Managing Director

Ben founded Midwest in 2010 with a vision of high quality services tailored to the unique needs of clients. Ben assures we have the partnerships and resources needed to meet our own high standards. Ben has more than 20 years of experience in the fields and is an expert in guardianship processes. He is a graduate of University of Chicago School of Social Services Administration as well as a wonderful husband and father of three kids, a dog and two cats.

Education Advocate/Care Manager

Emily has been advocating and supporting individuals with special needs in various roles and settings.  Her clinical assessment skills coupled with knowledge of the education system are priceless to her clients. She possesses a Master's Degree in Special Education and an advanced Learning Behavior Specialist II endorsement with focused expertise in Autism.  She is bilingual and bicultural in Polish.

Director, Client Services

Tom is an experienced manager and leader who oversees our client intake process and understands the importance of  short-term and long-term care decisions. He is a former nursing home administrator with an MPA in health services management. Tom is on faculty at Wright College and teaches courses in nursing home administration. He is also a husband and father with an outstanding sense of humor.

Care Manager Supervisor 

Santyna is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker whose experience in children's services includes working as a case manager and therapist with families who have experienced trauma in their homes and communities as well as working with after-school programs. Santyna is of Latin American heritage and is fluent in Spanish. She and her husband are the proud parents of their son Aiden and their two rescue dogs, Nona and Molly.

Care Manager

Michele has been a Care Manager at Midwest since 2011. Michele received her Ph.D. from Penn State University in Counseling Psychology.  She has a wealth of experience providing individual, family, and group counseling to older adults and children receiving services from the Department of Children and Family Services.  Michele also spent over 4 years as the Psychiatric Triage Manager at Mount Sinai Hospital. In this position, she was responsible for managing the clinicians who assessed individuals in the Emergency Department who were experiencing a psychiatric emergency as well as managing the case management team within outpatient psychiatry department.

Care Manager

Brenda is a master-prepared social worker with extensive experience in mental health settings and a strong commitment to social justice. In graduate school, she was a behavioral health therapist at PCC Austin Family Health Center where she empathetically supported individuals and families through difficult health journeys. A North Carolina native, Brenda enjoys exploring all that the energetic city of Chicago has to offer, and spending quality time with Bella, a recently adopted feline addition to her household