Chris Ibarra, President and Executive Director at Aviva Granbury

Chris Ibarra has spent the last eighteen years working in the field of senior care. His experience includes roles in  marketing and administration in skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care communities, as well as hospice care. He is currently the Executive Director of Aviva Granbury. Inspired by his grandmother, a nurse of more than sixty years, Chris loves the field of geriatrics and strives to provide care and quality of life to those he cares for.

Chris graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor’s of Psychology and is currently pursuing a Masters in the same field. He is a Certified Activity Director, Certified Assisted Living Manager, and Certified Crisis Hotline Worker. Chris routinely volunteers in the community for eldercare related causes and committees.

Chris served on the 2023 TAGS Board as President Elect and a member of the scholarship committee. In his spare time, Chris loves live music, reading, cosplay, and video games.

Mechelle Hicks, President Elect 

 Mechelle Hicks was born and raised in Fort Worth before moving to Joshua as a teenager. She has been

a part of the Ride N Safe Non-Emergency Medical Transportation family since 2019, bringing her 13+

years of transportation experience. Although relatively new to the senior and healthcare industry,

Mechelle has worked tirelessly to meet people and make connections. She leads the DFW Healthcare

Connection group in Burleson and the Linked Network group in Johnson County.

Mechelle graduated Suma Cum Laude from Texas Wesleyan University with a degree in Marketing in

2021 and is hoping to continue to earn her MBA soon.

Mechelle is recently married and has two bonus sons. When not working, she can be found reading,

spending time with her family, or at her son’s various sports events.

Michelle Myers, Immediate Past President and Clifton Coufal Law Firm

Michelle worked in Human Resources and Recruitment for 10 years before leaving in 2014 to help her Mom with the family business, Angelic Place, a Residential Care Home in SW Arlington. There she turned her love of helping people into a love of helping the Elderly and saw how important it was to find the right benefits for the Senior Community. She currently works for the Elder Law Firm Clifton Coufal where she helps with Medicaid Benefits and Veterans and Surviving Spouses with Veterans Benefits. 

Michelle has volunteered for many organizations over the years and currently advocates for Seniors serving on an Alzheimer’s Association North Central Texas Chapter Gala Planning Committee and Tarrant Area Gerontological Society (TAGS) Board. Michelle served as TAGS Scholarship Chair for 3 years before moving into the TAGS President-Elect Position in 2022, President in 2023 and Immediate Past President in 2024. She also served on the Continuity of Care Board for 4 years as Programs Chair. She is very active in the DFW Senior Healthcare Community and is a Co-Creator of the DFW Healthcare Connection Networking Group that currently has 17 monthly Networking Events through out North Texas. Michelle is the first to reach out to help those who are new to the area or industry and is a firm believer in the benefits of Senior Healthcare Networking and knowing your Community Partners. Michelle lives with her husband, two sons, and their Mini Long Haired Doxie Brooks in Waxahachie, Texas. During her spare time, she enjoys decorating, traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family. 

Sara Egan, Secretary       

Sara’s skilled background as a nurse in oncology set the foundation for her profound commitment to patient care, especially the senior population. It was her passion for creating meaningful connections with patients that led her to fall in love with hospice care. Journey  Hospice stands as a testament to her vision of changing the narrative of hospice care from one of sadness to empowerment and comfort. Through her work, she brings a new dimension to end-of-life care, focusing on quality of life and happiness in familiar surroundings. She has a BS in Communications from the University of Texas and a BSN from Texas Women’s University. 

Sara also serves on the board for Continuity of Care and is part of the leadership team for the monthly gathering of Trending Women - Parker County, which was created to connect and inspire women in business. Sara is married and a mother to 3 young boys. She enjoys traveling, reading, going to concerts and movies, and spending time with her energetic family!

Randi Hagstrand, Treasurer and Senior Living Specialists

Randi Hagstrand holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of North Texas. Her career in Healthcare  was first inspired by her sister, a LVN who has spent most of her career working with Seniors in nursing facilities. Out of college she obtained her Certified Nursing Assistant certification and worked on the floor at a local nursing home, while also working as a Physician’s Scribe in the emergency department. She then made a pivotal point to pursue the Administrative aspects of Senior Care. Before joining Senior Living Specialists in January 2021, she worked as an Admissions and Marketing Director for eight years. Her sense of purpose is fulfilled when she gets to educate and provide comfort to families facing the challenges of aging adults. Randi is married with three children. She enjoys photography, running, visiting local coffee shops and traveling.

Paige Wolk, LBSW, CDP- Programs Chair  and Senior Vice President, Overture Home Care

Paige began her career as a Social Worker in a skilled nursing facility and has been working with Older Adults ever since. Her experiences with Older Adults include Social Work, Business Development, Public Relations, Advocacy, Community Education and Sales/Marketing for long term care facilities, rehabilitation facilities and subacute units. She joined Overture Home Care in 2016 as the Senior Vice President.

Mrs. Wolk has a passion for Older Adults with particular interest in Alzheimer’s and Dementia. She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) through the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (NCCDP) and volunteers regularly for Dementia and Alzheimer’s related causes. She is passionate about being a Dementia Live Certified Coach and holds trainings regularly to educate others about Dementia. 

She served as President of TAGS in 2019 and 2020 and currently serves as the Vice President for Dementia Friendly Fort Worth and serves as an Advisor for the 2023 and 2024 Community Advisory Council for the UNT Health Science Center for Older Adults. 

Paige is married with three children and resides in Tarrant County. 

Toni Sudderth, Summer Forum Chair and Senior Area Advisor, Reliant at Home

Toni graduated Tarleton State University in 2010. After a 10 year career in banking, Toni brought her customer service skills and her deep, abiding passion for the senior population to the health care industry in 2015. Toni begin in home care, worked for a memory care and has been Reliant at Home, on their home health team, for 4 years now. 

Toni has a deep passion for advocating and educating and does so through her various commitments to Tarrant County nonprofits. Toni has had a love and concern for the senior population ever since her childhood. She has always been very close with her grand and great grandparents. In recent years, she helped her grandmother and mother understand what life looks like with Alzheimer’s, as her grandfather fought and lost his battle in 2017. 

Toni is a wife, mom of two energetic girls, a boxer and Great Dane that keep her busy and proud. Toni enjoys spending weekends with her family and friends on Lake Travis, in the Texas hill country and doing all she can to make amazing memories for her little ones. Toni and her family reside in Weatherford, Texas.

Alaine Capper, Faith-Based Chair  and Life Gift 

Alaine Capper currently serves as Family Care Specialist for Life Gift Fort Worth. Alaine was raised in healthcare here in  Tarrant County with moving here in 1964 for her father to become the 2^nd cardiologist in Tarrant and Dallas County. She has involved herself in the healthcare community and worked primarily in hospice and senior living. This new opportunity will allow her to utilize the gifts that she has in loving people in the hardest of times while helping reach others with the gift they are providing in organ and tissue donation. 

Having a passion to help the elderly in ALL areas of life is one of Alaine’s biggest passions. Her involvement with TAGS although short is deeply important to her. The Faith Based aspect touches Alaine at her core. She is the chair this year after having served as Gail Snider’s co-chair in 2021-2022 year. She is the Linked Network Tarrant County Co-Facilitator and serves on the board of Continuity of Care as well. 

Margaret Seeley, Faith-Based Co-Chair  and Sunrise Senior Living  

Bio & Picture - Coming Soon

Shelley Reetz, Scholarships Chair  

Shelley was born in Kansas City and is a loyal Chiefs fan but has been in Texas for almost all of her life.  She graduated  Stephen F Austin and has always been in Sales.  After losing her Dad in 2018 to Cancer, Shelley felt a calling to be involved in the lives of seniors as they enter possibly the final chapter of their lives.  Shelley is the Business Development Director for Highlands Village Assisted Living in Mansfield and has been there since before they opened in 2019.  She has a strong desire and passion for helping people. 

Shelley is married, and between her and her husband Jeff they have 5 grown girls and 3 grandchildren.  Their lives are filled with faith, love, golf and a lot of laughter.  She is excited to be joining the TAGS board and helping raise money to give scholarships to people trying to get or continue their education aimed at helping seniors.

David O'Connor, Administration Chair and Administrator at The Stayton at Museum Way 

David O’Connor is a Healthcare Administrator at The Stayton at Museum Way with expertise both in health  insurance costs and coverage, and in issues surrounding primary care and the health care workforce. He has an extensive background in health care management, policy, and public health. In his managerial role, he oversees all aspects of a facility’s health care delivery to ensure optimal care for patients. His goal is to improve the quality and efficiency of medical care, manage the finances, prepare budgets, hire, and manage staff, ensure compliance with regulations and more.  He approaches all aspects of any job with positive, hard-working mindset, and helping find solutions to any challenges.

Jennifer Riggs, Nursing Chair and Business Development at Southwest Nursing & Rehab

Holding a Bachelor’s degree in communications from Western Governors University, Jen never considered  healthcare as a career option, until her grandmother was diagnosed with Dementia when she was 24 years old. She spent the next few years watching her grandmother decline cognitively and seeing the best and worst sides of the senior care industry. This was the drive she needed to do her part in seeing that families have trusted care during these times. She started working as a CNA in memory care skilled nursing for 5 years before she graduated from nursing school. As a nurse Jen has worked in surgical transplant and emergency department in the acute as well as skilled nursing. Coming full circle with her communications degree, Jen now works as a Director of Business Development at Southwest Nursing and Rehab in Fort Worth. Her grandmother passed after a 13-year battle with Dementia on 2020, but will always be her “Why”.
Jen is a California to Texas transplant, and has the rare opportunity to see multiple healthcare markets across the nation. In California, she was skilled nursing committee member for the California Nurses Assoc., volunteered with Desert AIDS Project and the VA hospital. She enjoys giving back her time and talents for the community she serves. Jen is a mother to 3 kids, loves to cook, craft, garden and decorate in her spare time.

Kathryn Rotter, Public Policy Chair

Kathryn Rotter currently working for Commissioner Gary Fickes, Precinct 3 and I just got a promotion and my new title is Executive Administrator Programs and Outreach. Her responsibilities include serving the senior community, addressing transportation issues, and handling other priority issues within Northeast Tarrant County. Prior to working for Commissioner Fickes, she served as the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Office of Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley from

April of 2012 though July 2022. She was tasked with creating a senior expo event for Tarrant County. This event, Senior Synergy, just completed its 9 th year and focuses on providing health

education, health screenings, services, resources and so much more to help seniors in our area live an independent and healthy lifestyle.

Kathryn is an experienced Community Outreach Coordinator with a demonstrated history of working in government administration. She is skilled in non-profit organizations, budgeting, event planning, customer service, and sales. She is a strong business professional with a BBA focused on Business Management and Marketing from Texas Christian University - M.J. Neeley School of Business.

Kathryn has one son who graduated from Stephen F. Austin; he continued his education and is now serving the community as a paramedic/firefighter. Kathryn is a brand-new Grandmother, as her son and daughter in law, who live in Collin County, delivered their first child in April of 2022. Kathryn enjoys the outdoors, including hunting, loves to travel and thrives on spending time with her family.

Linsey Tarkington, LBSW, Social Work Chair  and Case Manager Texas Rehab Arlington

My name is Linsey Tarkington, I am the new Social Worker chair. I graduated from UTA in 12/96 with a Bachelor of Social Work degree. I have two daughters; my oldest daughter is in her second year of Law School at OU.  My youngest  daughter is a Senior at Sam Houston State majoring in Criminal Justice. I spent most of my career in long term care. I worked for the Department of Aging and Disabilities services for 12 years inspecting skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. I am currently employee at Texas Rehabilitation Hospital in Arlington as a Case Manager. I have been at Texas Rehab for 8 months. I am happily married; I love animals and enjoy cruising.

Christina Mauldin, LVN - Membership Chair  and Senior Clinical Liaison Encompass Health

Christina Mauldin is an LVN and current a clinical Liaison at Encompass Health Inpatient Rehab. She has been a nurse for 16 years, graduating from Tyler Jr College. She is continuing her education at Tarrant County Community College. She has two children. Jada, 21yrs old and attending college at Oklahoma University. Jrue, 11yrs old who enjoys playing sports, camping and fishing.  Christina has a wide background of nursing history and experience. She has worked in hospice, home health, level 1 trauma hospital, assisted living, skilled nursing and now inpatient rehab.

Katie Luna, Community Engagement Chair  and Clinical Liaison Emerald Hills Rehab Center

Katie Luna has been married for 20 years and is a mother of three. Before she started working as a Marketing & Admissions Director at   Emerald Hills, she owned her own bakery. Katie has been an LVN for 10 years and took a break in between to chase her dreams of owning a bakery. After COVID she decided to get back into the medical field as a liaison and is loving this new line of work! Katie is eager to promote TAGS and take part of such a wonderful organization.

Vanessa Hernandez, Programs Assistant Chair 

Bio & Picture - Coming Soon 

Saundra Bramlett, Scholarship Assistant Chair   

Bio & Picture - Coming Soon 

Courtney Chamberlain, Summer Forum Assistant Chair  

Bio & Picture - Coming Soon