Emily Jones, MHA
Executive Director

Emily has been with PACE@Home since January 2014, when she was hired as the Director of Fiscal and Administrative Services. She has served as the organization’s interim director from March 2015 through September 2015, just prior to being named Executive Director.

A graduate of Appalachian State University, Emily holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. She also earned a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Phoenix. Emily has worked in the health care industry for more than 20 years, with ten of those as Director of Finance for a hospital system.

Thanks to Emily’s tenure with PACE@Home, she comes to the Executive Director position with a strong working knowledge of operations, regulations, and budgets. A proponent of seniors’ autonomy, she is poised to grow the PACE program, extending its benefits to other seniors who are eligible for nursing home care but prefer to remain in their homes and their communities.

Emily and her husband, Trent, a Lincolnton pastor, are the parents of three daughters.

Dr. John Uche
Medical Director

PACE@Home Medical Director, Dr. John Uche is an experienced physician and Medical Leader who has spent much of his career practicing medicine in the underserved urban communities in the academic, community health and value-based settings.

Upon graduating from medical school at the University of Nigeria, Dr. Uche completed his residency training in Chicago, IL at Cook County Hospital (now John H. Stroger Jr Hospital). Dr. Uche then became an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine educating Students and Residents at the University of Toledo Medical Center, Ohio before pursuing his passion to provide compassionate care to all those in need and was named Ohio Health Hero by the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers in 2012.

Dr. Uche has practiced medicine for over 30 years and says, “At PACE you have time to get to know your patients, our care not only supports the participants but provides relief for caregivers and families. You have family when you come to PACE.” Dr. Uche also notes that “Coming from a value-based care organization, PACE@Home is on a whole new level!”

Samantha McCoy, RN
Center Manager

Samantha oversees day-to-day operations, including the running of the clinic, therapy, social work, home care, transportation, activities, and the day health center. She also manages the interdisciplinary team (IDT) and the care planning process.

Prior to joining PACE@Home, she worked with an assisted living agency that operates facilities across the state of North Carolina. There, in roles of increasing responsibility, she developed patient care plans, trained staff on a variety of industry topics, established and maintained compliance measures, managed staff schedules, and coordinated admissions and discharges. At the corporate office in Raleigh, she oversaw education, quality assurance, research, and training for a large community of nurses.

Samantha received her education from the University of North Carolina – Charlotte and Cabarrus College of Health Sciences.

AJ Kerley
Director of Professional Relations

A graduate of Appalachian State University, AJ has worked in various aspects of health care for her entire career. In recent years, she has been involved with seniors, helping them access community resources, develop plans of care, and flourish in their chosen environments.

At PACE, AJ’s goal is to help participants continue to live where they choose while offering them the means to live more fully and comfortably with PACE as their partner and advocate. She connects regularly with the medical and health care communities to identify seniors who could benefit from the PACE program.

Deborah Morgan, RN, MSN, LNHA
Quality and  Compliance Coordinator

Deborah has over 45 years of nursing experience and has served in various roles as an RN in both acute and long-term care settings. She began her career in 1978 as an associate degree RN in acute care and eventually transitioned to post-acute care settings, as she pursued her BSN with a minor in healthcare management at Western Carolina University (1989) and UNC-Greensboro MSN Gerontological Nursing (1993). Deborah continued post graduate studies at UNC-Chapel Hill and was licensed in North Carolina as a nursing home administrator (1995). She then served as the Executive Director at Grace Heights in Morganton, NC from 1995 until coming to PACE in January 2020 as the Quality and Compliance Coordinator. Deborah believes that while compliance with governing rules, regulations and practice standards is essential to meeting operational requirements, quality involves providing excellent service as defined by PACE Participants and Caregivers. “Quality, at its best, involves exceeding expectations, so that we provide excellence not only in the care provided, but ultimately improve and enhance the Participants and Caregivers quality of life.”

Amanda Justus, MA
Intake Director

Hired at PACE@Home’s inception in October 2011, Amanda has perfected the role as Intake Director. She has spent the majority of her working career being committed to serving older adults and their caregivers who wish to receive services in community-based settings. At PACE@Home she is responsible for verifying eligibility and oversight of the entire intake and enrollment process. She provides education to families who are exploring community-based care for their loved one and often assists families in navigating services during times of crises. Families appreciate her ability to listen with compassion, her calm demeanor and her expertise in navigating the financial and insurance side of community based and long-term care services. 

Amanda holds a Master's degree in Gerontology from UNC Charlotte. She also earned a Bachelor's degree in Human and Community Service from Lenoir-Rhyne University.