Bruce Anders – Pacific Retirement Services

Bruce Anders seeks to serve. His legal career—which has spanned the U.S. Army, private law firms, state government, an Alaska Native corporation, a health system and now the senior living industry—is defined by one throughline: service. Whether jumping from a C-141 as an Army paratrooper, defending clients in court, serving on community boards, teaching Boy Scouts, or navigating nonprofit corporations’ complex regulatory and business frameworks, Anders has always prioritized duty.

Bruce Anders | Pacific Retirement Services | CLO

“Duty is not to oneself,” Anders says. “It’s about the mission, the team, and those who need help.”

As the chief legal officer of Pacific Retirement Services (PRS), a nonprofit senior living provider serving nearly five thousand residents in 40 different senior communities and affordable housing facilities across seven states, Anders continues his commitment to helping others.

Anders learned early on that service requires grit and perseverance.

“I grew up bailing hay and splitting wood to heat our home,” he recalls. “Something about that humble, strenuous commitment to something larger than yourself molds a young person. While it was grueling at the moment, I am grateful for it.”

After college at Duke University and law school at the University of Oregon, Anders served as a Judge Advocate in the US Army at the 6th Infantry Division in Alaska and the Army Legal Services Agency in Washington DC. He then litigated at two private law firms, served as an environmental litigator and oil and gas lawyer at the State of Alaska Attorney General’s Office, and served 10 years as general counsel of an Alaska Native Corporation dedicated to the economic, social, educational, and healthcare needs of Alaska Natives, and five years as the vice president of legal affairs at a four-hospital health system.

“My family and my faith steered me to roles where the mission is helping people,” he says. “That’s what brought me to PRS.”

More than senior living

Founded in 1991, PRS operates and manages a network of premier senior living life plan communities across the western United States. The communities focus on providing residents with a dynamic lifestyle, superior health care, and extraordinary services. Anders cites many examples of PRS communities’ excellence, including PRS’s Mirabella Arizona State University, the only senior living community in America to receive the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, and Realtor.com recently naming its Rogue Valley Manor in Oregon as one of the top 10 senior living community dining programs in the nation. Residents of Mirabella ASU live right on campus. “It’s a perfect symbiosis: our residents get to live and recreate in a vibrant college setting, and students and professors benefit from sharing classrooms and study areas with accomplished retired professionals. Everybody wins.”

But Anders quickly points out that PRS is more than just about providing elegant residences and vital services. Anders is especially proud of PRS’s 25 affordable housing communities and its Community Volunteer Network, where hundreds of volunteers provide services to thousands of clients. The “Call-a-Ride” program transports local seniors to medical and other appointments, enabling them to remain in their homes instead of moving into a facility. Volunteers in the SHIBA (Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance) program walk thousands of vulnerable seniors through the byzantine Medicare paperwork.

Anders beams when discussing the Foster Grandparent Program, which pairs older adults with children needing academic and emotional support.

“It’s one of the most beautiful, mutually fulfilling relationships you’ll ever see,” he says. “Our grandparents provide mentoring, wisdom, and love to kids in need, many who do not have an older adult with whom to connect. In return, our foster grandparents receive a gift of purpose and connection that many have never experienced, including as full-time professionals. Their stories of connection and love will literally make you cry.”

PRS’s journey is not without headwinds. Nonprofit senior living operators must navigate a competitive landscape where for-profit providers can undercut prices by offering fewer or diminished services.

“Our nonprofit model emphasizes comprehensive, high-quality care,” Anders explains. “But balancing providing superior services with financial sustainability can be challenging.”

Another challenge is the ever-evolving regulatory environment.

“New laws are generally well-intentioned,” Anders says. “But often they are not narrowly tailored, misunderstand our industry or impose unreasonable burdens that increase costs without improving care. In extreme cases, they can threaten the existence of an otherwise thriving community serving hundreds of seniors who desperately need the home and care we provide.”

Despite these challenges, Anders is excited about PRS’ future. Since joining in October 2022, he has helped the organization expand and improve its programmatic footprint, and PRS expanded geographically by affiliating with a family of communities across three states.

Anders emphasizes the importance of a legal team that reflects the organization’s service-driven culture.

“Our legal team is phenomenal. But I don’t hire based on the prestige of someone’s law school or firm,” he says. “I hire based on experience, values and attitude. I want lawyers with street law experience, a servant’s heart and a radical devotion to the team and the client over self.”

To Anders, fostering camaraderie within his team not only enhances collaboration, trust and team performance but makes the workplace fun.

“Every weekly department meeting starts with a ‘question of the week,’ where we share crazy, hilarious, or inspiring things about ourselves,” he says. “We truly like, trust, and care about each other.”

This focus on culture is reflected throughout PRS.

“PRS staff retention is amazing,” Anders says. “People have been here for 20, 25, 30 years. They stay because they believe in the mission and love the kindred spirits they work with.”

‘You feel it right away’

At the heart of PRS’ success is its commitment to providing a safe, dynamic, and enriching senior living experience.

“Our communities have a certain vibe that you can’t define, but you feel,” Anders says. “Walking in, you immediately sense order, warmth, energy, and a welcoming spirit. It’s lively — people are playing chess, laughing together after a spirited pickleball tournament or attending resident lectures on myriad topics.”

Residents’ appreciation is evident via donations that help other residents with fees or expand facility services.

“Many residents leave testamentary bequests to their communities,” Anders says. “It’s not a transactional relationship—it’s familial, based upon deep mutual affection.”

This sense of community sets PRS apart. “We’re not selling computer equipment,” Anders says. We’re providing a home and care where our residents will spend the rest of their lives. Earning their love and trust requires a completely different mindset.”

Serving others

Raised in farm country, where his mother taught at a one-room schoolhouse, Anders earned a degree from Duke University. He ran on the 4×100 and 4×400 relay squads there, seeking team rather than individual achievement. After law school, he was commissioned an officer in the US Army, graduated from Airborne School, and chose a light infantry division in Alaska over what some might consider a more comfortable assignment.

“The 6th Infantry is one of the most elite fighting forces on the globe, and mission, teamwork, and duty come first,” he says. “I was honored to serve my country — as a soldier first, lawyer second.”

As a JAG, Anders represented soldiers in civil matters, prosecuted courts martial and defended the Army in state and federal courts nationwide.

Anders developed a “preventive law” approach, focusing on deterring legal issues before they arose. For example, he developed entertaining legal training for all 11,000 troops at Fort Wainwright. He instructed at the Department of the Army level at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Belvoir. He authored an environmental civil and criminal liability handbook that the Secretary of Defense distributed Army-wide.

When asked where Anders developed his lifelong commitment to service, he cites faith, family, and the military.

Outside of work, Anders is involved in his community. He has served on the boards of Special Olympics, Veterans organizations, and the Boys and Girls Club and coached youth sports. He was also an assistant scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts, teaching values and skills such as land navigation, riflery, and first aid.

As PRS looks to the future, Anders is committed to continuing its mission of empowering people to lead meaningful lives as they age.

“We’re not just a senior living provider,” he says. “We’re a community. We are your mom’s and dad’s forever home. We are family. And I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of it.”