Our Staff at BrightStar Care® Friendswood

Randy was born and raised in the Houston area and   has practiced as a CPA for over 35 years. Desiring to join his daughter Kayla in business, in April 2019, together they purchased the Brightstar Care of Friendswood agency. He felt the medical field offered the best opportunity, due to her background and work experience in the nursing field. Randy’s understanding of the financial and operational aspects of a business allows him to oversee the business operations of the agency. Randy has a first-hand knowledge of how in-home care should be provided. Both of Randy’s parents are still alive at 91 years old and living in their home. Over the years, he and his siblings have had the experience of retaining agencies and various caregivers and have been able to observe and experience best practices and some practices that are not the best, in the care of his parents. Through all of this, he has a an appreciation of what a difference a competent and caring person can make when they are dealing with the elderly person and their family. Randy’s philosophy is to deliver the highest quality care in every situation. 

Kayla and her dad acquired Brightstar Care of Friendswood in April 2019. She started her career as a Certified Nurse Assistant at a local skilled care nursing home and then attended nursing school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where she graduated with her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing.  Prior to purchasing the Brightstar agency, she spent several years caring for patients at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Kayla’s background of caring for the elderly and those with life threatening medical conditions gives her a sense of what home care professionals need to provide the best care to our patients and their families. She loves to travel, play volleyball and is very active in her church activities. 

Jordan attended the University of Texas Medical Branch to obtain her bachelor’s degree in nursing. Prior to that, she attended the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio on a softball and academic scholarship. Jordan spent several years at Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston taking care of critically ill trauma patients, patient’s post-cardiac surgeries and has extensive experience in wound care. She then serviced as in Infusion Nurse for 2 years prior to moving into the position of Director of Nursing for Brightstar. Jordan is married to a Houston Firefighter and has a 4-year-old son and a 1-year old daughter. She loves spending time with family and friends and is an avid UT Football fan. Jordan absolutely loves working with the elderly and patients that need extra care and attention. She feels that getting to know each person we care for and helping their family members navigate the difficulties of managing the care for their loved one, is very fulfilling.

Emilie Francis is the Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) for BrightStar Care of Friendswood. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from UTMB with her bachelor’s degree in Nursing. She is also a Certified Pediatric Nurse.
Emilie handles patient care visits for our skilled nursing clients and is responsible for writing care plans for many of our personal care clients. She became a nurse in 2015 and worked as a RN in the Pediatric Intermediate Care Unit at Children’s Memorial Hermann until joining BrightStar in 2020. She enjoys getting to know our patients and making sure they receive the best possible care so that their transition from hospital to home is as easy and uneventful as possible. She enjoys seeing the progress of her patients and helping them meet their personal goals.

When not at work, Emilie loves to spend time with her friends, family, and dog, Luna. She enjoys going to church, being outdoors and trying new things. She also enjoys watching TV and movies and listening to podcasts and music. She loves to travel, go to different events around the city, walk and play with her dog, shop, go out to eat and try new foods.
Emilie is passionate about helping and serving others, working with children, teaching others, and doing her part to make this world a better place. She enjoys home health because she gets to meet so many people, gets to know them, and gets to take care of them in a very personal way, in their environment. Her philosophy is there are always challenges to face, and you have to use creative ways to solve them. She enjoys finding ways to make sure the BrightStar patients receive the best care. Emilie feels that working with the elderly is worthwhile because there is so much to learn from them. She appreciates hearing their life stories and receiving advice that she can use in her in life and her relationships.

Debra serves as the Branch Manager for Brightstar Care of Friendswood. Her responsibilities include the management of the business operations of the agency, including personnel decisions, overseeing billing, scheduling of the caregivers, all personnel matters, as well as business development of the agency. She is well suited for this position, having serviced as an Operations Manager for a rehab hospital, physician’s offices, a medical device company and pharmacy companies. That depth of experience allows Debra to manage the operation in a smooth, efficient manner. Debra has first-hand experience understanding the challenges a family faces when caring for aging parents. Watching her dad struggle with Alzheimer’s in his last days and now seeing both her mother and her husband’s mother with the challenges they face, allows her to better understand the needs of folks we care for and what they need to make their lives better. Debra loves walking, kayaking, bicycling and she is especially passionate about her grandbabies!! She also has been involved in prison ministries for over 10 years.

Jahaira Cordero is our Client Care Manager and is responsible for scheduling caregivers and for maintaining contact with our clients regarding the services we provide to them and the compatibility of the providers. Prior to joining BrightStar, she worked for a home care agency for 4 years in another part of the country, where she started with no experience. Being a fast learner has allowed Jahaira to join our team and get up and going quite rapidly.  What she enjoys about working at BrightStar is “The feeling of walking into a warm and welcoming environment and knowing that I am a playing a part in helping our clients as well as helping caregivers by providing them with work.”
When not at work, Jahaira enjoys family time. “I enjoy spending time with my husband and kids, rather it be watching movies, having a BBQ, going for long drives and road trips. I also enjoy spending time with God”. Her hobbies include baking, Bible journaling, and collecting Harry Potter items and she feels her biggest accomplishments in life are her marriage, motherhood, and her relationship with God.
Jahaira’s goal is to one day own a home here in Texas. She would also like to be able to help her children get into college. Being a dog lover, she has a shih tzu named Kylie Aria. She is the baby around her house.
“I enjoy home health because my dream was to become a nurse. I was unable to reach that goal and doors opened for me to work in the home health industry. I enjoy knowing I can impact someone’s life in a way that is positive. Working with the elderly is worthwhile because you can learn so much from them. I helped take care of my grandfather with Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and dementia. It was satisfying knowing that I was able to do for him what he once did for me as a baby. It is so heartwarming knowing I can give back”.