Meet the Team - Fresno
James Kendall, Founder
James has spent his entire career helping others who could not help themselves. James received his Master’s Degree in Social Work from California State University Fresno and has never stopped serving others. Over the years, James has worked in clinical settings, community settings and in administrative and management capacities. He has continually worked to improve the lives of those he encountered personally and professionally.
When his mother-in-law began to show signs of Alzheimer’s, James experienced the challenges families face when dealing with such a situation. He had many questions without many answers. After this experience, James knew he wanted to help others in the same situation and provide care to those in need. He wanted to provide the best service, using the best caregivers, to ensure a worry free, quality, caring experience. James founded Everlight Care to inform and educate the community while providing quality in home care.
“Everlight Care is committed to education and the highest quality in home care experience.”
Gina Kendall, CEO/Owner
Gina Kendall is Everlight Care's CEO and owner. She has over 40 years of work experience serving the aging and disabled community. Her extensive experience in care and management began as a Social Services Coordinator at Casa Metropolitan skilled nursing facility in 1996. While working in this capacity, she became aware of the need for, and the importance of, personalized, quality, home care. Everlight Care was founded in 2017 to provide the best and most trusted non-medical home care, dedicated to the highest standards of integrity, respect and compassion while delivering the highest quality of care possible. Gina worked with families to keep their loved ones home and avoid a return visit to the hospital. This combination of experiences has afforded Gina a unique view of the needs of the aging and the disabled and how to best serve those needs in a home setting. Her passion, development, and dedication to serving the senior population does not go unnoticed. Gina believes that Everlight Care provides support for families who are facing challenges caring for their loved ones.
Gina earned her BA degree from Fresno State in 1993 and has lived and worked in Fresno for the past 30 years. In addition to raising her family in Fresno, she is actively involved in her local church and is a volunteer for various local community organizations such as: Catholic Charities, Poverello House, and Marjoree Mason Center. Most recently, Gina was selected to be a Board Member with Valley Caregiver Resource Center, a local non-profit agency dedicated to offering a comprehensive array of services designed to assist elders and their families.
“Serving the aged and disabled in my community, making a difference, and helping people live full, safe, and active lives is a great honor.”
Jose Avelar, Chief Operations Officer
“My goal for Everlight Care is to ensure fiscal compliancy and promote growth with the use of our professional systems.”
Kathy Valley, Branch Director
Kathy comes to Everlight Care after working over a decade at Twilight Haven, an assisted living and skilled nursing facility in Fresno. While starting at Twilight Haven in 2013, Kathy’s job titles ranged from a Community Outreach Coordinator to a Social Services Director. While being a Social Services Director, Kathy maintained a community resource list, completed assessments, implemented care plans, assisted with discharge planning, and coordinated family meetings. Kathy’s passion for the senior community continued developing the more time she spent with her patients. She communicated well with her patients and their families, ensuring their needs, wants, and comforts were handled with the utmost care and discretion. Kathy believes that every patient deserves to be treated with kindness and respect. Kathy’s background in the senior community has greatly assisted with her new role at Everlight Care.
As Branch Director, Kathy is responsible for all operational activities within her branch, growth, and performance. Kathy is able to continue following her passion, placing the clients’ needs first. As a home care expert, Kathy visits clients and families in the privacy of their own home. Kathy observes, engages, and suggests a care plan suited specifically for that client. Kathy is committed to client and staff satisfaction, while upholding Everlight Care’s standards.
“I am so proud of our team. We not only work together, but we have the same goals. Having staff that believes as I do, that clients come first, is very important to me. Everlight Care’s philosophy of providing the best care available anywhere in the industry is easy for me to get behind. I feel very fortunate to work for a company that has the same values I do.”
Melissa Wafer-Campos, Care Manager
Melissa comes to Everlight Care with over 20 years of healthcare experience. She began her career as a caregiver for her grandmother and went on to complete her certification for a front and back office medical assistant. Melissa transitioned to be a Certified Nursing Assistant, working in different departments of hospitals, and later, became the Admissions Director at a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center. She has found her place with Everlight Care and is happy to be a part of the team as a liaison for our clients and staff. Melissa oversees clients’ care and ensures the highest standard of professionalism from all members of the care team are met. She works directly with families to make sure clients are happy over the course of our service by conducting weekly check-ins and expertly matching our clients to their caregivers. In Melissa's spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, making arts and crafts, designing clothes, and making tumblers.
“I love supporting our staff and clients. It is great to be a part of a wonderful team with core morals, respect and compassion for the senior community.”
Melissa Ivie, Office Manager
Melissa comes to Everlight Care with over 7 years of diverse healthcare experience. She first began her career in healthcare taking care of her father, who is a disabled veteran. In 2014, she transitioned into the Veterans Affairs Central California Healthcare System delivering compassionate care tailored to the unique needs of military service members. During this time, Melissa provided comprehensive support and advocacy for veterans. Melissa’s expertise in clinic scheduling, patient care, amputee and rehabilitation services, along with a commitment to fostering equal employment opportunities has assisted Melissa in her role with Everlight Care. As the Office Manager with Everlight Care, Melissa organizes and coordinates office procedures while upholding employees to Everlight Care’s mission. She schedules appointments, assists with onboarding new caregivers, maintains current employee records, and assists with staff training, development, and scheduling. Melissa’s personal beliefs and professional goals are aligned to provide the highest quality and compassionate care to the senior community. Melissa graduated with her Associate’s degree in Food Science in 2015 from the Culinary Institute of Technology. In Melissa’s spare time, she enjoys gardening, cooking, and spending time with her kids.
“Being a part of the Everlight Care family has further enlightened my passion for teamwork and serving our senior community.”
Maritza Salvador Romero, Lead Supervisor
Maritza comes to Everlight Care with over 5 years of caregiver experience. Maritza began her career as a medical assistant and graduated in 2019 from San Joaquin Valley College. Maritza’s journey into healthcare was inspired by caring for her grandmother, who had Alzheimer’s. This experience fueled her passion for working with the senior community to ensure they receive the highest quality of care possible. In addition to her professional role, Maritza is a full-time mom of three, which has taught her the importance of patience, empathy, and teamwork. Maritza thrives in collaborative environments and is dedicated to contributing to a strong, supportive team. Maritza was previously a caregiver with Everlight Care, who was recently promoted to a Lead Supervisor. As a Lead Supervisor, Maritza schedules clients for care, conducts caregiver and client check-ins, and works with families under the Branch Director to match clients to caregivers. Maritza holds Everlight Care to the highest standards of care and customer service, as part of Everlight Care’s quality assurance program. In Maritza’s spare time, she enjoys spending quality time with family, traveling, and food-tasting.
“I enjoy upholding Everlight Care’s standards every day, and ensuring the needs of our clients and caregivers are being met.”
Maribel Ramirez, Accounting Manager
Maribel Ramirez brings over two decades of diverse professional experience to her role as Accounting Manager at Everlight Care, with a sharp eye for detail and a passion for fostering operational excellence.
Before joining Everlight Care, Maribel spent more than 15 years in the senior assisted living space, serving as Business Office Director. In this role, she oversaw all aspects of accounting and yearly budgeting expenditures and yearly budgeting planning and reporting, expertly managed HR operations, from onboarding and staff training to safety and regulatory compliance. Her dedication to creating a positive, compliant, and collaborative work environment was instrumental in shaping high-performing teams that delivered exceptional care.
Earlier in her career, Maribel honed her skills as an Office Administrator for a full-service real estate and mortgage brokerage, tackling diverse administrative and operational tasks. She also gained invaluable financial expertise working as an Assistant Tax Preparer and Planner at a boutique tax firm.
Maribel’s professional passion lies at the intersection of accounting, compliance, and human resources. She firmly believes that an organization’s greatest asset is its people and thrives on building meaningful connections within her team. Since joining Everlight Care, she has embraced the company’s mission of delivering compassionate, top-quality care to those in need, helping ensure its operational and financial stability as it grows.
Outside of work, Maribel treasures time with her family, including her husband and her two children. A devoted San Francisco 49ers fan, shes passionate about cheering on her team. She enjoys traveling with her family and listening to most music genres. Her commitment to excellence, both at work and at home, is a testament to her dynamic, driven, and compassionate spirit.
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