Our Staff at BrightStar Care® Barrington & McHenry County

Karen Pinderski, President and Owner of BrightStar Care® of Barrington and McHenry County, has extensive healthcare experience at Abbott Laboratories, PharMEDium Healthcare, and Pfizer. Home care services and medical staffing services align with her prior work and passion for improving patient safety in medical settings such as Intensive Care Units. Karen holds patents for intravenous infusion labeling and packaging innovations to help reduce medication errors. In her free time, Karen is a soccer enthusiast and the happy care giver of her mom, Avelina. Karen has a BA and MA from the University from Wisconsin, Milwaukee and MBA from Northwestern Kellogg Graduate School of Management. 

Gina Maki is our Director of Nursing. With over 30 years of healthcare experience, Gina understands the continuum of care, including the many situations where a health diagnosis doesn’t need to take you from your home or community. In her leadership role, Gina meets with clients, advocates with a personal touch when needed, and provides clinical oversight of every case. She heads our expert care team of RNs, Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs), and others, strongly believing training and mentoring are key to clinical success. Gina is known for demonstrating a great deal of compassion, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, particularly in the most traumatic situations when strong emotional stability from an expert RN is a must. Gina is a leader of maintaining the unmatched care standards of our organization validated by The Joint Commission accreditation. Our accreditation is to the same high quality standards as the best hospitals in the country.

Prior to joining our team, Gina distinguished herself in leadership roles specializing in Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), mentoring nursing students, and as a Director of Nursing in a 92 bed facility. Gina is an active member of the Infusion Nursing Society and is on the advisory board of Clearbrook Choice Program serving individuals with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities. Gina earned her BSN from Northern Michigan University.

Stephanie has worked in the medical field for the past 17 years and is a life-long McHenry County resident.  She earned her Medical Assistant certification and previously worked as a Clinical Manager in a pain management practice.  Currently working as our Sr. Customer Care Manager for the past 2+ years, she has earned high praise from many clients and employees due to her laser-focus on positive customer experiences.  She collaborates with clients to be sure the schedule developed fits their specific needs.  In her free time, Stephanie enjoys the outdoors, gardening, animals and music.

Rachel began her career with BrightStar in 2022 as a Customer Care Manager.  Her primary focus was on Veteran and National Accounts clients and also skilled and non-skilled resources that we provide to McHenry Co. school districts.  Prior to working at BrightStar, she earned her Associates in Science degree and also completed a Certified Nursing Assistant program at McHenry County College.  She provided care in a facility where she also functioned as an Activities Assistant and mentor.  She then proceeded to Midwestern Career College where she earned her specialization in Sonography and performed Ultrasound exams.   While working at BrightStar Care, Rachel has been highly successful in building strong relationships with our Veteran, National Accounts, School clients & business partners.  Based on her success, Rachel has been promoted to Community Relations Manager where she will focus on VA, National Accounts and other communities. She is family-oriented and enjoys spending time with her family during her free time.

With over 40 years of business and human resource experience, Cindy is responsible for overseeing HR management to adhere to organizational policies and procedures. In addition, she is responsible for recruiting and hiring the nursing and caregiver staff and joined the BrightStar Care team 5 years ago. Prior to joining the team, Cindy focused on recruiting and hiring internal and external employees at a major financial services company. She was also responsible for employee and customer experience for multiple business lines there which allows her to bring valuable perspective to the team in building strong employee relationships. 

In her free time, Cindy is a Chicago sports team enthusiast and likes to garden and scrapbook. She has a BA in Business Management and MS in Organizational Leadership from National Louis University.

Susie started with our team in April 2023.  She has extensive knowledge as a Certified Nursing Assistant with over 37 years of experience.  During her tenure, she also functioned as a Lead CNA, assisting with training and mentoring newer CNAs on her teams.  During her short time with our franchise, Susie has proven to be an invaluable asset as many clients have commented on the level of compassion and the friendly care that she provides.  She goes above and beyond to delight her clients.  Based on her level of experience, professionalism and extensive knowledge as a CNA, Susie was promoted into a dual role.  She will continue to provide client care, mentor and train CNAs and Caregivers, as well as supporting our Sr. Customer Care Manager and office team with a wide range of office responsibilities.  With her years of experience and capabilities, we are lucky to have Susie on our team!

Sarah has worked extensively for 13 years in recruiting for Health Care, Administrative and Information Technology industries. She has previously worked for a major recruiting firm in the three major markets of Chicago, New York and Dallas. She currently functions as our Recruiting Manager overseeing many miscellaneous HR functions including management of critical job boards. She is the first BrightStar Care ‘voice’ who interacts with our applicants and many candidates comment on the smile in Sarah’s voice.

Sarah earned her Bachelor of Arts and Design Education from Northern Michigan University and her Masters in Teaching from the Relay Graduate School of Education in New York City. In addition to working for BrightStar Care for the last 7 years, she also works as an Art Teacher for grades K through 5 in the Lake Zurich school district. In her spare time, Sarah follows the Wisconsin sports teams including the Packers, Brewers and Bucks. She loves to travel; especially to New York City.

Congratulations to Sara for being named Caregiver of the Year!

Her hard work and dedication have truly made a lasting impact, and it's clear from the heartfelt comments of those she has helped. As one customer put it, "Sara is like a daughter to us. She is always positive, smiling, and gets things done before I can ever ask. She is an absolute pleasure." Her caring and proactive approach shines through every day.

Another customer shared, "Sara is one of a kind. We trust her, and that is what is important to me. She is my eyes and ears when we are on appointments. It helps me keep track of all of my husband's needs. I couldn’t do this without her." Her trustworthiness and attention to detail are invaluable.

Finally, one more client highlighted her efficiency: "Sara is so efficient; she motors around here and gets things done without me having to say a word. She makes sure I have good care every time she is here." It's clear that she is not only thorough but also incredibly thoughtful in every aspect of her work.

Sara truly embodies the qualities that make a caregiver exceptional, and it’s clear that her clients deeply appreciate everything she does. Congratulations again, Sara, on this well-deserved honor!

We are thrilled to announce our Caregiver of the Year for 2022, Ruth Gill! Ruth has been in healthcare for over 30 years. She is a Certified Nursing Assistant that shines with professionalism on her assignments. She has been with BrightStar Care of Barrington, IL & McHenry County, IL for over 12 years! We value her dedication and the work ethic she consistently delivers on each assignment. She strives to help each of her clients achieve their level of optimal health. Our clients praise her work performance. They trust her and feel comfort that she can provide the best care and support to themselves or a loved one. Ruth is a caregiver that has impacted many lives positively! Congratulations Ruth!