Carma Matti-Jackson
CEO
Tel (800) 562-6170, Extension 101
Carma worked as a public servant for 12 years, including seven years with the Washington State Legislature as non-partisan fiscal staff. She has been working with government regulations, budget, and finance since 2004. While she specializes in long term care and senior services, she also has experience in other social and health programs, as well as several publicly-funded, non-Medicaid programs. Upon leaving public service, Carma worked on behalf of stakeholders in the development of a new Skilled Nursing Facility Medicaid payment system that was adopted in statute in 2016 and a new Assisted Living Medicaid payment system that was adopted in statute in 2018. She represented WHCA by staffing a subcommittee of the Nursing Commission’s Long-term Care Workforce Committee and was instrumental in developing data-driven storytelling that has brought long term care workforce issues to the forefront.
Carma has over 20 years cumulative experience in project management and public relations. Her focus has been using data and research to support strategic planning for policymakers, advocacy organizations, and senior service providers. She has a strong background in public relations and has prepared materials and presented to numerous legislative committees, legislative taskforces, legislative leadership, agency leadership, Senior Lobby, SEIU775, and the Nursing Commission, as well as providing public and private educational webinars to skilled nursing facilities and assisted living providers.
Tara McTyer
Executive Assistant
Tara McTyer is the Executive Assistant to the CEO, Carma Matti-Jackson. In this capacity Tara manages the WHCA Board of Directors, the LTC Foundation, and in addition to supporting the CEO, is charged with internal administrative duties for WHCA. Tara brings over 15 years of administration experience to this position; her professional work has focused on high level project management and team coordination.
Though Tara is originally from Washington, she is a graduate of University of Nevada Las Vegas with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. She is an avid sports fan who spends her free time involved with youth athletics. She is committed to supporting exceptional athletes and enjoys creating fundraising opportunities for local athletic clubs. She takes pride in supporting her coworkers and is committed to working with the WHCA team to accomplish common goals.
Elena Madrid, RN, BSN
Executive Vice President for Education & Regulatory Affairs
Tel (800) 562-6170, Extension 105
Elena Madrid supports WHCA members by providing answers and insight to regulatory questions and expectations. Elena’s long and focused background in survey and enforcement as a surveyor and field manager for DSHS provide her with extensive knowledge and insight on regulatory compliance, the survey process, and policies and procedures. Elena also provides support, resources, and training regarding quality. As staff liaison to the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality and Regulatory Executive Advisory Committee for WHCA, Elena works with members to promote quality care and services at every level. At DSHS Residential Care Services where she was a field manager with oversight of assisted living and skilled nursing communities, Elena was responsible for the supervision of licensors, surveyors, and complaint investigators for assisted living communities, skilled nursing facilities, and adult family homes in eastern Washington. Elena has also worked as a director of nursing in both assisted living and skilled nursing. She is a registered nurse and brings a wealth of knowledge regarding long term care requirements and the regulatory issues affecting long term care providers. Elena is currently serving as co-chair on the AHCA Survey and Regulatory Committee and is a member of the AHCA/NCAL Quality Cabinet.
Vicki McNealley, PhD, MN, RN
Director of Assisted Living
Tel (800) 562-6170, Extension 107
Vicki McNealley is directly responsible for supporting WHCA member assisted living providers through regulatory clarification, nurse consultation, facility system evaluation, advocacy, and education. Vicki is responsible for developing and implementing WHCA programs to support providers in these areas. As staff liaison for the Assisted Living Quality and Regulatory Executive Advisory Committee, Vicki works with members to promote quality care and services at every level. Vicki spent ten years as the assisted living director for WHCA prior to serving as the Corporate Director of Regulatory Compliance for Village Concepts for over six years. She has extensive experience as a teacher, consultant and provider, and has been involved in assisted living operations and policy work since 1999. Vicki has served as a national award reviewer for the American Health Care Association and worked closely with the American Assisted Living Nurses Association to develop its certification exam. Vicki is a registered nurse with a master’s degree in community health nursing and a doctorate degree in nutrition.
Lauri St. Ours
Executive Vice President for Communications & Governmental Relations
Tel (800) 562-6170, Extension 104
Lauri St. Ours is the Executive Vice President for Governmental Relations for WHCA. In this capacity, she is responsible for oversight of state government affairs, working with the CEO and association leadership to determine legislative and policy priorities for WHCA’s skilled nursing and assisted living members. In addition to supporting the Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing Facility Reimbursement Committees, Lauri manages to the WHCA political action committee and oversees grassroots engagement and legislative communication strategies. As a troubleshooter and problem-solver, Lauri values strong collegial relationships with legislators and staff, state agency leaders and other stakeholders who have oversight and engagement in long term care issues. Lauri has nearly 30 years of experience working with the Washington State Legislature. Prior to joining the staff of WHCA in 2005, she served as the executive director of the Northwest Assisted Living Facilities Association for ten years. Early in her career, Lauri also worked in K-12 education advocacy in her positions with the Washington School Administrators Association and the Washington State School Directors Association.
Eric Negomir
Government Relations Manager
Eric Negomir serves as Government Relations Manager for WHCA, and in this capacity works closely with our members to enact effective advocacy techniques in the Legislature. Beyond providing guidance for meetings with legislators, Eric helps long term care staff, residents and families tell powerful stories that result in meaningful policy improvements. Eric graduated from Western Washington University, where he earned a degree in Economics & Political Science and served as President of the WWU Waterski Team for two years. Prior to joining the WHCA team, he worked in Senator Derek Stanford’s office as a legislative intern and managed the Gordon Jenkins for Whatcom County District Court Judge campaign.
Kristen Hintz
Senior Marketing and Communications Manager
Kristen has more than twelve years of experience in the nonprofit sector and has worked for organizations across a wide range of service areas, including child welfare, homelessness, climate change, the performing arts, empowerment of women, education, and mental health. A storyteller at heart, Kristen specializes in creating strategic communications plans that elevate a nonprofit’s mission while connecting with stakeholders, supporters, and the public. Kristen has a master’s degree in Nonprofit Administration from Louisiana State University – Shreveport.
Jackie Asbury
Communications Assistant
Jackie Asbury serves as the Communications Assistant for WHCA. With over five years of experience in customer service and marketing, combined with a lifelong background in theatre, Jackie specializes in connecting with people on a deep emotional level. Jackie is incredibly excited to bring her unique set of skills to the nonprofit world, a sector she has been anxious to join for quite some time. Valuing empathy and authenticity above all else, Jackie is proud to be working for an organization that upholds those same principles. Jackie is originally from NJ and holds a BA in Theatre Studies from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY.
Juanita Taurman
Manager of Events and Special Programs
Tel (800) 562-6170, Extension 103
Juanita is responsible for accounts payable, accounts receivable, billing, and various other accounting duties. Juanita also maintains the financial records and PDC reporting for the WHCA-PAC, and processes the WHCA-PAC accounts payable, accounts receivable and billing.
Angela Ewing
Senior Records & Technology Manager
Tel (800) 562-6170, Extension 110
Angela is responsible for maintaining the quality of information in the WHCA database, updating records, and providing technology support. Her responsibilities cover implementing changes and updates consistently to provide fast and accurate query responses for both staff and WHCA members. With a master’s degree in information from Rutgers University, Angela focuses on the integrity, security, and efficiency of data management.