Meet The Team

Jennifer is a seasoned veteran of the health care industry. After enjoying many years as a senior manager with leading clinical and health management service companies, she was ready for a new chapter. From her professional experience, she knew there was a need for in-home care in the Birmingham community. Personally, family members were also entering a new phase of life, which highlighted how important quality care is for loved ones. After much research and thought, Jennifer enthusiastically founded Always Best Care in 2013. The number of families who are supported through Always Best Care has continued to grow each year.

“I am passionate about helping people maintain a safe, independent and dignified lifestyle throughout the various transitions of life. I love getting to know the families and help provide solutions to their in-home needs. It’s been very rewarding to see the relationships that form between the clients and our fantastic employees who take tremendous pride in their work.”

Jennifer received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from Millsaps College and attended Duke University. She serves on the Board of Directors of Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama and is active with the Parkinson Association of Alabama. Jennifer is also a member of the Always Best Care Franchise Advisory Committee, the Always Best Care Top Performance Group, the Home Care Association of America, Medical Social Services Organization, the Case Management Society of America, the Alabama Self-Insurers Association and the Healthcare Executives Network.

She is a longtime resident of Birmingham with one child at the University of Alabama and one on the way there. Roll Tide! Jennifer is also a huge supporter of the Mountain Brook Police and the Monday Morning Quarterback Club.

Tamela is a Registered Nurse and brings a great deal of experience to Always Best Care, having worked in the medical field for more than 30 years. Her various roles have included serving as a Nursing Assistant and assessing inpatient needs for a local hospital, as well as caring for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients in an assisted living home.

“Working with our older generations gives me a sense of giving back. I know what it’s like to have someone come into your home and assist with a loved one. I cared for my late husband with the help of my daughter, sister-in-law and some wonderful home health caregivers.”

“Always Best Care continues to give me ways to make a difference in someone else’s life, whether it’s a simple phone call, a quick drop-in visit, attending a birthday party, or spending the day with a client.”

Tamela has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has an adult daughter also in the medical field.

She and her family continue to be blessed with many children they consider family. In her spare time, she enjoys God, family time, watching the Hallmark Channel and learning new things.

Christy’s overall role is to serve as a liaison between clients and staff and to ensure that our internal operations are running efficiently and smoothly. She is skilled at issue resolution and achieving client satisfaction. With a fantastic work ethic, she juggles many crucial management responsibilities with ease.

Christy has a strong work history and experience in management, scheduling, accounting and recruiting. Having worked at two other local home healthcare companies, Christy possesses a broad base of industry knowledge. She manages the office staff and oversees the Operations, Administration and Human Resource departments.

Christy likes working at Always Best Care because she enjoys new challenges while helping others and building relationships. She has a passion for learning and is currently majoring in Business Management with a minor in Human Resources at UAB. When she is not working, she is hitting the books at UAB.

Debbie joins Always Best Care with decades of experience in personalized service and customer care. She enjoys making home visits on behalf of Always Best Care and works closely with the clients and their families on specialized Care Plans.

“These visits provide us with the opportunity to make sure client needs are being met and if any improvements should be made. Our clients are truly an inspiration! They are pleasant and like to talk. I love getting to know them, and I leave with a smile on my face.”

From the start, she knew Always Best Care was a good fit for her. “Our team works very hard to match the right caregiver with the client, based on the needs and personality of each individual.  There’s never a dull moment in the office. It’s filled with laughter and people who enjoy their jobs.”

Debbie graduated from the University of Tennessee with a triple major – English, Spanish and Secondary Education.

Her favorite pastimes are playing golf and traveling. Debbie also loves spending time with her two granddaughters and cheering for the University of Alabama – Roll Tide!

Florence joins Always Best Care with 15 years of experience as Resident Services Director at Brookdale Senior Living. Throughout her career, she has always enjoyed helping others and working with seniors.

As Client Services Coordinator, Florence visits established clients, evaluates their individualized care plans and conducts assessments on field employees.
“My main objective is to act as a vital connection between the clients, their families and our staff. Each client is unique and has different needs. I love my job and want to be sure that our standard of excellence is being met and that each client is being placed with the right caregiver. I want our seniors to live life to the fullest and to me that means continually helping them with the activities of their daily lives.”

Florence received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and has also served on committees with the Junior League of Birmingham and the Mobile Museum of Art.

She is a busy mother of two, with a college-aged daughter and a son, who is a student at Mountain Brook High School. In her down time, she enjoys spending time at the beach.

Jenny comes to Always Best Care with more than 18 years of customer service experience in the health care and retail fields. As Staffing Coordinator, she is extremely committed to finding the best caregiver for each client.
 
“I find a great deal of joy in the fact that the work we do brings caring and compassion into someone’s life. I want to make sure all clients are matched with the right caregiver based on their specific skill sets, personalities and scheduling needs.”
 
“I enjoy my job because it’s always nice to receive phone calls from clients thanking me for sending a specific caregiver to them. It’s rewarding to know that someone from our team is helping them and that a positive relationship is established.”
 
Jenny graduated at the top of her class at both St. Clair County High School and the John Pope Eden Career Technical Center, where she was a member of the Future Business Leaders of America
 
She and her husband, Stephen, have an active family that includes three boys and four fur babies. When she has down time, Jenny enjoys reading a good book, playing board games, going to the movies or spending time with her extended family. However, in the fall, her weekends center around cheering with her boys for the University of Alabama football team – Roll Tide!

LaToya joins Always Best Care with many years of customer service experience. She has a previous background in the medical field. LaToya is a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and has worked for private practices. She has also had the honor of assisting and aiding the medical needs of her own family members throughout many years.

As Recruiting Coordinator, LaToya skills and the knowledge gained while caring for others to help staff us with the most qualified caregivers. LaToya is responsible for researching, interviewing, analyzing and building a rapport with prospective caregivers. She is committed to making sure that she finds the best candidates to ensure quality care for our clients. “I believe in caring for everyone as if they were members of my own family. When I worked in primary care facilities, I would think of how I wanted my own mother to be treated as I rendered care.”

LaToya graduated with honors from Hale County High School. LaToya later attended Shelton State Community College where she received her credits to allow her to take the national certification test with the National Health Career Association where she became a CCMA.

When she is not working, LaToya spends time with her daughter, three sons, two sisters and a grandson who she enjoys spoiling.

A Birmingham native, Terri attended the University of North Alabama where she majored in Environmental Biology. Growing up, Terri always knew that that she wanted to work in the medical field and to help others. In her role as an Always Best Care Recruiting Coordinator, she gets the opportunity to help our clients every day by identifying the best caregiving employees in the local area. Because Always Best Care sets a high bar for our employees, requiring at least one year’s experience in a professional healthcare workplace setting, a clean background report and positive references, Terri must evaluate hundreds of candidates in order to identify and hire one excellent employee.

Working one on one with people and knowing that she has been of assistance to someone is a great inspiration to Terri. Employed in the healthcare field beginning in 1999, Terri worked in a number of different roles within physicians’ offices before coming to Always Best Care. According to Terri, “Working at Always Best Care has been rewarding. It is a pleasure to work for a company that truly cares about their clients and their employees.” When not working at Always Best Care, Terri enjoys spending time with friends, painting abstract art, shooting nature photography and of course, watching college football. War Eagle!

Dale has worked in administrative roles in local hospital settings for over 20 years. It’s his observation that every role is vital in a healthcare setting for patient care to be outstanding.

“Always Best Care allows me to help make a difference in the lives of our patients and staff. This is where I find fulfillment.”

In his spare time, he enjoys watching movies, listening to music, writing, gardening, working on antique clocks, and spending time with family and friends. He loves dogs and cats; currently he has 3 very spoiled cats who bring him joy. He is a member of Church of the Highlands; his faith is the foundation of every aspect of his life.

One of his favorite quotes is from author James M. Barrie: “Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” He feels it is imperative that in today’s world, we need each other to thrive, and we need to express the value and worth of every individual.

With over 20 years of experience in the healthcare field, Cheryl is a key member of the Always Best Care team. Early in her career, she picked up valuable healthcare experience as a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) and worked her way up through the ranks to become a Staffing Coordinator. In her role as Staffing Coordinator, she enjoys connecting the best qualified and suitable caregivers with our clients to ensure a successful match. Cheryl loves knowing that she makes a difference in our clients’ lives by helping them to stay in their homes and age in place. Her training as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) has prepared Cheryl to think on her feet and gracefully handle pressure in critical, time sensitive situations such as staffing last minute shifts! Cheryl says that she enjoys her work at Always Best Care because “I love helping seniors! It’s fun to make new friends and make people laugh. I like to cut up with our clients and employees. I also like helping to make the lives of others better.”

Cheryl and her husband, Tim, have two grown children and they are the proud grandparents of three grandchildren. They are loyal Auburn footballs fans. In her down time, Cheryl loves reading, traveling and spending time with family, making wonderful memories.

Having worked in the healthcare field since 2012, Autum was a manager at a local healthcare company and worked as a caregiver for both intellectually disabled and geriatric clients before coming to Always Best Care. Soon after coming on board, her terrific work ethic and “can do” attitude were quickly recognized by her clients and the Always Best Care management team. Autum consistently demonstrates a wide range of knowledge about providing high-quality care. Within the company and our client base, she is known to possess tremendous compassion and initiative.

As the Clinical Trainer, Autum works directly with our field staff and our clients. She provides our caregiving employees training on important skills such as operating a hoyer lift, completing a safe transfer and practicing infection control. Our clients want to stay in their homes and through her one-on-one work with our field staff, Autum works diligently to help our clients age in place. She also steps in as a substitute caregiver should a client’s regular caregiver be unavailable.

Autum states, “I love the healthcare field, not only because it is the most fulfilling field of work, but because it allows me the opportunity to serve others. I find those in healthcare to be a close-knit community where everyone willingly helps others and works together as a family.” Autum’s dream is to continue her education and become a nurse. A native of New Jersey, Autum now considers Birmingham home. When she is not working, she enjoys painting and playtime with her three puppies, Zena, Lola and Zeus.