It’s not every day that you hear of someone who has been going the extra mile for his colleagues and residents for over 11 years. Meet Jose Valentin–a dedicated, hardworking, and passionate team member at Central Baptist Village (CBV), whose outstanding efforts have seen him rise through the ranks, from Housekeeping to Assistant Director of Culinary.
Jose began his career at CBV in 2011, working weekday and weekend shifts on the Housekeeping team. His hard work and dedication quickly caught the attention of his manager, Joanna Chuttke–then Manager of Housekeeping–and Jose was promoted to Team Lead. After almost seven years in the Housekeeping Department, Jose moved up to become the Moving Coordinator, where he could work more closely with residents–a desire he had always harbored.
In 2019, Jose was promoted to Office Manager, where he was in charge of assigning maintenance and housekeeping requests across the CBV campus. During this time, Jose quietly picked up extra shifts for the Culinary Department when they were short-staffed, which eventually turned out to be a huge benefit for him.
Once again, Jose’s high standards and work ethic caught the attention of Marlene Wolter, Director of Community Operations, and in 2022, he was promoted to Assistant Director of Culinary. Jose admits that the new role was challenging, but not impossible, and with the support of Marlene and his colleagues, he quickly settled in.
With this new role, Jose gets to interact more with residents, something he relishes. He says, “I like to get to know our residents, who they are, what they like and don’t like.” However, he acknowledges that he still has a long way to go in his new role but is grateful for everyone’s help, especially the Housekeeping and Laundry teams, who are always there for him.
When Jose is not busy racking up miles of steps at CBV, he enjoys spending time with his two kids, playing basketball, fishing, and running. He has completed two marathons and plans to participate in Chicago’s half-marathon and full marathon this year.
Jose’s story is one of dedication, hard work, and passion. He is a shining example of how commitment and a positive attitude can help you rise through the ranks in any organization. At CBV, Jose is a valued member of the team, and his unwavering commitment to excellence is an inspiration to us all.
