Note: Many of our Staff, Board Members and Service Managers have either been rigorously trained as Certified Dementia Practitioners or as Dementia Friends Ohio. For the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners training, click here. For Dementia Friends Ohio, click here.
Our Service Managers
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Karina Fuery, CDV
Karina is a Service Manager at the Amherst and North Ridgeville locations, joining our staff in 2024. She is passionate about serving others and has strengths in hospitality and social support. She credits her strong faith and spiritual gifts for positioning her to engage and encourage the participants and their caregivers at the Memory Cafe`. She considers it an honor to be able to serve the community in this way and embraces each person with joy, support, respect and open arms. Karina was born in Lima, Peru. She grew up in the Cleveland area and is attending Lorain County Community College. She currently resides in North Ridgeville with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys time with family and serves actively in her local church. Karina is a Certified Dementia Volunteer and a Dementia Friend, offers bilingual support (Spanish) and is certified in Mental Health First Aid by NCMW and NAMI of Greater Cleveland.
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Mary Anne Duncan, CDP
Mary Anne has been a Service Manager since 2019, welcoming participants at the North Ridgeville, Elyria, Wellington and Avon Lake locations . Viewing each person as an extension of her own family, she loves working with clients and caregivers at each location. Mary Anne was introduced to LIFE as a volunteer; that dedication and passion for dementia care has brought her to where she is today. She says, “My heart is so full when I come to work each day. We are a family and each person who attends knows this is a safe environment and that we care about them.” Mary Anne is a retired Registered Nurse and is also a Certified Dementia Practitioner. She resides in Elyria with her husband Phil.
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Christen Uhl, CDV
Christen has been the Service Manager of the Wooster Memory Café since it was established in 2021. She is also assisting in the opening of our newest location in Orrville. She is passionate about working with people and enjoys creating themed activities each week. Christen enjoys the outdoors and is active in her church and local community outreach organizations. Her education and employment background lie in early childhood development and interpretive education. Christen is a graduate of Hocking College and is a Certified Dementia Volunteer and a Dementia Friend. She looks forward to growing LIFE resources in Wayne County. She resides in
Big Prairie, Ohio, with her husband and three boys. |
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Denise Taylor
Denise joined us in October 2024, she is a Service Manager in Lorain County at our Elyria, Avon Lake and North Ridgeville Memory Cafes`. She has been dedicated to life enrichment since 2001, driven by a heartfelt passion for enhancing the lives of seniors. Her passion extends into dementia care. Denise is looking forward to getting her certification as a Dementia Practitioner. Denise resides in Elyria alongside her husband, Scott and their three children. Outside of work, Denise enjoys many hobbies including: baking, cooking, reading, camping and riding roller coasters. |
Deborah Auble
Deb began her journey with A Dementia Friendly LIFE in 2021 when she started attending the Memory Cafe` as a Care Partner for her aunt. During that time, she experienced firsthand the compassion, dedication and care shown to both participants and caregivers, along with the joy of creating lasting memories with her aunt. After her aunt transitioned to a memory care home, she felt called to remain involved and began volunteering for LIFE, expanding her participation to multiple days per week. Deb enjoys bringing people together by creating special treats to share and adding a personal touch to each gathering. Deb joined our staff in 2026 as a Service Manager in Lorain County at our Wellington and Amherst Memory Cafes`. |
Our Staff
Carole Klingler, BSN, RN, CDP
Founder and CEO of LIFE: A Dementia Friendly Foundation Carole spent years as an ICU nurse, and was the Director of Nursing for Kendal at Oberlin. She also worked as an adjunct faculty member for Lorain County Community College Allied Health and Nursing Program and in Hospice and Palliative Care in the role of Team Leader and Community Facility Coordinator for the Lorain County Team.
Carole earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner and a Master Trainer for Dementia Friends Ohio. |
Jennifer Tucker, CDV
Financial Administrator Jennifer joined LIFE as its Financial Administrator in 2020. After being part of the caregiving process for her grandmother, she was delighted to join an organization that focuses on the holistic needs of families coping with dementia-related illnesses. Her employment background is in finance; she is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College. Although Jennifer is not involved in daily Memory Café activities, she supports the services provided and works behind the scenes. Jennifer enjoys visiting the Cafés and is a Certified Dementia Volunteer and a Dementia Friend. She resides in Olmsted Township with her husband and two children.
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LIFE Board of Directors
To apply as a Board Member, please find our application here.
Kristin McAdams
Kristin is a Realtor and Seniors Estate Specialist (SRES) serving Cuyahoga, Lorain and Medina counties. She brings a unique, high-level and compassionate perspective to her industry, which is derived from experience as a holistic practitioner and End-of-Life doula. Her ongoing commitment to the dementia awareness movement and assisting seniors drew her to membership with the Lorain County Senior Network, Eldercare Professionals of Ohio, Board of Directors positions, as well as multiple community committees and volunteer roles focused on improving the wellbeing of individuals within their populations. Kristin is supported in her endeavors by her husband, Reid, and her 3 canine fur babies.
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Margie Karl
After graduating from Marietta College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Margie completed her graduate studies at the University of Akron's School of Law. She earned her Juris Doctor degree there. Margie has been involved with many community groups, including the Kiwanis and the Chamber of Commerce in Olmstead Falls. She enjoys giving back through senior organizations like LIFE.
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Renee Bowles
Renee Bowles is a licensed practical nurse with over 20 years of experience in dementia care. She has worked in clinical leadership, caregiver education, and environmental design, including redesigning a memory care unit. Renee is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, an Independent Trainer and Consultant with Teepa Snow's Positive Approach to Care and a Virtual Dementia Tour Advanced Trainer through Second Wind Dreams. She facilitates family support groups, provides one-on-one consulting for care partners, trains healthcare professionals, and presents at conferences, long-term care facilities, home health agencies and memory cafes`. Her work focuses on person-centered, strengths-based approaches to dementia care. Renee resides in Fairview Park with her husband Brian, daughter Bailey, and their menagerie of four-footed friends.
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Max Schmittle
Treasurer Max is currently a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones in Oberlin, Ohio. Before that, studied finance at Bowling Green State University. Max has been a resident of northeast Ohio all of his life, and graduated from Firelands High School. Before joining A Dementia Friendly Life, he volunteered at our Amherst Café. He is a firm believer in the mission of A Dementia Friendly Life and the services that they provide to our dementia participants and their caregivers. In his free time, Max enjoys going to car shows, fishing, Guardians games, and spending time with friends and family.
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Sami Kandel
Sami Kandel is a Hospital Liaison with Embassy Healthcare, with years of experience in the healthcare world. Sami is passionate about community engagement and inclusive initiatives, working to support individuals living with dementia and their care partners through awareness, advocacy, and collaboration. She serves as the Treasurer for the Wayne Senior Services Network and is also on the Americorps Senior Advisory Board for Portage County. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, animals and taking care of her many plants.
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April Suva-Surovi
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Terry Kovach
Vice President |
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April has been in the senior healthcare field helping, counseling and educating caregivers and their loved ones for close to 15 years and in the marketing and sales field since graduating from college. As a Certified Dementia Practitioner, she utilizes her education to help professionals understand the disease. April is a volunteer speaker for the Alzheimer's Association and a trained volunteer for the Lewy Body Association, the Association of Frontotemporal Degeneration, and the Tourette's Association. She is a Certified Trainer of the Virtual Dementia Tour and currently serves on the board of the Westside Healthcare Organization. Her greatest joy comes from the family she built with her husband Richard, of six children, two daughters-in-law, one son-in-law and three granddaughters that call her Kuku. She is an artist, a fly fisher woman, a golfer, a marksman and an avid reader.
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Terry is Director of Sales and Marketing for Kendal at Oberlin, where she has worked for more than 25 years. Terry’s work includes management of sales, marketing and public relations efforts for the life plan community. She also works with The Kendal Corporation, serving on both the website and IT strategic impact committees for the Kendal System. In her spare time, Terry enjoys bicycling and volunteering in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
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