Nicole Pretre began her leadership path at Cedar Community more than a decade ago, where she found her passion for working with older adults. “We sometimes forget that older adults were not always older, and we forget that they were once first responders, teachers, veterans, community and business leaders, or titans of industry,” said Pretre’s staff. “Early in her Cedar Community career, Nicole began to truly understand the impact of her work – supporting families and individuals along their aging journey.”
Today, serving as the president and chief executive officer of Cedar Community, the largest nonprofit senior living organization in Southeastern Wisconsin and the 133rd largest in the U.S., she continues to advocate for those who can no longer advocate for themselves.
Pretre leads a team of award-winning professionals who care for those who can no longer care for themselves. “I consider myself privileged to be in a position and a place where my voice is heard, and I am able to elevate the stories of those who are often marginalized and forgotten,” she said.
Under Pretre’s leadership, the organization’s total assets have grown by more than 32% in the past three years and Pretre has led the repositioning of the legacy Cedar Lake Campus from 2022 to 2024. This effort developed The Lofts at Cedar Lake independent living, added apartments and a new level of care—independent living plus—to The Willows at Cedar Lake, and updated the Cedar Lake Health and Rehabilitation Center—an effort which included improved therapy and dining areas.
“Through her leadership, Nicole is driving strategic growth and industry partnership opportunities, repositioning services, redeveloping legacy campuses, diversifying and growing revenue, and projecting the future well-being and healthcare needs of Cedar Community’s residents and staff, while staying focused on the organization’s nonprofit mission,” said her staff.
An accomplished national thought leader and speaker on leadership, senior living, and healthcare, Pretre has been a featured panelist on aging services and workforce issues for the UW-Milwaukee School of Public Health and Moraine Park Technical College. She is often asked to speak on behalf of senior living and aging service organizations at the local, state and federal legislative levels.
She also serves on the board of directors for LeadingAge Wisconsin, including appointment as the state of Wisconsin’s liaison to LeadingAge’s national office in Washington D.C., and was named to the 2022 and 2023 US News and World Report’s chief executive officer advisory council for senior living.