AgeWays Leadership Team

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Michael Karson, DHA, MBA
President and CEO

Michael Karson, AgeWays President and CEO

Before joining AgeWays, Michael served in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, holding executive-level positions at United Health Care, Henry Ford Health System, and Brookdale Senior Living. He has experience with Complex Care Management, Medicare/Medicaid Dual eligible population, Medicare Advantage models, PACE, capitated reimbursement programs, senior housing, integrated care, assisted living and memory care, and sub-acute rehabilitation.

During the height of the Covid pandemic, Michael provided the leadership that enabled the agency to distribute thousands of pounds of emergency food and provided protective gear to seniors and the workers who care for them.

It makes him particularly proud.

“We rapidly transitioned at the start of the pandemic to ensure our core programs were not interrupted and provided additional help to those with an immediate need.”

Michael served on the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools Board of Education for 12 years as president, vice president, and secretary.

Michael has a doctorate in health administration from Virginia University. He earned his MBA at Lawrence Technological University.

He has two grown sons and a daughter-in-law.


Jenny Jarvis, MBA
Chief Communications & Strategy Officer

Jenny Jarvis, AgeWays Chief Strategy OfficerJenny joined the agency in 2001 as director of communications. In 2014, she became chief communications & strategy officer, overseeing several areas of the agency, now encompassing marketing and communications, Information and Assistance, the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, the Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP), planning and advocacy, the agency’s provider network, along with community health and aging services (social, caregiver and nutrition services, transportation options and health and wellness workshops). Jenny is also in charge of agency strategic planning.

Jenny began her career in the fitness industry, managing health and fitness clubs in the Toronto area. Her first foray into the nonprofit world was with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario in corporate sponsorship. In 2000, she moved to the U.S. when she married her husband, Dan, an engineer. They have a daughter who is currently doing her Kinesiology degree at Wayne State University.

Working with AgeWays is gratifying, she says.

“I enjoy the opportunity to work in a nonprofit environment that is mission-driven,” Jenny says. “It’s really the people you work with every day and the seniors whose lives you touch that make it worthwhile.”

Jenny grew up in northern Ontario. She was close with her grandmother, who inspired her to work for the good of older adults.

Jenny has traveled the world, including spending time in Australia, where she worked at a cattle station, a plastics factory, and a fitness club. Jenny holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from York University and a MBA from Schulich School of Business at York University.


Aimee Page, RN
Chief of Clinical Operations

Aimee Page, AgeWays Chief Clinical Officer

Aimee joined our agency in 2018 as chief clinical officer in charge of person-centered and coordinated-care programs for older adults and adults with disabilities who live in their homes. They include the MI Choice Medicaid Waiver, MI Health Link and Community Living programs.

Working with AgeWays allows her to use her experience, talents, and passion for meeting the needs of individuals in the comfort of their home.

“We strive to provide the right answers, resources, and necessary support and services that help people in the communities we serve. Our agency’s mission and values align with who I am,” Aimee says.

Aimee grew up in St. Joseph, where she began her nursing career. She has two daughters, the oldest of whom has a diagnosis of autism. Aimee serves as co-chair of the Walled Lake Consolidated School District’s parent advisory council for children with special needs. She is also a surrogate parent for children with special needs in Oakland County who do not yet have a court-appointed legal guardian.

Aimee was named one of Oakland County’s “Elite 40 Under 40” in 2020.


Angie Rutterbush
Chief Human Resources Officer

Angie Rutterbush, AgeWays Chief Human Resources OfficerAngie joined the agency in 2018, quickly moving up from HR manager to HR director and then chief human resources officer. She is responsible for the human resources function for the agency’s 150+ employees.

Angie previously served as benefits manager overseeing the North America program for Modern Dental, an international dental laboratory. Before taking off a few years to help her husband Scott get his hospitality consulting business off the ground and to raise her three daughters, Angie worked in benefits management for Covansys for eight years.

AgeWays is Angie’s first nonprofit employer – and she is pleased at the level of dedication at the agency.

“I love the mission and the employees here. They’re very passionate about helping older adults. It’s hard to find a work environment where everyone is driven and focused on the organization’s mission,” she says.

A Rochester native who lives in Livonia, Angie enjoys scrapbooking and weekend getaways with her girlfriends. She received a BA in human resource development from Oakland University and has done graduate work.


Susan Miller, LMSW
Director of Clinical Programs & Project Management

Susan Miller, AgeWays Director of Clinical Operation, MI Choice Medicaid Waiver ProgramSusan Miller joined the agency in 2017, first as a supports coordinator for participants in the MI Choice Medicaid Waiver Program, a cornerstone of our mission to help seniors and adults with disabilities remain independent in their homes, with the right services in place. She quickly moved into supervisory positions, finally becoming the clinical director of the program in 2021.

Susan received a bachelor’s degree in women’s and gender studies from Eastern Michigan University and a master’s degree in Social Work with a focus on community development and leadership from Wayne State University.

Before she joined  AgeWays, Susan worked as a care coordinator at an integrated health organization, as an advocate at a domestic violence shelter, and as an operations coordinator at a homeless shelter.

Susan’s favorite part of her job is problem solving.

“You rarely encounter the same problem twice,” she says. “I enjoy the challenge of coming up with new and creative solutions.”

Susan has a special affinity for the needs of older adults, partly because of her unique upbringing.

“I draw a lot of passion for working with older adults by being raised by grandparents,” she says. “I have been given the gift of knowing my great-great grandparents in my lifetime. Having all those experiences has given me a keen insight into working with older adults.”

Susan has three active children who keep her busy outside of work.

Susan also loves spending time in nature hiking and kayaking to clear her head.


Maggie Ouellette, LMSW
Director of Clinical Operations

Margaret Ouellette, director of Clinical Operations, AgeWaysMaggie has worked in the area of long-term care for older adults and people with disabilities for over 30 years, with a focus on subacute nursing rehabilitation.

Maggie joined AgeWays in 2016 as a clinical manager for the MI Choice Medicaid Waiver Program, which provides services in the home for people who would otherwise qualify for nursing home care. She went on to serve as director of Clinical Operations and In Home Programs and director of our Aging and Adult Services Agency programs.

Maggie received her undergraduate degree in gerontology and business administration from Madonna University and a master’s in social work from Wayne State University. She was an adjunct instructor of gerontology at Madonna for five years. She earned certification from Lawrence Tech University as Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

“AgeWays’s mission and vision align with my personal and professional ethics and values, we are serving people in the community who need support and services the most,” she says. “I come from a culture where our elderly are revered. It’s intergenerational, with the young and the elderly living and socializing together.”

Maggie and her family spend their summer vacations on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, where they have a home in the village where her father was raised.

Maggie loves Tigers baseball. She and her husband Mike have two children.


Katie Wendel, MSW
Director of Planning and Advocacy

Katie Wendel, AgeWays Director of Planning and AdvocacyKatie joined the agency 5 ½ years ago, holding the positions of advocacy specialist and senior manager of advocacy. As a result of her efforts at the state level, increased funding has enabled thousands more seniors to receive homebound meals and in-home care personal services.

Katie grew up in Franklin Grove, Ill., a town of 1,100. She received a bachelor of science degree in social work from St. Louis University in Missouri and her master of social work degree from Columbia University in New York with a focus on public policy and health, mental health, and disabilities.

Katie plans to continue working on  programs that give older adults the supports and services they need to help them “age in place.”

She’s optimistic. The pandemic raised awareness among legislators about the needs of seniors, and with the 65-plus population growing faster than other demographic groups in Michigan, it is critical to have programs in place, and the funding for them. The department relies on data to argue for its positions, and Katie will continue with that approach.

Before joining AgeWays, Katie worked at Age Options in the Chicago area. She and her husband John, a product development engineer, moved to Michigan when he got a job with Ford. They are the parents  to one young son, Theo.

Katie likes to read and to travel.