121. Aligning Technology, Operations, and Resident Needs with Ray Benegas

Amber Bardon sits down with Ray Benegas, VP of IT and CISO at Presbyterian Living, for a candid conversation about what it really takes to build a strong technology culture in senior living. Ray shares how staying closely connected to residents, staff, and leadership helps his team move beyond reactive IT support and become a true strategic partner to the organization.

Amber and Ray explore why technology cannot be treated as just infrastructure anymore. From business systems and project planning to innovation governance and cybersecurity, they discuss the importance of creating a strong foundation before chasing the latest trends. They also talk through the realities of technical debt, modernization, resident expectations, roadmapping, and the challenge of balancing exciting innovation with the less glamorous but essential work of maintaining core systems.