Meet Our Team
Mt. Baker Care Center and Summit Place Assisted Living Management Team

Catherine Reis-El Bara
Administrator
Catherine Reis-El Bara Bio
Catherine first came to Mt. Baker Care Center in 2000, remaining in the Administrator role for 8 years until transitioning to another area skilled nursing facility until her return in 2014. She is licensed in the State of Washington for Nursing Home Administration and received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Pacific Lutheran University.
When Catherine is not at work, she enjoys camping, knitting, shopping, and spending time with her family (husband, Mark; son, Brandon; daughter, Morgan; and three pugs, Homer Simpson, Eva Longoria, and Luna Legend).

Jozef Bosman
Exec. Director, Summit Place
Jozef Bosman Bio
Bio coming soon!

Catherine Thomas, RN
Director of Nursing
Catherine Thomas Bio
Catherine received her RN from Skagit Valley College. Prior to joining Mt. Baker Care Center, she was a Registered Nurse at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham.
When she isn’t providing exceptional care to residents, Catherine enjoys refinishing and painting furniture, spending time outdoors with her family, knitting, and playing with her pugs. She has a husband, Nate, and two kids, Phenix and Kai.

Sara Bushaw, RN
Assistant Director of Nursing
Sara Bushaw Bio
When she isn’t overseeing patient care plans, you can find Sara enjoying the outdoors – kayaking, camping and spending time with her girlfriends. She is married to her husband, Daniel, and together they love on their fur-baby, Luna, an Australian Shepherd.

Tracie Clarke, LPN
Medical Nurse Manager
Tracie Clarke Bio
Tracie offers more than 30 years of professional healthcare experience. She received her Licensed Practical Nurse certificate in 1993 and is currently working toward becoming a Registered Nurse.
When she’s not caring for the wonderful residents of Mt. Baker Care Center, you can often find Tracie reading a book, shopping, or enjoying the beach in Moclips. Tracie is married with two children.

Elizabeth Martin, RN
Resident Care Director
Elizabeth Martin Bio
Liz has been Summit Place Assisted Living since July 2021 as its Resident Care Director. In this capacity, she provides compassionate care and oversight of Summit Place Assisted Living residents, including assessing, managing health needs, communication with healthcare teams and family members, as well as oversight of the staff providing resident care. Prior to joining Summit Place, Liz worked as a Resident Care Manager at another area nursing facility.
Liz received her RN from Bellingham Technical College. She is also a certified infection preventionist.
When Liz is not at work, you can usually find her reading, spending time with family and friends, or working on her garden. Liz is married with three teenage children: a son and two daughters.

Kara Lea West, BSN, RN
Resident Services Director
Kara Lea West Bio
Kara received her RN from Bellingham Technical College and her BSN from the University of Washington. She has previous work experience at another area nursing facility as its Staff Development Coordinator.
When Kara is not at work, you can usually find her enjoying her family (husband, 5 daughters and 3 granddaughters), geocaching, or participating in Girl Scouts activities with her daughter.

Alison Scott Zdenek
Admissions Coordinator
Alison Scott Zdenek Bio
Alison has been the Admissions and Staffing Coordinator at Mt. Baker Care Center since July 2017. With nearly two decades of professional experience, including time as the Director of Social Services and Admissions at another area skilled nursing facility, she understands the intricacies of resident care and proper admissions protocols. In her role at Mt. Baker Care Center, Alison is responsible for coordinating admissions from hospitals and community settings. She also oversees the nursing and floor staff scheduling within the facility.
Alison studied at Bellingham Technical College and at Western Washington University. She is a Certified Nursing Assistant.
When Alison isn’t at work, she enjoys hiking, camping, cooking, and family adventures with her nephew and cocker spaniel, Sophie.

Nichelle Kelley
Social Services Director
Nichelle Kelley Bio
Bio coming soon!

Lauren Conlan
Rehabilitation Director
Lauren Conlan Bio
Lauren joined Mt. Baker Care Center as its Co-Director of Rehabilitation in 2017 bringing with her a decade of professional experience. In 202, she became the Director of Rehabilitation. In this capacity, she is responsible for the daily operations of the Rehab department, including the staffing, scheduling, utilization reviews, and (most importantly) patient care.
Lauren maintains her PTA licensure, completing her PTA accreditation. She has an Associates degree in Ongoing Continuing Education/Science.
When she’s not helping heal residents at Mt. Baker Care Center, she can often be found weight lifting and exercising. Lauren is married to her husband, Justin, a head golf professional at Loomis Trail, and together they have three children.

Alex Baldwin
Social Services Director
Alex Baldwin Bio
Bio coming soon!

Fred Kamperman
Life Enrichment Coordinator
Fred Kamperman Bio
Prior to his arrival to Mt. Baker Care Center, Fred was an instructor, maintaining 25 years of experience and a Master’s in Education.
In his free time, Fred enjoys traveling, comedy writing, and documentary making. He resides with his husband, Jozef, and their four dogs and two cats.

Amanda West
Dining Services Manager
Amanda West Bio
Bio coming soon!

Christie Walker
Medical Records Manager
Christie Walker Bio
Since 2014, Christie has coordinated the medical records system to ensure accuracy, confidentiality, and compliance with State and Federal requirements at Mt. Baker Care Center’s Medical Records Manager. In this capacity, she also assists nurses enter physician orders, responds to medical records requests, and makes sure that patient files are accurate.
Christie has seven years of professional healthcare experience with prior experience as a unit secretary at another area skilled nursing facility. She obtained her degree in Medical Transcription and Medical Coding from Bellingham Technical College.
In her free-time, Christie enjoys running 5K races and spending time with her family, which includes her husband, Jon, and sons Logan and Landon.

Branka Devic
Director of Plant Operations
Branka Devic Bio
In her free time, Branka enjoys cooking and gardening. She lives happily with her husband and daughter.