Jean is president and owner of Care Navigators, Inc. She has 21 years of experience as a Registered Nurse in a hospital setting (medical surgical, oncology, cardiac and addictions), skilled home care, evaluation and set up of durable medical equipment, private duty nursing, utilization management, outpatient and inpatient care management, diabetic education and insurance case management. Jean founded Care Navigators to help patients and families navigate the complex health care system – a service gap she uncovered as a working nurse.  Recent projects include a large-scale readmission project in the largest healthcare system in Illinois and implementation of the two-midnight rule Medicare project within the same system.

Jean received her Master of Nursing with a focus in business from Benedictine University and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Northern Illinois University. She is Milliman certified for Utilization Management. She obtained ACM certification by the American Case Management Association and CCM certification by the Commission for Case Manager Certification. She is also a member of Sigma Theta Tau.

Kate Krallitsch is our Director of Operations. She came to us with over 20 years’ experience in banking including branch management and operations. She graduated from Roosevelt University with a degree in Human Resources. She oversees our business operations including taking our 24 hour intake line, client invoices, and assists care managers with client needs. She plays an important role in working with our guardianship clients through Care Guardians NFP Inc. Kate is a certified guardian, does the financial record-keeping for our guardian and power of attorney clients and coordinates with the attorneys for court.

Dr. Jennifer Stelter is a Clinical Psychologist, who specializes in dementia and mental health care. She has 25 years experience in the healthcare field and over a decade in the long-term care industry. She is the co-owner of NeuroEssence, LLC and owner of The Oil Doctor, Psy.D., LLC, the Program Product Director for Linked Senior, and an Adjunct Professor at Ivy Tech Community College. She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer, and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. Dr. Stelter is involved in program and policy development, provides initial and ongoing seminars and workshops on a variety of topics that focus on holistic, non-pharmacological interventions, conducts compliance audits, and provides supervision and one-on-one consultation sessions regarding patient care. She sees patients privately in therapeutic coaching sessions as well. She has also participated in talk radio, podcasts, and interviews for news articles, conducted research, and published literature and curriculum. Recently, she has been featured nationally in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and local to the mid-west in Sun Day News, Daily Herald, Northwest Herald, and Quintessential Barrington’s Medical Guide. Additionally, Dr. Stelter is writing and publishing her first book introducing an innovative framework to dementia care with Johns Hopkins University due out in Spring 2021.

Mary is a Care Manager and Health Care Advocate, with over 11 years of experience working in nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. She has served as the social services director and coordinator of a memory care unit, long term care social worker, and discharge planner within multiple facilities in the northern suburbs of Chicago.

Mary has been engaged in social work through education, internships, and practicum experiences for more than 20 years and is a licensed social worker (LSW). She earned her BSW from Valparaiso University in Indiana and her MSW from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, with a concentration in Gerontology and a specialization in Management.

Mary is passionate about working with older adults and their families and believes no one should have to feel alone or not know where to turn. Mary wants to be a resource to clients and families who need someone to be their advocate and to provide the support and expertise needed to reach their own personal goals.

Mary Ann is a certified gerontology nurse with extensive experience caring for seniors in medical settings and in their homes.  She earned her BSN from Olivet Nazarene University and has also earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field.  Mary Ann brings more than health care expertise to her clients; she brings compassion and complete commitment to advocating for their needs. Having worked in all types of senior care settings, Mary Ann knows how to navigate the healthcare system to help her clients.

Jacqui has practiced as a registered nurse (RN) for 30 years. She started her career caring for orthopedic patients and then transitioned to emergency/trauma nursing. Jacqui received her Masters degree in clinical education for emergency/trauma nursing at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. She subsequently joined the clinical faculty at University of WI – Milwaukee teaching nursing students. She now looks forward to helping clients and families understand and navigate the confusing health care field. 

Utilization of health care offerings requires new focus and transition is hard! I’d like to help ease the process by introducing/reviewing health care options to make your goals materialize in the safest and smoothest  way possible.

Rachel earned her BA degree from Smith College and her MSW degree from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, where she was a Hartford Geriatric Fellow concentrating in Aging & Interpersonal Practice. She has over fifteen years of experience in geriatric social work, including long term care and hospice.

Gina Curran: Executive Director/Account Executive comes to the team with a wealth of experience. She has 20 years of administrative,  customer service, client retention, human resource accounting, sales, and employee development expertise. Her strong work ethic and ability to problem solve quickly will expand the company’s growth and success.