Board of Directors

Merilee Smith
Chair
Director of Inpatient Care Units
Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care

Doug Irvin
Immediate Past Chair
Vitas Healthcare

Open
Vice Chair

Fawn Hendershott
Board Secretary
Uplifted Care

Jennifer McIlrath
Chief Nursing Officer
Transitions Care

Yonah Klien
Director of Strategy
Unity Hospice and Palliative Care

Noel Nickel
Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer
Northern Illinois Hospice

Carrie Bill
Board Treasurer
VP of Reimbursement
Accentcare

Wendy Bongero
Residential Hospice and Palliative Care

Julie Goldstein
Ethics and ACP Educator
Advocate Health Care

Kristin James

Ellen Byrne
Director of Policy and Government Affairs

Sara Dado, LCSW
Executive Director

Katie Lord, BSN
Education Coordinator

Ellen Byrne
Director of Policy and Government Affairs
Executive Chair
Merilee Smith
Finance
Carrie Bill
Education
Merilee Smith
Government Affairs Chair
Doug Irvin
POLST Committee
Julie Goldstein
Pass-Through Elimination Workgroup
Ellen Byrne