Staff Bios
Carla Weeks RN, MS
JFS at Home Director
Carla Weeks joined JFS in July of 2007 to oversee JFS at Home. Among her responsibilities are hiring home care aides to provide care for seniors, people with disabilities, and chronically ill clients; overseeing this new venture; assisting with marketing to the community; and maintaining the agency’s reputation for quality service.“Carla’s extensive nursing and management experience paired with her passion for helping people makes her the perfect person to start the agency’s Homecare Group,” says Debbie Zimmerman, COO. “We are so excited that she has joined our team!”
Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Carla’s love of the mountains and outdoor activities brought her to Colorado in 1968. She became a registered nurse in 1965 and has held management positions at every hospital where she has worked including St. Joseph Hospital, Presbyterian / St. Luke’s Medical Center, and St. Anthony Central Hospital.
She received a bachelor’s degree in 1994 from Regis University and a master’s of science in nursing in 1999. Carla recently retired from a five-year position on the Regis University Alumni Board.
Carla worked as clinical coordinator at Shalom Park from 1995-98, and was later promoted to director of nursing. “I loved that job, but was on call every day and often needed to attend to clients in the middle of the night, on weekends, and holidays,” says Carla. “My husband became ill in 2006 and I was no longer able to work that schedule.” After taking a few months off to care for her husband, Carla took a job at University Hospital that was less stressful and didn’t require night or weekend hours. Unfortunately her husband passed away in November 2006 – after 31 years of marriage. After a short time at University Hospital, Carla realized that she was unhappy in that job and needed a bigger challenge. Around the same time, she ran into a JFS employee who she knew through a mutual friend and learned that JFS was seeking a homecare director.
Carla says that she has known Cathy Grimm, JFS Senior Solutions director, and several other JFS employees for many years and has great respect for them and the agency as a whole, which made it easier to step into the new position. “I was looking for a bigger challenge at my last job and growing a new business certainly is a challenge!” says Carla with a smile. “I love the atmosphere at JFS and the tremendous amount of support and cooperation among the staff,” she adds. “I am very pleased to be here.” Carla says she is also happy to work with “like-minded souls who love helping people.”
Carla’s passion for helping people extends beyond her nursing background. She has been involved in a multitude of organizations to teach and mentor teenagers including Partners, Park East, and Colorado Teen Institute. In addition, she gave her time to Mile High Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Coalition for the Homeless, and Coalition for Domestic Violence.
“I really liked working with teenagers, especially since I didn’t have my own children. Some of them still keep in touch and let me know the positive ways I affected their lives,” says Carla.
Carla has many nieces and nephews, three step-children, and several step-grandchildren, with whom she’s very close. Her family is split between Colorado and Indiana, but she sees them as much as possible. Her dogs, Gus and Abby, have helped her maintain a routine after the difficult death of her husband. In addition to spending time with her family and her dogs, Carla enjoys reading, gardening, and cooking.
