Our Team
We are excited to welcome to the team our new Director of Wellness, Donna Brazis, RN. She has lived in this area her entire life and has a strong commitment to the community. As an RN for more than 40 years, she brings a strong background of experience in Senior Living and caring for the Residents of other communities. Donna is looking forward to the opportunity to step up the quality of care for the residents at The Pointe at Kilpatrick.
In addition, Donna is married, with 5 children and 10 grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with family and friends. Please join us in welcoming her to our team.
Samantha comes to us with an extensive background in Assisted Living and Memory Care. As Marketing Director, Samantha plans to bring innovative ideas and events to the community. With a strong background in sales and marketing, she will seek out new opportunities to promote The Pointe at Kilpatrick while working closely with Activities to provide events that focus not only on the promotion of the building; but also provide, an opportunity for our residents to enjoy the event as well. This collaboration and team work focus will seek to improve the experience of our current and future residents. We are excited to have her on the management team.
Angie Garbaczewski is the Director of Resident Relations at The Pointe and started in January 2010. Angie’s tireless pursuit of finding new activities, events and outings to attend has given the residents a multitude of experiences to choose from. Whether it be a fishing trip on a sunny day or watching local dancers and singers perform live in our community lounge, Angie has made sure there is never a dull moment. Born in Chicago and raised in Brighton Park, Angie is familiar with all of the wonderful things this large area has to offer. When she is not at The Pointe, she can usually be found at her husband’s restaurant helping out.
Colleen is a graduate of Western Illinois University, where she received her degree in Health Services Management. She served her required internship at The Pointe during her last semester During that time, she was able to observe every aspect of the operations, from administration to dining services and everything in between. She took on the role of Business Office Manager with enthusiasm as she rises to meet the challenges of the ever changing health care industry and the Medicaid Managed Care Program.
After earning an Associates Degree at Tranico Business School in Chicago, Vaness discovered her passion for working with older adults while working with a physician in private practice. It was this new passion that lead Vaness to accept a position as the Office Manager in an assisted living community. Wanting to work directly with the residents, Vaness later became an MDS Coordinator at a skilled nursing facility where she was responsible for organizing and updating resident charts and files and later became an Admissions Director. As a the Family Liaison at The Pointe, Vaness is the principal contact between families and The Pointe in regards to moving in and business matters. She contacts families to retrieve the necessary documents that are needed for Medicaid applications and the Tax Credit program. She also assists the Marketing Department in giving tours, returning calls and the overall process of moving a resident into the building.
Priscilla Garcia has been in the medical industry since 2001. She obtained her medical billing and coding certificate from Richard Daley College. She has over 16 years of experience in medical billing which includes long term care, physician and therapy, to name a few. She loves what she does and always does it with a smile.
Willie joins us with a wealth of experience in Maintenance and Building Management. He has a long history in working in Senior Living Communities ensuring that our residents will find him to be quite accommodating. Customer Service and the top notch upkeep of the community are his number one priorities. With the addition of Willie to our Staff, our residents will be provided with a smooth running and efficient residence. In addition, safety will be a primary focus to be sure that every step is taken to keep all systems fully functioning and safeguard our residents in their homes.
Karl has served as a food service manager for nearly 30 years. His experience includes various areas of healthcare including assisted living, skilled nursing facilities and hospitals. Karl graduated from Florida State with a degree in Food and Nutrition Management. His family is very important to him and includes his wife of 17 years, one daughter and twin sons. We are excited to have Karl at The Pointe at Kilpatrick!
As Regional Marketing Director with over 25 years in Marketing, Sales and Sales Management, Peg brings the personal touch when it comes to working with residents and their families to transition to Assisted Living. In addition, she oversees our Activity Department and is always striving to find new and varied programs for the residents and their families to enjoy.
Helen has worked in senior housing for over 25 years. As a CNA, Nurse, Administrator, Dementia Specialist, and RVP of Operations.
Helen is not satisfied with status quo and is driven to ensure that seniors live their best possible lives, she believes that everyone needs purpose and meaning.
Helen is a firm believer that by listening, showing empathy, awareness, stewardship, and commitment to the growth of people, is the most important part of being a good leader. Servant Leadership is important not only for the residents that we serve but the growth of our employees.
For almost 20 years, Diana has worked in healthcare working her way from the ground up to being in Nursing Management for the last 10 years. Her passion is to teach and guide others to embrace the autonomy and compassion to serve all individuals, especially our residents that we have the good fortune to share our lives with. She is a project person and thrives on putting processes in place to better serve the community and build a team of compassionate members doing the same. In her personal life, she enjoys being with family, gardening, canning, cooking and loves all animals including her dogs, cats, three chickens, and her fish.
Michael Stein began working in the senior housing industry through his own personal experience with his aging parents. He believes in running our community as if his own parents lived here. That leads to his four principles: 1) quality of care must be superb; 2) food quality and service must be outstanding; 3) the building must be maintained in top notch condition; and 4) the residents must be offered an engaging and enjoyable wide range of activities, outings, and entertainment. Michael visits our community regularly and enjoys meeting (and thanking!) residents and family members.
