MARTI JATIS '91

The following bio was published in March 2023.

Marti Jatis ‘91 forged her distinctive career path by building up rather than branching out. For a quarter century, she has stayed with one not-for-profit organization - Smith Senior Living - which named her Executive Director of Smith Village in 2012.

Overseeing day-to-day operations at Smith Village, which was established in 1924, Marti has led her team through a global pandemic and concurrently guided resident care during the $23 million modernization of the rehab and skilled nursing care wing for one of Chicago’s premier life plan communities.

Marti arrived at Washington and Jane Smith Home—which in 2008 was renamed Smith Village—in 1998 as a registered dietitian, devoted to “ensuring the best for older adults.” And that motto has supplied the common ingredient in her every course of action since graduating from Mother McAuley High School and St. Christina School.

Today, her team of 250 includes nurses, social workers, life enrichment professionals, therapists, chefs, nutritionists, dining room staff, housekeepers, environmental services staff members, receptionists, sales counselors and administrators—all dedicated to the well-being of close to 250 residents, plus neighbors and residents in Smith Village’s short-term rehab program.

Smith Senior Living first recognized Marti’s contributions in 2004, when she was asked to helm the dining services program at the new Smith Crossing in Orland Park. There, she worked for Smith’s new provider, Morrison Senior Living which is part of a global leader in foodservice, and soon took on the same responsibilities she’d had at Smith Village.

Three years later, Morrison asked Marti to take a position as general manager overseeing dining services at a number of other senior living communities. She agreed on one condition—that she could stay on at Smith Crossing and Smith Village.

Marti acquired her commitment to lifelong learning at McAuley, and in 1995, earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree at Northern Illinois University. She became a registered dietitian a year later, and in 2002, earned a master’s degree at NIU with a thesis analyzing how employees’ perceptions of management affect quality service at continuing care retirement communities. In 2010, she received a license in nursing home administration.

Marti has served as treasurer for the Morgan Park Beverly Hills Business Association since 2018; she faithfully supports PAWS and the Maple Morgan Park Food Pantry. She and her husband, Michael Silka, share a passion for preparing delicious meals paired with good nutrition; their bike ride from Normandy to Paris continues to inspire their culinary planning.

They live in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood with their angelic black rescue cat Bruno.