Our Leadership

Mary M. Barnes is one of the founding members of Alzheimer’s Community Care. She has been the organization’s leader since its inception in 1996 and continues to serve as the President and Chief Executive Officer. Mary has worked in the field of gerontology for her entire career, with her life dedicated to advocating for patients and caregivers coping with a neurocognitive disorder. Her mission is to ensure the well-being of all who have been affected by Alzheimer’s disease, while preserving their dignity and quality of life, ensuring their safety and security throughout the duration of the disease process, and implementing and leading an innovative model of care that provides services and resources that are accessible, affordable, individualized, and within a community-based environment. She presently serves on the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute Advisory Council, the statewide Humana Advisory Council, and the Palm Beach County Elder Abuse Task Force. In the past, Mary chaired the Florida Silver Alert Statewide Task Force which resulted in the Florida Silver Alert program that presently saves lives every day, and was also a member of the Florida Special Needs Shelter

Karen Gilbert is a Registered Nurse and has worked in health care administration in Palm Beach County for over 35 years. For the past nine years, Karen has worked with patients experiencing various stages of Alzheimer’s Disease and related neurocognitive disorders. In working with these patients and their families, Karen has promoted highly individualized care planning methods to maintain and optimize patients’ abilities, coach and support caregivers and improve quality of life for those affected by these diseases. Karen holds Certification in Alzheimer’s disease training from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs as well as designation as a Certified Dementia Practitioner from the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners. Karen presents educational programs for health care professionals, law enforcement and first responders, community groups, as well as area medical, nursing, social work and health administration students. Karen was recognized with the 2017 Palm Beach County Medical Society Hero in Medicine Award for Education. Karen serves on the School of Nursing Advisory Boards of Palm Beach Atlantic University, Keiser University, and Palm Beach State College. Karen earned the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Karen received her Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, and holds a Master of Science degree in Health and Human Services from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.

Jessica Zehetmaier began her career in human resources in 2013 while working for a locum tenens company, staffing, and credentialing physicians. She has a professional background in the Human Resources field and has worked in various industries including staffing and recruitment, healthcare, hospitality management, and professional services. She has extensive experience providing support and guidance to operational managers and executive staff for recruitment and employment, training and development, labor relations, benefits administration, and the development of organizational cultures. Jessica is an active member and volunteer of the national and local chapters of the Society for Human Resource Management and currently serves as Director at Large as well as Legislative Director. Jessica holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Florida Atlantic University, she is certified in Mental Health First Aid and is currently pursuing her SHRM-SCP certification.

Michael “Mike” Valdes has over 25 years of experience in leading the Finance Department of which 20 years have been in leading nonprofit Finance Departments. Prior to serving in the role of VP of Finance, Mike served as the VP of Finance and Administration with Discover Palm Beach County and Business Manager at The King’s Academy. As Vice President of Finance, Mike is fundamentally the gatekeeper in managing the financial, and information technology aspects of the organization. Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Central Florida.