Carmen Bowman is a consultant, trainer, author and owner of Edu-Catering: Catering Education for Compliance and Culture Change turning her former role of regulator into educator.  Carmen was a Colorado state surveyor for nine years, a policy analyst with CMS Central Office where she taught the national Basic Surveyor Course and was the first certified activity professional to be a surveyor also serving on the four year panel with CMS developing the new guidance to Tags 248 Activities and 249 Qualified Activity Director. 

As a contractor to CMS, Carmen co-developed the Artifacts of Culture Change measurement tool, authored the background papers for and facilitated both Creating Home national symposiums. She facilitated the Pioneer Network Task Forces that developed the new Dining Practice Standards and subsequent Toolkit. Recently she co-authored The Power of Language to Create Culture, her eighth book Eliminating Alarms and Preventing Falls by Engaging with Life, and facilitated the first Surplus Safety Symposium.

Carmen has a Master's degree in Healthcare Systems, a Bachelor's in Social Work and German, is a Certified Eden Associate and Eden Mentor, Certified Validation Worker and Group Practitioner.  She co-founded the Colorado Culture Change Coalition, and with Action Pact has authored eight culture change workbooks plus hosts a monthly web culture change talk show called Conversations with Carmen.

Carmen serves on the Editorial board of Activities, Adaptations and Aging. She taught the MEPAP Activity Professional Training courses with Arapahoe Community College for several years and provides activity consultation with a twist to encourage whole community teams to move away from the traditional “activity programming” towards engaging residents with real life.