Meet Our Team

Kelly experienced caregiving firsthand for his father, a WWII decorated Army veteran, who passed away in the family farmhouse in 1999. That experience opened his eyes and heart to the challenges families face when caring for their senior.

Kelly has worked in the health care industry for 20 years. He began his career as a business consultant, helping large health care providers design and implement business strategies and improve operations. That experience helps him quickly assess problems and implement solutions. He is very proud of his trusted relationships with Home Instead's Care Professionals and is inspired by their compassion.

Kelly brings his compassion for seniors, dedication to his Care Professionals, and business insight to work every day.

Angie has been with Home Instead since 2007. As the Client Services Manager, it is Angie's job to select Care Professionals for clients and manage their schedules. She works very hard to match clients and the level of care required of their Care Pro. With Angie staffing, no shift goes unfilled. Prior to working with Home Instead, Angie had seven years experience operating and managing retail stores. There, she was responsible for managing employee schedules, hiring, training, and orientating new employees.

Angie is originally from Romania, but has called this area home since she was sixteen. She is married to a Cook County Sheriff's Deputy and has four children. Angie's hobbies include bowling, bike riding, and spending time with her family.

Angie has a contagious laugh that can brighten anyone's day.​

Jackie started with Home Instead as a Care Professional in 2020 and joined the administrative team as a Staffing Manager in September 2021. She enjoys changing lives for seniors and Care Pros. Prior to joining Home Instead she was the general manager of several restaurants. Jackie hasn’t looked back since she began her new path at Home Instead. She often reflects on how different life would have been if her family had a caregiver when her grandfather needed help in the last months of his life. She was a teenager when he passed. She is thrilled to help families in such meaningful ways. 

Jackie is a crafter and a self-proclaimed nerd. She enjoys many things but especially Doctor Who. As a care giver Jackie loved bonding with seniors over shared mutual interests and learning everything she could from them. Now, as a manager, Jackie finds the best possible matches for everyone. She loves her family to the moon and back and will take any opportunity to share pictures of her beautiful daughter.

Amanda (Mandy) has been interested in healthcare ever since she was little. She received her CNA license and earned a degree in Biology from Benedictine University. While working with patients during clinicals, Mandy grew a passion for seniors and wanted to make a difference in their lives.

Mandy started with Home Instead in 2021 as a Care Professional and was promoted to Staffing Manager in 2022. She prides herself on always treating clients like they are family!

Prior to working at Home Instead, Mandy had 3 years experience managing retail stores. In her free time, she enjoys doing anything outdoors and spending time with family.

Antoinette has been a Care Professional for over ten years, she knows what it takes to offer the care and support of the client and offer peace of mind for the families trusting a care pro to take care of their loved ones. who need a little more attention in their lives.

Antoinette started with Home Instead over a year ago as a Care Professional.  In time she was asked to become a On-Call Supervisor to assist the office and Care Pros during afterhours to make sure clients had the coverage needed at any time of the day or night.  Now, in her current role as a Staffing Manager, she can take her experience as Care Professional and On-Call supervisor to make sure each client has the best fit for their needs.

Prior to working in Health Care, Antoinette worked in the restaurant industry in many different roles from a server to management.  Hard work and long hours will not stop Antoinette from making sure everyone is taken care of to the best to her ability!   Antoinette always approaches her work with a smile and kind words.  She makes sure her customer have a great experience.  Taking care of people is something she has done her whole life.

In her free time, she loves spending time with family and friends, especially her three beautiful daughters and granddaughter and her boyfriend who she simply adores, along with her two dogs. Antoinette sets aside time each week for her family and friends. Other hobbies include going to hear live music and making the best meat loaf you will ever taste, she loves to cook and try new recipes out for the important people in her life, always modifying to make the best possible meal for them.

Colleen has been with Home Instead for fifteen years. She holds a degree in Business Marketing and previously worked as an Advertising and Sales Consultant. When her own father became ill, Colleen quit her job in a sales and marketing career to become the primary family caregiver. Colleen found this role so rewarding that she took a part-time job as a caregiver with Home Instead. Colleen was quickly promoted to the Client Care team for 7 years. She received her certification as a Certified Senior Advisor in 2010. Colleen was promoted to Home Care Consultant in June 2016. In 2017, Colleen was again promoted to lead the team of Client Care Managers. In 2021, she became our office's General Manager! She ensures that families receive the care they need to achieve their goals.

Colleen has three children and one granddaughter. She enjoys walking, reading, and attending her granddaughter's sporting events.​

Kathy has been with Home Instead since 2010. She is one of our Client Care Managers here at the office! Kathy enjoys spending time with her husband and 4 children. She visits her children in the city and loves when they come home whenever possible. Long walks with her two dogs is something Kathy does a lot, as well as travelling. When she is not helping clients here at the office, she is volunteering at food pantries or church functions. Reading and fitness are great passions of hers! 

Marian, known as Robbie, has been with Home Instead for 4 years. After retiring from a corporate career, she wanted to explore a meaningful opportunity. She was attracted to caregiving, as she had always been the family's caregiver.  Robbie began her 'next thing' as a part-time caregiver at Home Instead.  She quickly distinguished herself as friendly, outgoing, responsive and capable. She was promoted to an office role shortly thereafter. For over two years, she handled all aspects of the office administration in an efficient and organized manner. In May 2016, she was promoted to a client-facing role of "New Client Engagement Coordinator".  She now educates all inquires (if you call about services you will likely speak with her!) about our services and helps organize service for new clients.

Robbie's professional background includes 32 years in office management and IT support at Zurich America.  Robbie lives in Carol Stream and has 3 children, 9 grandchildren, 3 cats and 2 dogs. She enjoys spending time with her family, helping her elderly neighbors, going to movies and concerts with her granddaughters, shopping, reading and working with her teammates at Home Instead!​

Alina Merrill has been with Home Instead since 2008. Previously, she worked as a Activity and Volunteer Coordinator for Sunrise Church Creek. Alina received her degree in Psychology from the West University of Romania. Her experience working with volunteers at Sunrise Church Creek and her personality made her a great fit as a Staffing Manager here at Home Instead. Alina became excellent at determining which Care Professional would be the perfect fit for our clients. She is sensitive to client needs and has developed strong bonds with our Care Pros.

Alina was promoted to Manager of Human Resources in 2017. In this role, Alina manages our recruiting, hiring, retention and payroll processes.

Alina and her husband Mike have a son, Darien and daughter, Ariana. In her spare time, she enjoys creating custom-made jewelry, shopping, and keeping fit and healthy with yoga.

Darnell joined the Home Instead team as a Care Professional in June of 2022. He was then promoted to Human Resource Recruiter in October of 2022. Darnell earned his quick promotion by demonstrating an ability to provide care for even the most difficult senior clients, as well as his support and outlook for the well-being of other Care Professionals. In 2023, Darnell became a Certified Dementia Practitioner allowing him to provide further care and support for our Clients and Care Professionals.

Darnell has a background in the IT and food industries. He has held roles in new hire training, team management, customer service, general manager and sales. Darnell has a passion for developing people and helping them be successful!

Tammy started as a Care Professional with Home Instead in 2019. Tammy has worked in a variety of role in healthcare and senior care for over 30 years. Soon after starting at Home Instead she impressed everyone with her knowledge, communication skills and ability to stay cool and calm under pressure. She became an On Call Manager in 2020 and is now our Training Coordinator. Tammy’s personal experience with seniors began with her dad’s journey with Alzheimer’s disease. She is a good listener and a good resource to Home Instead seniors and their families.

Tammy is originally from Tennessee and has lived in Carol Stream for the last 29 years. Tammy is the proud mother of 2 young adult daughters and 2 grand cats. She also spends time caring for her mother. In her spare time, Tammy enjoys traveling, crafts and scrapbooking, reading, biking and hiking.

Mersiha (mer-see-ha) started with Home Instead in 2018 as a Care Professional. She joined the team with a wealth of personal experience caring for seniors. Mersiha helped her mother as she aged. For Mersiha, the act of giving care to a vulnerable senior is an emotionally satisfying experience and provided a profound sense of purpose. The look of gratitude in a senior’s eyes provides an electric shock for Mersiha. This gives her the energy to provide the support needed for a senior to live a joyful, healthy life. Mersiha joined the Administrative Team in September 2021 as an On-Call Manager, where she handled emergencies that come up after hours. In August 2022, she became a Lead. 

Mersiha is a busy soccer mom for her 3 children. She loves and supports her children more than anything in the world! She enjoys spending quality time with friends and family. Her passion is cooking and taking long walks with her children.

As one of the most successful caregivers EVER at Home Instead, Emilia earned a promotion to Lead Care Professional in February 2019. Emilia was a Care Pro to hundreds of clients during 10 years of providing care. She never met a situation or puzzle she couldn't solve. Given the intimacy of caregiving tasks, every success means building trusted relationships - across hundreds of seniors and their families!

Emilia's warm smile and graceful demeanor helps her guide clients to better outcomes.

In her spare time, Emilia enjoys enjoys swimming and exercising. She also volunteers to help people with alcohol and drug dependencies. She also sings second soprano in a choir!

Carol-Anne Tureck has worked for Home Instead for 10 years as a Care Professional. She was at the Grays Lake Home Instead office  for 3 years and 7 years here in Itasca. Carol-Anne joined the office administrative team in Itasca in 2022 as Lead Care Professional. In this role she, is an extension of the Staffing Team providing service, training and managing people first-hand in the homes of our clients. This role differentiates Home Instead; Lead Care Professionals with deep expertise delivering care and promoted into management. 

Prior to Home Instead, Carol-Anne took care of her father, who had a stroke. She enjoys taking care of seniors and always brings a smile to their faces. 

Carol-Anne is from Cape Town, South Africa. She loves to travel with her husband around the United States. Carol-Anne loves being outdoors, connecting with people, reading, running and singing.

Nancy is our receptionist. She worked as a Staffing Consultant for years in temporary staffing agencies, finding professional, experienced workers for business clients. She honed her skills in customer service, listening and uncovering needs. She joined Home Instead in 2019.

Her easy-going manner, quick laugh and ability to stay cool make her a terrific fit for our professional and high energy team. Nancy is a long-time resident of Elk Grove Village. She is fluent in Spanish and loves to cook and dance. She enjoys family time and is a proud mother of four children, four grandchildren and two terrific dogs.

Betty is the bookkeeper at Home Instead. She retired from a career in finance at a large insurance brokerage in Chicago. In her finance roles, she supported the Corporate Real Estate team and in later years joined the Real Estate transactions team. Previously, she worked for a retail company in a similar capacity.

Home Instead helped care for Betty’s mother for several years, which made her realize the importance of good caregiving and how it can have a positive impact on the entire family.

Betty has one daughter and 3 grandchildren. She enjoys biking, pickleball and likes to spend time on the weekends with her grandchildren at their sporting activities.

Cassie has been with Home Instead since 2016. Cassie’s caregiving story began in 2011 when her grandma passed away. At that time, Cassie was raising her family and helping with her family's industrial equipment servicing business. However, she missed her grandma so much that Cassie later sought employment with Home Instead to find another senior to love.  One client reminded Cassie of her grandma and helped to fill the void; they loved each other like family. Cassie still reunites with that family today although the client passed years ago.  Cassie is proud to provide peace of mind to families when they needed it most.  

In her free time, Cassie likes to spend time with her family and 2 dogs. She also visits her family in South Dakota whenever possible. Cassie believes that seniors deserve compassion and dignity and finds her work at Home Instead rewarding and meaningful.  She has made great friends at Home Instead and says its nice to be a part of a team that truly wants the best for seniors. 

Pepper was our wonderful, sweet mascot and a volunteer therapy dog at Northwest Community Hospital. As a certified therapy dog, she wagged her tail and helped people forget their condition and surroundings. Pepper passed away peacefully in November 2018 after a healthy, happy life.

Pepper often visited the office and brought smiles to your hard-working office team! Tricks were never her strong suit, but she always shook paws and gave high-fives to everyone.​