Former Ingleside Director Thanks Community For 'Most Amazing 4 Years' Of Her Career

ROCKVILLE, MD — Ingleside at King Farm — a Rockville retirement community that has a cultural arts center, a Starbucks bar, a social program and the like — has an involved resident population, with a resident council that runs meetings and hosts committees.

Michelle Kraus, the executive director at Ingleside from March 2018 through 2021, showed up to meetings and wandered through the dining room and bistro, getting to know her residents.

“What I really love about this community, different from other communities, is that the residents welcome the staff, the employees to dine with them,” said Kraus to Patch. “Which is so amazing. We have one huge cafe, and they want everyone to eat together like it's one big family.”

Kraus led the community through the beginning of the pandemic, up until the end of 2021. Everything you could need is under one roof, she said.

“If you're looking for emotional well-being or you're looking for physical well-being or nutritional well-being or social well-being or psychological well-being, it's all there for you,” she told Patch. “We pride ourselves on supplying anything that they need.”

Kraus’ reputation as an outgoing, friendly face for residents was earned quickly.

“She was out and about all over the place,” said Bruce MacLaury, a resident at Ingleside. “Shaking hands and getting acquainted.”

It was Kraus’ exuberance that struck MacLaury when he first met her, he said.

Some folks moving to Ingleside are couples downsizing from their family home, while others are singles moving in. For many, it can be a very emotional, frustrating, or traumatic experience to move into a new place in retirement.

“She had to hold our hands and say ‘There there, it'll all be alright,’” said MacLaury. “Within a few months, it turned out to be alright, but it was the hand holding that was very important.”

Kraus’ caring nature was noticed not only by residents, but also by her colleagues.

“She always has a smile on her face whenever I see her,” said Christen Milstead, director of Marketing at Ingleside.

“She always looks at the positive,” said Milstead. “It's energizing to have someone like that around.”

When the pandemic began, and the community that normally existed in the common spaces at Ingleside at King Farm had to be put on hold, Kraus’ demeanor became even more important. She was a cheerleader and a support system people could turn to, Milstead said, and she planned the logistics of how to make life at Ingleside work.

“Being able to shift from serving in an upscale dining facility, the Bistro, to delivering meals to each one of 250 apartments — I shudder at the thought of orchestrating that, but it was handled very effectively,” said MacLaury. “So what would I say to Michelle?

“The first is a heartfelt thank you for bringing us through safely," MacLaury said. "The second is for dealing with the frustrations that each of us was feeling in our own realms and families."

When the residents were able to be vaccinated, Kraus pulled out all the stops. Banners, confetti guns and balloons filled the community.

Kraus “made it a celebration that we were having these vaccination clinics for staff and residents,” said Milstead. “It's a happy day, and there’s brighter days ahead.”

After the whirlwind that was keeping residents and staff safe during the pandemic, Kraus decided to resign from her position as executive director. Today she’s taking a break from her 26 years as a health care executive. She’s spending time with her family and made a New Year’s resolution to do things that excite her.

She’s teaching Zumba, which she did while she was the executive director too, and is spending more time with family, friends and dog, Charlie. Kraus is a Gaithersburg resident, originally from Long Island. She moved to the area to go to the University of Maryland, where her oldest son is now a graduate student. Her younger son is an undergraduate at the University of Florida. This year, Kraus and her husband will celebrate 27 years of marriage.

Before she left Ingleside, the staff threw her a going away party — a few hundred people were there, and each handed her a white rose, she said.

“I just want to thank them for the most amazing four years of my career,” said Kraus of the Ingleside community. “I have learned so much from their personal experiences, their professional experiences and how to better engage people, how to better communicate with individuals and really what living is all about.”