Meet Our Team

Owners Jackie & Michael Melinger both graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign. Their experience includes health care management, human resources, customer service, and quality control. Jackie served as an Illinois Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, holds a Master's Degree in Human Resources from Chicago's Loyola University, and oversees ​staffing and bookkeeping. Michael oversees client services, and overall administration of the company. Michael is currently on the Board of Directors for Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly - Chicago Chapter​, the Illinois Department of Public Health's Home Health Advisory Board, spent 7 years on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Chapter of the Home Care Association of America, and serves on the Skokie Health Department's IPLAN Committee. Jackie & Michael became franchise owners in 2001 with Home Instead Senior Care, have 3 children and live in the North Shore. Jackie & Michael also volunteer regularly in various community causes and activities, including nursing home & adult day care pet therapy, Alzheimer's Association support group facilitation, Parent Teacher Association, Youth Athletic Coaching, and the North Shore Senior Center Escorted Transportation Service. In September of 2013, Jackie and Michael were honored by a local senior organization, North Shore Senior Center, with the 2013 Corporate Sponsorship Philanthropic Award​ for their support of NSSC's programs for seniors and their families throughout the Chicagoland and North Shore Suburban area.​

Gina Sheffer joined Home Instead in 2004, and has been an important member of our team throughout the years. She has worked, and is knowledgeable in all areas of the business including Recruitment, Client Services, Sales, Marketing and Operations Management. Gina is now the General Manager and oversees the day-to-day operations of the company. Gina is passionate about seniors and loves seeing the special relationships that our clients and their Care Professionals form. Facilitating support and communication with the team and helping families figure out solutions to tough issues are what she does best. Gina has a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois-Chicago, and a Master's Degree in Human Services Administration from National Louis University.

Brittany Watson joined the Home Instead team in June of 2018 as an Intake & Care Planning Manager. Brittany supports our community partners and assists new clients and their families with implementing care. Brittany graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a bachelor's degree in Rehabilitation. Prior to Home Instead Brittany worked at an adult day center caring for individuals with dementia, then went on to work for a Continuing Care Retirement Community where she managed the in-house caregiving agency. Brittany is passionate about assisting others through the aging process, providing education, and connecting people with community resources. Brittany is an advocate for Dementia Friendly America, and member of the Dementia Friendly Evanston Initiative. DFEI works to maximize the quality of life, community participation, and independence for those living with dementia and their care partners through community-wide education, outreach, and advocacy. In Brittany’s spare time she enjoys the outdoors, gardening, music, art, and spending time with family, friends, and her dog Bubba.

Rick Gall joined the Home Instead team in 2014.  He joined as a CAREGiver and quickly became a Lead CAREGiver.  Currently, Rick is one of our Quality Assurance Coordinators and spends his time in the field performing CarePro introductions, conducing client reassessments and quality assurance visits with our clients.  Prior to joining Home Instead, Rick spent many years as a computer graphics artist.  However, Rick has truly found his passion and enjoys meeting with clients and learning about their vast life experiences.  Rick is grateful to be a part of a team of individuals who love helping seniors in our community.  Rick grew up in Chicago and currently resides in Evanston.  When he's not working, he enjoys walking on the lakefront in Evanston, practicing yoga, painting, and spending time with family. 

Larissa Beers joined the Home Instead team in 2019. As Business Development Manager, Larissa builds new relationships with various partners through marketing efforts, educational programming, and other community events. She also manages all of our social media, digital content, and brand awareness through various creative outreach methods. Before this role, Larissa worked as an Intake and Care Planning Manager, supporting our community partners and assisting new clients and their families with implementing care. Some of Larissa's past professional endeavors include account management for a home health company, and she has extensive experience in the field of Human Resources. Larissa's favorite part of what we do is educating those who may not know what home care is and what their options may be to help families keep their loved ones safe and assist professionals in providing the best care to their patients possible. In her spare time, Larissa enjoys spending time with her wife and son outside, gardening, camping, home projects, and baking.

Shannon D. Wyatt joined the Home Instead team in 2024. As Business Development Lead, Shannon strives to build new relationships with various partners in the community through marketing efforts and events. Before Home Instead, Shannon was a social worker for adults with mental illness and developmental disabilities, a certified athletic trainer for a local high school, and worked for an organization providing family advocacy for Organ & Tissue Donation. Shannon's favorite part of what we do is having daily interactions with others in the community, meeting clients, Care Pros, and referral providers. She enjoys the fact that no two days are alike and that we're always learning. In her spare time, Shannon has a thriving photography business; she also enjoys reading fiction thrillers and doing paint-by-numbers.

Jeff joined the Home Instead team in 2025 as our Quality Assurance Nurse. He brings many years of valuable experience, having previously worked as a Home Health Visiting Nurse and a Staff Nurse in Outpatient Clinic settings. Jeff is a proud graduate of DeVry University and the Northwestern Institute of Health and Technology. He is passionate about his work and finds great purpose in helping and strengthening the caregiving team, and he enjoys finding new ways to improve processes. In his free time, Jeff loves taking walks with his two dogs, watching movies and Chicago Bulls games with his family, and spending time on road trips and in the garden.