Home Helpers Names New Chief Development Officer; A Place for Mom Appoints CTO 

Home Helpers Home Care promotes Bobby Kelley to chief development officer

Home Helpers Home Care appointed Bobby Kelley, who joined the company in 2005, as chief development officer.

Kelley previously served as a franchise consultant and vice president of franchise development.

Kelley will now oversee the company’s franchise development sales team as CDO.

“Bobby’s promotion reflects both the tremendous impact he has made over the past two decades and the confidence we have in his leadership as we look toward the future,” said Home Helpers Home Care CEO and President Emma Dickison in a statement.

Blue Ash, Ohio-based Home Helpers Home Care provides personal care, skilled home healthcare services, companion care, Alzheimer’s and dementia care and other services. The company has 400 franchise locations across 40 states.

A Place for Mom appoints new leaders

The senior care advisory platform A Place for Mom tapped Jason Conley as chief technology officer and Stephen Bucken as general manager of its senior care network.

As CTO, Conley will lead A Place for Mom’s technology strategy, AI application, data organization, scaling strategy and engineering. He will work closely with the company’s chief product officer, Nidhin George, who joined A Place for Mom in June.

Prior to his appointment at A Place for Mom, Conley served as CTO at the medical practice network VIP Medical group, as well as CTO and vice president of product, engineering and technology for Envera Health, a patient engagement services company acquired by Access Healthcare in 2023.

“[Conley] is an engineer at heart who can operate effectively from the executive level through the details of delivery, always with a clear focus on business, customer and operational outcomes,” said CEO Tatyana Zlotsky in a statement. “That combination will be critical as we strengthen our technology and data foundations and thoughtfully apply AI to improve how we serve families and providers.”

Bucken is charged with spearheading growth and partner strategies for A Place for Mom’s senior living and home care marketplace under its Senior Care Network.

Bucken previously served as vice president of continuum of care sales and account management at the healthcare improvement company Premier, along with head of employer sales, central United States at Amazon Care, the online retail giant’s non-acute healthcare arm.

“Stephen brings the commercial leadership, operational expertise and deep customer focus to deliver even more value to our partners,” Zlotsky said. “Together, we can help senior living communities and home care agencies grow their businesses while advancing our shared mission of helping families.”

New York, New York-based A Place for Mom connects older adults and their families to care services such as home care, assisted living, memory care and independent living.

Justin Brady joins Solenvia Caregivers as vice president of franchise operations

Home care provider Solenvia Caregivers appointed Justin Brady as vice president of franchise operations.

In his new role, Brady is charged with building systems and operational foundations to scale franchise organizations and help them succeed. Brady most recently served as president and CEO of the franchising consulting company Brady Drake, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Initially founded in 2014, Middletown, Connecticut-based Solenvia Caregivers provides non-medical home care, including live-in care and 24/7 care services, in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

In August, Solenvia signed its first franchise agreement to expand the brand in two territories in the Tampa Bay area of Florida.

A Place At Home expands leadership post-acquisition

A Place At Home has named new leaders and expanded its leadership structure to include new franchise support roles.

Omaha, Nebraska-based A Place at Home provides non-medical in-home care, including personal care and fall recovery, care coordination, dementia care and other services. International home care giant Dovida acquired the company in February.

The company announced several key leadership updates, including Mike Boyer, the CEO of Dovida, taking the CEO role. Other appointments include Jerod Evanich to the role of COO of corporate operations, Dave Anderson to serve as general counsel and Kim Lehl to the role of vice president of finance and controller.

“A Place At Home is building the kind of support system that allows franchise owners to grow with confidence,” Dustin Distefano, A Place At Home’s COO of franchise operations, said in a statement. “As the system evolves, our focus is on giving owners the tools, coaching and resources they need to lead strong teams, serve families well and build healthy local businesses. ”

Bobby Jindal joins Elara Caring board of directors

Former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal has joined the board of directors for Elara Caring.

Jindal will use his public and private sector healthcare industry experience to bolster Elara Caring’s home care services and mission, according to the company.

In addition to serving as the governor of Louisiana from 2008 to 2016, Jindal also served as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services assistant secretary and executive director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare.

“Rich, poor, young or old, we all eventually need health care,” Jindal said in a statement. “That’s why Elara Caring’s mission matters so deeply, delivering a standard of home-based care that is unmatched. I’m honored to join the board of directors and help advance Elara’s critical work.”

Dallas, Texas-based Elara Caring provides skilled home health, personal care, palliative care and other services across 18 states.

Accendra Health appoints Kenneth Gardner-Smith as president and CEO

After Accendra Health’s (NYSE: ACH) former CEO, Edward Pesicka, announced his retirement in August, the company named Kenneth Gardner-Smith its president and CEO.

Gardner-Smith has served on Accendra Health’s board of directors since March 2022 and is expected to step into the CEO role in Q4 2026. As CEO, Gardner-Smith will helm the company’s next growth phase.

Pesicka will serve as CEO until Gardner-Smith assumes the role and will continue advising Gardner-Smith and the leadership team during the transition.

Prior to his appointment at Accendra Health, Gardner-Smith served as CEO of the specialty and emergency veterinary platform Veritas Veterinary Partners and has 13 years of experience in operating roles at the kidney and dialysis giant DaVita.

“Kenny brings more than 15 years of operating leadership in reimbursement-driven healthcare and deep knowledge of our strategy and operations, making him the board’s unanimous choice to lead Accendra Health,” Mark Beck, chair of Accendra Health’s board of directors, said in a statement.

In addition, Accendra Health appointed Scott Lloyd its chief commercial officer, a newly created role. In the position, Lloyd will helm commercial strategy, sales and provider and payer partnerships, effective Oct. 5.

Lloyd previously co-founded the durable medical equipment company Extrakare and served as CDO and strategy officer of the value-based kidney care platform Evergreen Nephrology.

Glen Allen, Virginia-based Accendra Health provides home medical equipment and products. The company rebranded from Owens & Minor, Inc in December 2025 as a pivot into home-based care market under its brands Apria and Byram Healthcare.