Changemaker Series: Jennifer Koster

Welcome to Changemaker Stories from LOCAL—an ongoing series of personal interviews with leaders driving change across every industry and discipline. Because change shouldn’t mean going it alone.

This week, we caught up with Jennifer Koster, Chief People Officer at Liv Communities and a passionate culture architect with nearly 30 years of experience in multifamily housing. We talked about what it means to lead with values during times of growth and disruption, why HR is the heartbeat of any business, and how a single balcony can teach a team everything they need to know about leadership.

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We’re in the people business—we just happen to develop and manage communities. I started almost 30 years ago as a leasing consultant and worked my way up—assistant manager, property manager, trainer, HR generalist, Director of HR, VP of HR, and now Chief People Officer. What’s kept me here is the belief that we’re not just leasing apartments—we’re creating homes and human experiences. HR felt like a natural evolution of that purpose.

Our why is to help people live their best lives—and that applies to team members too. Whether we were growing from 15 to 550 people or navigating a disposition, the “why” has never changed. It gives us direction during transitions and clarity when there’s uncertainty. We use it as a north star—for our residents, yes, but especially for our team members.

We didn’t roll out our values—we built them together. When we created our values, we didn’t just write them in a room and hand them out. We went to our teams, asked what Liv meant to them, and listened. Originally, we had 'Be accountable’ as a value descriptor, but a team member told me that didn’t resonate. She suggested 'Do what you say you will do'—and that’s what made the cut.

If you can’t see your values in action, they’re just words. We bring our values into interviews, meetings, recognition programs—even on wallet-sized cards every team member receives. We talk about them in leadership training and new hire bootcamps.

Our values aren’t just posted on a wall, they’re how we operate every day.

Being seen matters. Our Liv Life Points program lets peers recognize each other for living the values. When someone calls you out for embodying something we believe in, it’s powerful. It makes people feel noticed, valued, and connected, even across locations.

“What if this change is the best thing that ever happened for everyone involved” That’s the question I asked our team during the disposition of our senior living communities. It reframed everything - some really beautiful things happened. We launched a campaign called 'What’s Next' to help every impacted team member identify their next step—even if it was after they were no longer working at Liv. We tracked progress weekly and hit our goal: zero people left without a plan. I still get chills thinking about that.

You have to coach for the process—and the person. I believe in coaching people toward both the goal line and the soul line. It’s not just about deadlines and deliverables—it’s about how people feel during the journey. That balance of vision and care is what drives sustainable change.

Great leaders know when to step off the balcony and onto the dance floor. I once took my team to a venue with a literal balcony to drive this point home. As leaders, we have to see the big picture—but we also have to get down in the weeds when people are stuck. Real leadership lives in both places.

Transparency doesn’t require perfection. It requires presence. During tough transitions, our executive team showed up for live Q&As—even when we didn’t have all the answers. We told people what we knew, what we didn’t, and promised to update them as we learned more. That kind of honesty builds trust.

The best leaders don’t underestimate themselves—or their teams. During the 'What’s Next' campaign, our directors blew me away. They created tools, videos, and new support systems. When you give people a strong ‘why’ and space to lead, they’ll surprise you in the best ways.

Living your values means trusting people to act within them. I always tell my team: if you’re making decisions in alignment with our values, I’ve got your back. Even if I might’ve done it differently, that alignment matters more than rigid rules. It’s how we empower people instead of boxing them in.

Live with love. Lead with love. That’s how I see HR. It’s love in action—whether that’s supporting a team member, navigating change, or celebrating a win. And if we start with love, I believe the rest will follow.