Our Team

Providing compassionate end-of-life care and making a positive difference
in the lives of our patients, their families and our community.

Leadership

Deborah

Deborah Horning

LPN, CHPO
Chief Executive Officer

Jackie

Jackie James

RN, BSN
Clinical Director

Physicians & Nurse Practitioners

Manish

Manish Sahni, MD

Medical Director

Gerald Asin

Gerald Asin, MD

Physician

Pamela Conn

Pamela Conn

Adult Nurse Practitioner

Enrique Rick Salazar

Enrique "Rick" Salazar

Nurse Practitioner

Sarah

Sarah Snoda

Nurse Practitioner

Team

Maryann Tarango

Business Manager

Nancy Dowd

Nancy Dowd

Human Resources

Audra Cusick

Audra

Registered Nurse

I have been a nurse since 1998. I love helping patients and making a difference. I joined Hospice Promise to continue making a positive influence in a new way, helping patients and their families on their journey. I am a wife and mother with three beautiful talented daughters and a rambunctious son.

Christine

Christine

Registered Nurse

I have been a Registered Nurse since 1996. I have recently relocated to Arizona from Pennsylvania. Much of my background and experience has been working in long-term care. I joined Hospice Promise with the ardent desire to help provide comfort to patients and their families during the end-of-life process. It brings me much joy to be able to provide support to families and help them feel more at ease with their loved one’s terminal illness. My favorite part of life is being around people I care I love the outdoors and staying active. In my down time, I write poetry as it helps me keep grounded in the realities of everyday life.

Carol

Carol

Registered Nurse

I have been in nursing for 47 years. I have been blessed to do so many different areas of nursing, but when I stepped into Hospice Promise I knew my path had changed. Hospice is the only nursing I want to do, there’s so many things I can do but my heart, my compassion, and my desire is to care for people at the end of life. I love cooking in my free time. I also love the outdoors and being around people.

Jill

Jill

Registered Nurse

I spent 15 years working in medical surgical area. I joined Hospice Promise because I want to be a part of my patients last journey. Be a witness on this important event of their life. I love spending time with family. as a nurse, my goal is to make a positive difference, one visit at a time

Meyra

Meyra

Registered Nurse

I have been a nurse for 20 years. I joined Hospice Promise with the desire to assist patients & their families during the end of life process. I want to help alleviate the fears and concerns of hospice care. I love my family and in my spare time, I love to ready and I am currently learning to cook and bake.

Nichole

Licensed Practical Nurse

I have been a nurse for 19 years and working in Hospice for about 16 years. Hospice is deeply rewarding to be the one helping facilitate closure between patients and their loved ones. I chose Hospice Promise because everyone on the team has a voice and plays an equal part in surrounding the patient and family with all aspects of care. Our team is incredibly special!

Rena Meler

Rena

Licensed Practical Nurse

I’ve been a CPN since 2013. I am originally from Minnesota. I moved to Phoenix in 2022. I have a diverse background in healthcare. I have worked in varous fields such as LTC/Skilled Psych, and inpatient hospital (PCU, observation. I have 1 son and 5 animals (2 dogs and 3 cats). In my spare time I enjoy cycling, swimming, and spending time with my son.

Cynthia

Licensed Practical Nurse

My passion for Hospice started in Louisiana where I became an LPN and worked on the Telemetry floor. During my time there I worked with a variety of patients, hospice being some of them. One particular patient didn’t have any family to comfort her so my team and I did what we could to comfort and care for her. That was when I knew hospice was what I would do for the rest of my nursing career. In my free time I enjoy photography, poetry, hiking and traveling.

Caitlyn Christman

Caitlyn

Certified Nursing Assistant

I have been a CNA for 2 years but have been in the medical field since I was 18. I love being apart of the team at Hospice Promise knowing that the patients and employees are truly cared for. In my free time I love spending time with family, dogs and reading.

Laticia

Latisha

Certified Nursing Assistant

I have been in Healthcare field for 20 plus years. I love working with the elderly. I am a proud parent of three children: a 19-year-old daughter and two sons, aged 12 and 11. In my spare time, I love to be with my family.

Paola Kibel

Paola

Certified Nursing Assistant - Bilingual

I have been a CNA for 21 years. I love to dance, go hiking, and play some sports. I am a mom of 5 kids and I am very blessed to be able to help others with love and compassion.

Michele

Michele

Licensed Nursing Assitant

I have been a LNA/CNA for over 35 years. I’ve worked in long term memory and urgent care, as well as hospitals, home health, and hospice. I love being able to provide the upmost care, whether its physical, supportive, or emotional care. I am very happy I have chosen this specialty

Kelly

Kelly

Certified Nursing Assistant

I have been working in hospice for 3 years and I truly enjoy it because I care about people and I find purpose in supporting them during an important moment in their lives. On my free time I enjoy the lake with my family and friends

Dan Lepianka

Dan

LMSW

I have been living in Arizona since I was 5 years old and I love living here. I have been a hospice social worker for over 20 years and I really like working in hospice. I am a people person and I enjoy traveling, music, and Netflix. I am originally from Chicago and I have a lot of family members who live there.

Mercedes Sloan

Mercedes

MSW

I’m dedicated to providing compassionate support. Advocacy, and comfort to patients and families through every step of their journey at Hospice Promise.

Jose Gonzales

Jose

MDiV - Chaplain, Bilingual

I have been a pastor for over 25 years because I love people and I want the very best for them. I have written two books, and I have great relationships with many of our community leaders. At Hospice Promise, every team member cares for our patients as they would for members of their own family. It is so rewarding to see how my coworkers love our patients and always do the best for them.

Babs Hopkins

Barb

Volunteer Coordinator

Having been raised in the Valley of the Sun, I have a deep appreciation for this area. My background is in mental health, substance abuse, crisis response, and hospice. I’ve been a Volunteer Coordinator for over 10 years and 2 years ago, I made the decision to retire. But my love for hospice and volunteers brought me back. If anyone is interested in knowing more about this critical hospice program, I’d love to give you more information. In fact, we can meet and I’ll buy you a cup of coffee

Kelsey

Kelsey

Admissions Manager

I have worked at Hospice Promise since the doors first opened. Our team does an amazing job meeting the needs of our patients and their families. The care we provide warms my heart and makes me proud of where I work.