Meet Our Team

Annette is responsible for managing Service Coordinators, On-Call supervisors, client, and Care Professional schedules, as well as addressing any client concerns. After a successful 20-year career in retail management, she began searching for companies that aligned with her personal values and had a strong connection to the community. She found that with Home Instead. Annette and her husband, along with their two children, live in Hebron, Ohio.

Ann finds her role as an Administrative Assistant enjoyable because it brings new challenges every day. Her day-to-day tasks include invoicing, managing accounts receivables, writing welcome letters to new clients, and attending to calls from Care Professionals. This constant variation in work makes every day a new learning experience for her. Ann's background in accounting, marketing, and customer service, along with her passion for working with seniors and their families, has helped her excel in her current role. Ann is a single mother to a son who lives in Pottsville, PA and a proud owner of a spoiled cat who keeps her company in her home in Zanesville.

Elaine knows the Home Instead mission well, since she was a great Care Professional and on-call supervisor for almost five years prior to assuming her current position in 2009. If you call our office it will generally be Elaine's cheerful voice that will greet you, and her smiling face will meet you when you enter our office. We have been truly blessed for her to join our team. Elaine resides in Newark, Ohio. She has 4 grown children and 8 grandchildren.

Jamie has been a dedicated Caregiver in our team for over 8 years. She recently transitioned to the role of Service Assistant in our office in 2023 and is thrilled to get to know the staff, caregivers, and clients better. As a Service Assistant, Jamie provides support to the Service Coordinators, Human Resources, and the Client Care Team to ensure the satisfaction of our clients and care professionals. Apart from work, Jamie enjoys snow tubing and her family runs a bowling alley.

Christie connects Home Instead to organizations throughout our community and raises awareness of Home Instead’s mission and broad range of senior services. She supports Client Care team's marketing and sales efforts. Christie recently retired from Denison University where she spent 35 years supporting and working with, students, parents of students, faculty, and staff. Christie and her husband, Jeff, live in Granville and feel very blessed to have their two adult children, their spouses, and three grandchildren also living in Licking County.

Jennifer is responsible for helping to manage Care Professional schedules and time-off requests. She holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and Business Management. Jennifer spent 20 years working in Food and Beverage/Hotel Management before re-evaluating her career goals and deciding to make a change. She joined Home Instead in 2010 as a Care Professional. Currently residing in the Hebron area, Jennifer and her dog Remi have lived in Licking County for 18 years.

Mindy is responsible for managing Care Professional schedules and handling their time-off requests. She finds this role interesting as it offers variety on a daily basis. Mindy joined Home Instead in 2015, bringing with her prior experience in customer service. Before joining Home Instead, she worked as a dispatcher/scheduler for a company located in Licking County. Mindy enjoys working with seniors as well as our Care Professionals. She has two sons and a cute grandson who reside in Newark.

Deborah is responsible for overseeing our HR Department and Care Professional benefits and compensation programs. She originally joined Home Instead in 2005 as a Care Professional, after working in Human Resources for 10+ years with an emphasis on policy development, HR communications and benefits’ administration. She has a B.S. degree in Human Resource Management from The Ohio State University. Deborah and her husband live in Dayton and enjoy gardening and traveling. They have two grown daughters and two grandsons.

Dedra is responsible for recruiting, the onboarding process, and supervising Care Professionals. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and is a certified Project Management Professional. Dedra is originally from West Virginia and now resides in Cambridge, Oh. She is actively involved in her church and spends her free time with her husband and adult children.

With over 8 years of hands-on experience as a Home Instead owner, Ben Karakunnel brings an abundance of expertise to his role in leading and managing the flagship office of the Home Instead network. Before delving into the realm of home care, he occupied executive positions in the entertainment industry, honing his skills in research, data analytics, marketing, and P&L management. Ben's unwavering commitment to fostering leadership within his team and cultivating a supportive work culture mirrors his unwavering pursuit of excellence. Outside of his professional endeavors, he finds fulfillment in the joys and challenges of parenthood alongside his wife, Treasa, and their twin 6-year-old daughters, Alexis and Francesca.

Nick's story is one of resilience and dedication. From his humble beginnings on a farm in Fiji to his journey as a corporate leader in Orange County, California, Nick's unwavering commitment to family values has been the guiding force in his life. His decision to transition into entrepreneurship, marked by the acquisition of our Home Instead Franchise in Costa Mesa, California, is a testament to his deep-seated desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Beyond his professional endeavors, Nick finds joy in spending time with his family, often seen exploring the wonders of Disneyland or cheering on his beloved Las Vegas Raiders.