The Casa Team

Founders

Lynette Jaramillo and Agnes C. Poore formed Casa de la Luz, LLC, in November 1998 with the intention of providing superior hospice care to the Tucson community. They built a team of individuals who were committed to guiding patients and their loved ones through the end of life journey with knowledge, compassion, and the highest ethical standards. Lynette and Agnes continue to lead the company’s mission with a hands-on approach to the company’s daily operations.

Lynette E. Jaramillo

Chief Executive Officer

Lynette E. Jaramillo has more than 40 years of management experience. She is a proactive and highly motivated leader with exceptional problem-solving skills. From 1990 to 1995 Lynette was the Arizona Area Manager of the second largest national home care provider. In 1995 she opened the southeastern Arizona market for a privately owned home health agency which grew to be the largest privately owned home health agency in Tucson. She left in 1998 after the agency was sold to a regional home care provider. After leaving the home health agency, Lynette partnered with Agnes C. Poore to found Casa de la Luz. She is currently a member of the Mayor’s Senior Task Force for the City of Tucson, Women at the Top, and the Southern Arizona Leadership Council. In 2015, Lynette was awarded the Inside Tucson Business Women of Influence awards in the Outstanding Entrepreneur category.

Agnes C. Poore

Chief Clinical Officer

Agnes C. Poore, a Tucson native, has over 45 years of nursing experience, primarily in management and administration. A graduate of The University of Arizona College of Nursing in 1972, she received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in 1991. From 1990 to 1998 she was the Clinical Director of Home Health for large and regional home care organizations. In 1998, Agnes partnered with Lynette E. Jaramillo to form Casa de la Luz.

During her career, Agnes has served on the Pima Community College Nursing Advisory Board, the Arizona State Board of Nursing RN Scope of Practice Committee, and the Arizona Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Board of Directors. She was honored as one of Tucson’s “Fabulous Fifty” Nurses in 1999 and was inducted into the Salpointe Catholic High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009. Agnes is a member of Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society, the Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses Association, the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and the National Association of Women Business Owners. She currently serves as a board member for the Pima Council on Aging. In 2014, Agnes received the Professional Achievement Award from the University of Arizona Alumni Association, and in 2016 was named the Hispanic Business Woman of the Year by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Physicians

James Nicolai, MD, HMDC

Medical Director

Dr. Nicolai is a graduate of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine fellowship under the direction of Dr. Andrew Weil.

Rebecca Powell, MD, HMDC

Associate Medical Director

Dr. Rebecca Powell is the founder and current chair of the Casa de la Luz agitation committee, an innovative program that researches and recommends non-pharmacological interventions for treating agitation in patients with dementia.

Rebecca Franzi-Osborne, MD

Associate Medical Director

From urgent care to geriatric primary care to honoring patients’ wishes at end of life Dr. Osborne has served individuals throughout the spectrum of health care.

Richard Hoffman, MD

Hospice Physician

Richard Hoffman, M.D. joined the Casa de la Luz team in November 2015. He retired from the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System after 22 years.

Gail McDonald, MD, HMDC

Hospice Physician

Gail McDonald is board certified with the American Board of Family Medicine and the College of Family Physicians of Canada and has recently obtained her certification as a hospice medical director.