sacrificing its core values and competencies. This work has included developing and refining policies and procedures, employee and resident handbooks, and the Civitas Standards of Excellence. He also created the Executive Director intranet and operating protocols; introduced new programs such as enhanced dementia training; built community business plans and budgets; and hired, trained, and retained strong team members across the company.