Accoutable Aging Home Page Have Questions?  We have answers. Accountable Aging can talk on many topics of eldercare. See our list of available presentations. We have many resources available to increase your understanding of what is required for caring for an elderly loved one. Are you a service provider?  Learn how partnering with us can benefit your company. Accountable Aging- Learn About the Services We Provide For Your Elderly Loved One Learn about the Accountable Aging Company, our founders, and what makes us a leader in eldercare management. Meet the professional team of Accountable Aging.
 

Team Biographies

Mick Koffend
Mary Koffend
Spencer Brown
Mary Cooper
Jana Dodoo
Shannon Gray
Myra Richmond
Heidi Shanklin-Spock
Mary Pat Smith
Janet Troutman

Mick Koffend, MBA, CPA, RFG and Director of Services for Accountable Aging Care Management (AACM) joined the Navy in 1970 after graduating with a BS in Chemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology. As a Naval Flight Officer, he earned his daily bread for about five years by being shot off an aircraft carrier. After the Navy, he went to Harvard Business School, got an MBA and started a career in Big Oil, mostly in the petrochemical divisions of large, integrated oil companies, since, as a chemistry major, he knew how to spell "ethylene." In 1985, he started a system integration business that set the template for the better part of the next 15 years of his career. Mick has followed a path where he has been a Controller or Chief Financial Officer of several small companies, many of them start-ups, and all of them in technology businesses. One of the startups, for which Mick was a co-founder, was a Houston-based software company that went public in 1999 (Mission Critical Software.) In the early 1990s, Mick became a CPA* as part of his mid-life crisis.

Mick jointly founded Accountable Aging Care Management with his wife, Mary, in 2002. In addition to their professional expertise, Mary and Mick have met the challenge of making difficult decisions on behalf of elder and disabled members of their own families. They bring compassion, commitment, and a highly personal understanding of the real concerns families must address to ensure the family's medical, financial, psycho-social, legal and spiritual well-being.

To continue his professional education, Mick recently completed the American Institute of Financial Gerontology's (AIFG) Registered Financial Gerontologist TM program. This program is jointly sponsored by the AIFG and the Department of Gerontology at the University of North Carolina - Greensboro.



Mary Koffend, President, is a specialist in eldercare services and government-funded programs. Having served elder and disabled clients for more than thirty years with the Social Security Administration (SSA) throughout Texas, including being responsible for Houston's largest and most complex SSA client service operation, and then managing the Medicaid provider services programs for the State of Texas, Mary is in a unique position to now help AACM clients deal with two of the biggest challenges related to aging: navigating the benefits maze and understanding healthcare options. But don't let Mary's government experience fool you; she brings a creative approach to each challenge she faces. She follows the spirit of the law without losing sight of the needs of the client. Additionally, Mary is gifted in supporting families and facilitating communication and has a particular heart for those who care for an elder with mental challenges. She brings both empathy and guidance into such situations.
(back to top)


Spencer Brown, Care Manager, joined the team of Accountable Aging Care Management in February 2010 as Care Manager serving clients in the San Antonio area. His entire career has been focused on serving seniors. Spencer earned a Master of Science in Gerontology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, also from Baylor. He has been a licensed Texas nursing facility administrator since 1996.

Spencer has held administrator positions in nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and independent living communities, managing the total operations for these residential settings for seniors. Much of his experience has been in environments that provide a continuum of care on a single campus. Immediately prior to coming to Accountable Aging, he managed operations for a multi-state provider of in-home services to seniors to allow them to age in place.

He has been active in the Texas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, and the Alamo Area Council of Governments. Spencer currently is active in the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, serves as a volunteer with the Alzheimer's Association as a member of its speaker's bureau and is a member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM). Speaking to the community about the basics of Alzheimer's Disease is one of his passions. Spencer and his wife, Stephanie, who is a Baylor Law School graduate, have three children, Chase, Ashlyn and Camden.



Mary Cooper, RN, has clinical experience in a variety of settings including hospital nursing in acute and intensive care, hospice, and home health care. She was employed as an RN in the intensive care unit of the only state certified burn treatment facility in New Jersey and one of the largest in North America. She went on to other acute care settings, pediatrics and then home heath care and hospice environments. She received her BSN from Pennsylvania State University and is licensed by the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners. Mary’s passion for the elderly and disabled and their need for independence as well as an understanding for their families concerns provide her the opportunity to use her nursing skills to assist clients in making healthy and safe decisions for their future. Mary has lived in Austin, Texas for the past 15 years and enjoys spending time with her family.
(back to top)


Jana Dodoo is the Resource Coordinator for AACM, maintaining our resource library and database to ensure that care managers have access to the most current information on the resources that clients may need. Jana also assists with educational presentations for clients, their families, and industry professionals.

Jana loves people and enjoys creative problem-solving- a good fit for her background in hospitality and customer service. Out of a desire to help people in need, she earned her Bachelor's degree in Social Welfare at the University of California at Berkeley. She is passionate about serving the often-under-represented: the poor, the disabled, the young, and the elderly. She is currently volunteering with Citizen Schools, an after-school program for at-risk youth.

Jana also brings her creative skills in theater arts and filmmaking to the team. She earned a Master's degree in film-producing in Edinburgh, Scotland, and hopes to make a documentary someday. After living in all four corners of the U.S. and a two-year stint in Scotland, Jana has now settled in Austin with her husband.



Shannon Gray, as the Marketing Coordinator, works closely with Mary and Mick to coordinate the marketing efforts of Accountable Aging Care Management (AACM). She works to support the Care Managers in their efforts to seek out the best resources for clients as well as managing the marketing plan to regularly connect our team with those in the eldercare community who benefit from having a trustworthy referral resource in AACM. Shannon actively manages the Accountable Partners Program. Though all of Shannon's work is done behind the scenes to support the team, her heart is ultimately focused on the end result of what is best for the clients of AACM. With a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Texas and a background in contingent staffing, training and development as well as project management, Shannon has diverse experiences that she brings to the team. When she isn't working, she's spending time with her hubby, two young children and extended family.
(back to top)


Myra Richmond, is a Certified Geriatric Care Manager (CMC) with previous experience as an Eldercare Specialist, serving elders and their caregivers in The Greater Dallas Area. She has a background in social work and holds a Masters of Science degree in Gerontology from the University of North Texas. She is an active member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM), the National Association of Certified Care Managers (NACCM), and the Dallas Area Gerontological Society (DAGS).

Her personal experience as a caregiver for her elderly parents and for other elderly family members gives her the ability to personally relate to the many challenges and issues facing her clients and their families. Her primary areas of expertise include thorough assessment and care planning, advocating for clients with Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance companies, and education and counseling regarding local resources. She is skilled at offering unique solutions for complex problems to meet the specific needs of her clients. Clients and families often describe her work as "total support and high quality of care with a compassionate touch". Her ultimate goal is to improve the overall quality of life and maximize the independence of her clients and their families through providing knowledgeable and compassionate care management service.



Heidi Shanklin-Spock, LMSW, C-ASWCM, Care Manager, works with clients and field professionals to determine and coordinate the resources that will best match the client's needs and ensure that the client can maintain the highest quality of life possible for as long as possible. Heidi has a background in social work, case management and elder care. After receiving her master's degree from the University of Texas in 2004, she worked as a social worker and bereavement coordinator at a local hospice, providing psychosocial services, coordinating community resources, providing grief support services and referrals, and advocating for specific needs. With a passion for working with home-bound seniors, Heidi serves on the Board of Deacons at her church. Recently, Heidi began serving on the Aging Services Council, a group of organizations and agencies that provide a variety of services to the elderly and homebound. In 2009, Heidi obtained her certification as an Advanced Social Work Case Manager through the National Association of Social Workers, and then obtained her certification as a Professional Geriatric Care Manager through the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, of which she is an active member.
(back to top)


Mary Pat Smith, MSN, RN, CMC, is a Gerontological Clinical Nurse Specialist (GCNS) who brings a healthcare viewpoint to the Accountable Aging Care Management team. As an RN for more than thirty years, Mary Pat provided acute, outpatient and long-term care and assessed the well-being of residents in assisted living and nursing homes. Using these experiences, she evaluates AACM client and family needs in a holistic, compassionate, and knowledgeable manner taking into consideration the unique perspective of the care recipient. Mary Pat also handles AACM's SafetyNet Medication Management service. Having earned her MS in Nursing from the University of Texas, she is licensed by the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners as a Registered Nurse (RN): Advanced Practice Nurse-Clinical Nurse Specialist in Gerontology, and is Board Certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She is the AACM representative to the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers.
(back to top)


Janet Troutman, Client Relations Manager, is often the caring voice on the other end of the phone when a senior or their family member contacts Accountable Aging Care Management. She oversees the daily communications with clients and supports the activities of all of the team members. Janet's belief in the AACM services, her respect for seniors and understanding of the challenges they face is apparent in each conversation. She also updates and maintains the AACM resources database so that clients receive the most current information available. With a dual degree in Psychology and Sociology and a background in administrative support, customer service and sales, Janet brings a gift for communication and compassion to the AACM team.
(back to top)


(back to top)