Meet Our Team

The daughter of a hospice nurse, Mary Jo gained an early appreciation for the comfort provided by in-home care. Her mother, who established the first ho​spice program at Mary Lanning Hospital in Hastings, was instantly enthusiastic about the work of Home Instead Senior Care. Subsequent experiences caring for her mother- and father-in-law as well as her mother acquainted her with the toll caregiving can take on individuals and families.

For several years before she and her husband purchased the North Platte office of Home Instead Senior Care, Mary Jo Chatelain meshed motherhood and free-lance journalism with volunteer work in her community and church. She earned a B.S. in Journalism from Kearney State College (now the University of Nebraska at Kearney) and, after a few years "in the field", returned to campus where she spent nine years as an instructor in the Journalism Department. She and her husband, Steve, are the parents of three sons and live at Jeffrey Lake.

Mary Jo helps manage the daily operations of the office, concentrating on ​and works in the community, sharing information about the work of Home Instead Senior Care.

Steve and Mary Jo purchased the North Platte Home Instead office in 2009, but Steve didn't join the team on a regular basis until 2012. Prior to that, he spent more than 30 years in the newspaper business, working in various roles at papers in Ogallala, Scottsbluff, Columbus and Kearney. The last 20 years of his newspaper career were spent as publisher of the Kearney Hub. During that time he also was an active community volunteer, serving in leadership roles for organizations such as Red Cross, the Kearney Area Community Foundation, the Museum of Nebraska Art, and the chamber of commerce. Steve grew up in southeast Nebraska but over his working career has gained a great appreciation for the wide open spaces and beautiful horizons of central and western Nebraska. He enjoys reading, travel, landscaping and learning about senior care as he navigates his latest career adventure.

Rae joined the Home Instead team in early 2018 after a long career working in clinic management and retail. Rae brings wide experience in office administration and health care, which are proving invaluable. She oversees our CAREGiver hiring process and provides office operational support. Rae also coordinates our Empower online training for CAREGivers and staff. Rae is a native of Imperial. She and her husband, David, have two adult children a couple of grandkids that keep them busy. When not working, Rae and her family enjoy camping.

Amber has been part of the Home Instead Senior Care team since June 2018, starting as a CAREGiver and then joining our administrative team when we opened our McCook office in the Keystone Building in December 2018. She was promoted to McCook Coordinator in the summer of 2020 and now heads up our McCook office.

Tonya joined our Home Instead Senior Care team in late 2018 after coming to us as a CAREGiver. Tonya, a North Platte native, has Certified Nurse Assistant training and has worked many years in senior care facilities. In the summer of 2020, Tonya was promoted to her current position with the charge to coordinate our in-person training for CAREGivers, including new CAREGiver training, personal training, and on-shift training, all with the goal of providing our CAREGivers all the tools they need to serve our clients with excellence. Tonya and her husband, Matthew, have 2 children.

Sheri is our primary client advocate in our office. She works closely with clients and their family members to make sure that we are meeting all of our clients' needs. Sheri has worked in health care nearly her entire career and loves serving our senior clients. She and her husband have grown children and enjoy living in the wide open spaces of their acreage north of North Platte.

There is always a "real live person" at the other end of the phone here at Home Instead Senior Care and most nights and weekends, that warm voice belongs to Claudia Coble. She is a veteran CAREGiver, having worked for Home Instead Senior Care since 2008. She works during the day as a legal assistant but turns on her phone when the sun goes down, ready to help with questions or concerns from clients, their families, or CAREGivers. Claudia grew up in North Platte and graduated from North Platte High. She likes to ride horses and watch her kids participate in rodeo and volleyball. Her favorite times are with friends and family.

Emily - Dawson County Care Coordinator, part-timeA Care Pro for the past couple of years for Home Instead, Emily was promoted to a new role in 2023 as part-time Care Coordinator serving clients and other Care Pros out of our Cozad office.

 

Juanita moved onto the scheduling desk on a part-time basis in 2023. In her second stint with Home Instead, Juanita joined us earlier in 2023 as a Care Pro. She will continue working with clients part-time when she's not scheduling.