Quentin Burnett, a Texas native, began serving seniors at 16 years old as a nursing assistant in a psychiatric nursing home. He worked his way up the ladder to admissions coordinator, then moved from Texas to Iowa to pursue a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University. He proceeded to earn Master of Business in Health Care Administration, Master of Public Health and Master of Gerontology degrees from Des Moines University.

Quentin brings a variety of leadership experiences in senior living, including nurse home administrator, executive director of independent and assisted living communities in Minnesota, and regional director of operations for senior living communities across the United States.

He recently chose to make the San Diego area his permanent home and is excited to join the Solstice at El Cajon team.

Jennifer Booth is the director of Sales and Marketing for Solstice at El Cajon. Holding a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Curry College, she has spent the past 25 years in the hospitality industry holding several leadership roles. She has found her passion in helping seniors find a community they love. She strives to make everyone’s day the best it can be.

When Jennifer is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband of 25 years, Joe, their three boys and two rat terriers, all of whom keep her very busy.

Emily Gutierrez joined Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon in October of 2013. In the last eight years, Emily has grown with the company, first as a server then a housekeeper. A heartwarming, standing ovation was given to Emily by the residents after it was announced that she would take the position of our Vibrant Life^® director. Emily completed two years of college in computer graphics, design and art.

She has two adult children. Emily’s daughter also worked as a server in the community before pursuing her career in the medical field and is now a licensed vocational nurse. Emily is a grandmother of a handsome 2-year-old boy. She enjoys art and music. Emily believes you should share your smile with the world. It’s a symbol of friendship and peace.

Tommy Rodgers brings over 15 years of diverse culinary experience to Solstice at El Cajon, from local bars to bakeries, to fine dining. Originally from Arizona, Tommy moved to Pittsburgh at the age of 10 and eventually attended the Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts.

Tommy enjoys preparing savory foods from a variety of cultures and teaching his passion to others. He especially enjoys working at Solstice because “residents give honest feedback and bring life to every occasion.”

What’s his favorite dish? “Something I haven’t made before.”

Out of the kitchen, Tommy enjoys an active life in San Diego with his wife and two children. They love to hike, walk, shop and travel to local farms.

Kathy Rodriguez joined Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon in May 2018. She has been working with seniors since she was 16 years old back in the mid-’70s, when she started out as a nurse’s aide. She also has a background in working as an activity director for 15 years and a social services designee in various skilled nursing facilities. In 2000, she decided to go back to school at Bryman College, where she studied business administration.

Kathy has three grown daughters, four grandsons and six granddaughters. She also has one great-grandson and four great-granddaughters. She loves road trips, visiting the grandkids, playing with Legos and spending time with her two fur babies, (Yorkies) Snickers and Naima.

Branden Cousins was born in sunny San Diego but moved to Cleveland at a young age. He moved back to San Diego and graduated from Steele Canyon High School. He found his way into the world of maintenance due to his love of using his hands and having to figure out what makes something work. He has a beautiful wife named Shawnda and two adorable kids, a girl named Kaiya and a son named Oliver. Branden loves working with seniors because it reminds him of helping his grandmom outside in the yard and with things around the house. 

In his free time, he loves watching the Raiders and doing everything outdoors with his family – going to the beach, surfing, hiking, parks and just quiet picnics with the kids. 

If Branden weren’t a maintenance director, he would be a fisherman enjoying the peace and serenity of the sea. 

Lupe Romero has been with Solstice at El Cajon for over 14 years. She began as a housekeeper and server until she earned the position of head housekeeper. Lupe worked her way out of housekeeping and into the role of lead concierge, where she takes care of the front desk duties for Solstice at El Cajon. She is a very dedicated employee and enjoys working with our directors to ensure the senior community feels right at home.

Lupe has three hardworking adult children and four adorable grandchildren ranging from 1 to 8 years old. She enjoys spending time with her family and tries to keep up the tradition of Sunday cookouts in the yard. Lupe also enjoys making quilts for her loved ones.