The Lightways Team

Mary Kay has been the CEO of Lightways since December of 2015. Mary has 32 years of experience in the hospice and palliative care industry in a variety of clinical, administrative, and consulting roles. With 18 years as an executive, she has broad knowledge regarding the clinical, financial, and operational aspects of both hospice and palliative care.

Mary has a master’s degree in oncology nursing from Loyola University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. In the last 20 years, Mary has spoken regionally and nationally on end-of-life care. She has also served on many state and national committees and boards. She is currently serving as Chair of the Illinois Hospice & Palliative Care Organization’s Board of Directors, is a member of Joliet Rotary Club’s Board of Directors, and is Vice Chair of the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization’s Legislative Committee.

Mary has been married for over 30 years to her husband John and they have two adult sons. Many weekends, John and Mary do ballroom dancing and compete with other amateurs.

Cindy Brassea is the Chief Operating Officer at Lightways since she joined the agency in March 2019. Her role at Lightways is to provide leadership, management, and the vision necessary to ensure that proper operational controls, administrative and reporting procedures, and people systems are in place to effectively grow the organization.

Cindy has 35 years of healthcare experience, starting as a staff RN and working up to management and later administrative positions. Prior to joining Lightways in March 2019, Cindy was a VP of Clinical Service, CNO and COO with Franciscan Health at their two-campus hospital facility.

Cindy’s education includes a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from St. Joseph College of Nursing, Joliet, an MBA from Olivette Nazarene University, and an MHA from University of St. Francis, Ft. Wayne, IN.

In addition to serving on the Lightways Board, Cindy also serves on the Will County Community Health Center Board. Cindy has been married to her husband George for over 35 years and they have three adult sons. In her personal time, Cindy enjoys cooking, taking walks, and biking.

Dr. Krad is Medical Director of Lightways since July 2018. Dr. Krad is a specialist in Internal Medicine who for the previous year worked part time at Lightways while at Amita Health serving Adventist Hospitals in LaGrange and Hinsdale. Prior to this, Dr. Krad practiced both hospital and hospice medicine at Palos Health from 2011–2016. In his role as Lightways’ Medical Director, Dr. Krad provides expert pain management and symptom control while ensuring that every patient’s care wishes are honored, that the hospice team is supported, and the goals of care set for each patient are being achieved.

Dr. Krad graduated with honors from Loyola University Chicago, followed by a masters at Georgetown University and subsequently Loyola Stritch School of Medicine. He completed residency at the University of Chicago and has grown up and lived most of his life in the southwest suburbs of Chicago.

Dr. Krad and his wife Yassmean have four children between the ages of 12 and 4. In his personal time, he enjoys spending quality time with family.

Allison Gunnink, MBA, LPMT, MT-BC,  (she/her) began working with Lightways in March 2018 as their first, full-time music therapist. In January 2022, Allison transitioned into the Clinical Outcomes Manager role and promoted to the Director of Clinical Information in January 2024. Allison has 14 years of experience in the hospice industry in both direct care and administrative roles. In this role, Allison oversees Lightways’ growing Integrative Therapies team, the electronic medical record system, and the collection and reporting of clinical outcomes.

Allison received her undergraduate degree in Music Therapy from Western Illinois University in 2010, and a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Health Services from the University of St. Francis in 2013. She has obtained certifications in Hospice & Palliative Care Music Therapy and NICU Music Therapy.

Allison believes in community involvement and has served in various capacities on multiple boards. Allison currently serves as Vice President of the Great Lakes Region of the American Music Therapy Association, as well as a Board Member for the Will County Board of Health. She is passionate about health equity and inclusivity within the healthcare field; she believes that person-centered care is crucial in healthcare to cultivate an environment in which people feel safe seeking support. Allison and her husband reside in Shorewood with their five spoiled cats.

Lisa Heiy has over 10 years of experience in the hospice and palliative care fields. She joined the Lightways team in 2019 as the palliative care coordinator and then became the director of the Serious Illness Care program in 2022.

Lisa has brought significant growth to the serious illness program that currently serves over 700 patients. She is responsible for the management of the serious illness team, implementing programs, and building relationships with referring providers to help better service our serious illness care population wherever they consider home.

Lisa has 3 children and lives at home in Joliet with her 2 youngest.

Chris Kelly is the Director of Clinical Services at Lightways. Chris joined Lightways in 2011, and for the first five years worked as an RN in the Hospice Home inpatient unit, learning the hospice culture and developing symptom management skills. She was promoted to Inpatient Unit Manager helping to lead the staff in providing quality patient care, and assisting in the design of the capital project for the addition and renovation of the Lightways inpatient unit. Recently, Chris has moved to the position of Director of Clinical Services where she oversees the clinical staff in both the inpatient unit and the field.

Prior to joining Lightways, Chris worked at Sunny Hill Nursing Home as a House Supervisor where she supervised and coordinated all nursing staff in various departments as needed.

Chris has three adult sons with her husband of over 30 years and lives in Manhattan.

Annette has served as the Director of Referrals and Admissions for Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care since March 2021.

Annette began her career as a Regional Operations Manager for a major ocean shipping company in 1988, she developed a robust foundation in operations and logistics. She and her husband owned two businesses, owning and operating a trucking company from 2001 – 2017, and a small carry out restaurant from 2011 – 2022.

In 2006, Annette’s mother was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer and died while on hospice care. This is when she found her true calling for nursing and returned to school and began a career in nursing.

She earned her associate degree in nursing at Joliet Junior College in 2015 and earned a a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Western Governors University. After beginning her nursing career in oncology, she steadily found her way to hospice care. Annette began her career at Lightways as an admissions RN and progressed into the role of the Director.

Annette is grateful for the opportunity to work alongside dedicated, compassionate individuals and is always open to connecting with others in the healthcare field or anyone interested in a career transition.

Julie Mulhollan is Senior Director of Operations and in this position is responsible for agency quality, compliance, human resources and education. She also serves as Chief Compliance Officer for Lightways. Julie joined Lightways in 2018 as Director of Quality and Compliance.

Prior to joining Lightways in fall 2018, Julie worked for over 35 years in the acute healthcare industry holding a variety of management and senior leadership positions in a wide range of operational areas including Inpatient Nursing, Diagnostic Imaging, Cardiology, Women’s and Children’s Services, Oncology, Therapies, and Patient Access. She most recently held the position of Vice President of Clinical Services at Franciscan Health–Chicago Heights and Olympia Fields.

Julie received her BSN from Northern Illinois University and a Master of Health Administration from University of St. Francis.

Julie, her husband Brian and college-age son reside in Frankfort, Illinois.

Sue Schaller is the Senior Director of Human Resources at Lightways. Sue is responsible for recruitment, compensation, benefits administration, employee orientation, worker’s compensation, and short-term disability. Sue has over 25 years’ experience in Human Resources working in both union and non-union environments. Sue came to Lighways in 2003 as the first Director of Human Resources for the organization.

Prior to joining Lighways, Sue worked for several large transportation companies in the Human Resource Department. These included Terminal Freight Handling Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears, and American President Lines, a Fortune 500 international transportation company. Sue also was a Human Resources contractor working at Exelon Nuclear, Budget and Underwriter’s Laboratories.

Sue received an Associate in Applied Science from Joliet Junior College and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Lewis University. Sue is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).

Sue is a life-long equestrian who after years of showing horses, now enjoys weekend trail rides with friends. Her Plainfield home (and barn) accommodates her two horses, Dreamer and Toby, well.

Merilee Smith, is the Director of the Inpatient Unit. Merilee joined Lightways in 2023. Merilee has worked at several hospice organizations since 2008. In 2010, Merilee advanced to clinical management and her first IPU. Recently, Merilee was an Area Director of Education for a large national hospice organization.

Merilee received her BSN from Aurora University. Nursing is a second career for Merilee. Prior to becoming RN, Merilee worked as a Managing Director of Advertising for The New York Times for fifteen years.

Merilee has been an active member of IL-HPCO since 2018. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors as Vice Chair and is the Chair of the Education Committee.

Merilee has three adult children and a blended family that includes three granddaughters. She lives in Naperville, Illinois.

Gregg McCarty is the Director of Facilities & Safety Manager and has been with Lightways since 2008. Gregg has over 30 years of management experience in various fields.Gregg started his career as a District Manager for a gas station-convenience store chain at the age of 20. Gregg was the only District Manager hired under the age of 25 in the company’s history. Gregg has received numerous awards over the years for his accomplishments.

Gregg has 5 children & 2 grandchildren. Gregg & Melissa have been together for 11 years. Gregg & Melissa are active in community & church activities.