Meet Our Team

Allison grew up in the heart of Berkeley County in the town of Moncks Corner. She has been in healthcare serving as a Director of Business Operations in skilled and assisted living for the past 15 years. Before changing her career path to long-term care, she worked for the State of South Carolina as an Economic Service Specialist for 14 years with the Department of Social Services and Department of Health and Human Services for Berkeley County. She began working for The Blake at Carnes Crossroads in May of 2017. She returned to college after a 24-year hiatus, which she had spent raising her daughters and building her career. Allison completed her degree in Human Resource Management in December of 2020. In May of 2021, she passed the State Board testing for Community Residential Care Administrator licensing. In June 2021, she landed in Panama City Beach, Florida, leaving behind the life she had always knows and bringing different challenges to her personal and professional life. For the past year, she worked with The Blake at Panama City Beach as the Director of Business Operations and mentor for company-wide DBO’s.

In March 2022, her road brought her back to Carnes Crossroads, where she serves as Executive Director. Since she was a teenager, she worked and served the residents of Berkeley County in one form or another, from volunteering for Salvation Army and United Way to helping with hurricane relief, so she is very excited to be back in Berkeley County to serve the residents of her home again!

Allison's most favorite part of this job is hearing the life stories and advice of the seniors, and their encouragement helps her to to keep doing what she is doing. Outside of working, she enjoys reading, trips with her daughters, and family time. She also makes household items, such as laundry detergent and soaps using her collection of essential oils. She has two grown, beautiful daughters. Her oldest followed in her footsteps and works for in serior living as well. Her youngest is working for a local corporation and finishing her BA, and she loves to listen to her sister and Allison talk about their industry.

Originally from Toms River, New Jersey, Mary-Bethany Covella has been in South Carolina for 9 years now! She has always had a southern heart, so it felt like home the day she moved here.Of her fifteen plus years of sales experience, nine of those years have been in assisted living. Working with seniors has always been a passion of hers. Ever since she could remember, her dad would take her to their local nursing home every Sunday to volunteer with the residents. By doing this, it opened her heart and eyes to the senior living industry and knew that one day, this would be her career.

When not at work, she loves to spend time with her 3 year old son, Ashton, and husband, John, while going to water parks, Bee City, or doing fun indoor activities. Her favourite quote is one from author and motivational speaker Gabrielle Bernstein, and she feels that it sums up her own passion for the senior living industry: “Allow your passion to become your purpose, and it will one day become your profession."

Jean was born and raised in New York, but she moved to South Carolina in orger to be closer to her dad. She received her bachelors degree from Marist College, a private college in New York. She worked for the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilties, running group homes for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Her favorite part of working with seniors is being a witness to the wisdom they bring and the humor they possess. She is happy to be a part of The Blake team.

When she isn't working, she likes spending time with her family and going to the beach. While moving from New York to South Carolina was a major adjustment for her, she really enjoys the warm weather and being close to the beach.

Dawn grew up in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. She has over over 20 years of customer service, accounts receivable, data entry and medical billing experience. She loves working with our seniors, learning about their lives, and making them smile. Dawn loves the variety of different things she does at The Blake, including the paperwork and visiting with the residents. Although she is relatively new to working with seniors, it has been a life-changing experience for her, and she often brings home wonderful memories at the end of the work day.

When she is not working, she enjoys quality time with her family, especially her new granddaughter. She also enjoys reading and cross stitching.

Originally from Montreal Canada, Harlen came to the US 12 years ago where he has spent most of his life in sales as well as caring for others. Harlen is a former EMT and also spent time as a sales consultant selling software for the blind and visually impaired to government, education, healthcare, and financial facilities. His background also includes owning/operating his own in-home care business.

Harlen takes great joy seeing new residents rediscover their joy and find a sense of home after being welcomed into The Blake community.

Ayanna Norton was originally from San Angelo, Texas, but moved to South Carolina in 2009, where she has lived ever since. She has an Associates of Science and Health Care Management, and is also a Licensed Practical Nurse. In her career, she has primarily worked in the community health care and mental health fields. Her favorite part of working with seniors is being able to care for them at a time when they are not able to care for themselves, and working to add to their quality of life. She greatly appreciates the people at The Blake, having come to love and care for them, and loves being able to come back to work to see their smiling faces. For her, the people at The Blake are considered family. When she isn't working, she loves spending time with family, and she enjoys making candles and wax melts as a hobby. One day, she plans on going back to school so that she can start her own home health care business.

Jared Juan was born in Staten Island, New York but was raised in North Charleston, South Carolina. He has his General Health and Safety certifications, as well as his Structural Knowledge certifications through the state. Previously, he worked as a project manager, and managed a number of water damage and restoration projects, and he has electrical knowledge as well from his experience at Solar Technology. His favorite part of working with seniors is learning about their past and who they were, listening to their stories, and absorbing the lifetime of knowledge they are able to pass on. He enjoys being able to work towards the success and sharing the same goals with like-minded individuals at his position at The Blake.

When Jared is not working, he enjoys being a full-time father of two (soon-to-be three) children, soon to be three. "When I'm not doing maintenance at the Blake," he says, "I’m doing maintenance at home." His life philosophy is "Carpe diem", and he does his best to live life to the fullest every day.

Marlena grew up in Ketchikan, Alaska. Her love of cooking came from preparing meals for her siblings. When she became older and got married, her mother-in-law inspired her to make being a chef her career. She attended the Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Tukwila, Washington where she earned a Certification in Culinary Arts and Operations.

Marlena is currently married to a retired “Coastie” and has lived in Florida, Maryland, California, and now South Carolina. She has three beautiful girls. While in Maryland, Marlena worked at Brooks Tavern, a popular farm-to-table restaurant, and there she honed many of her fine dining skills. Having been raised by her Grandma Maggie, she has always loved and taken an interest in older people. She has worked in several nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout her career. Marlena is passionate about preparing food that is beautiful to look at as well as delicious. Marlena loves feedback from the residents and enjoys the challenge of special requests. She feels that everyone deserves delicious food and loves accommodating dietary restrictions in inventive and delicious ways!

In her current role she enjoys teaching her staff new techniques and seeing them master their new skills. The best part of working at The Blake is getting to know the residents, hearing the stories of their lives, and learning how their experiences can impact us today.

Kim is originally from Brooklyn, New York, but eventually moved to Summerville, South Carolina. She has a ServSafe Certification and fourteen years of experience working in the kitchens of nursing homes. She learned how to order, schedule, and create menus. She was also a professional assistant to senior level management.

Kim’s favorite part of working with seniors is speaking with the residents and learning their life experiences, along with their life history. Her favorite part of working at The Blake is the family atmosphere and the combined teamwork.

When she is not working, Kim likes relaxing at home and going to her niece and nephew’s softball and basketball games. She also likes shopping and quality time with her family.