Team

Dr. Kevin Cope

Dr. Kevin Cope

Medical Director

Family medicine physician Dr. Kevin Cope oversees MVHPC clinical practice and quality assurance as Medical Director of both the Hospice & Palliative service lines. A positive force behind Mohawk Valley health and wellness for years, Dr. Cope operates a very busy primary care practice with St. Mary’s Healthcare, in addition to community work helping those in need of opioid recovery. Dr. Cope is also the Medical Director for Lexington ARC. Dr. Cope is very active with his church, including a focus on mentoring youth.

Until his employment with MVHPC, Dr. Cope served on the MVHPC Board of Directors as Quality Assurance Performance Improvement (QAPI) Chair, Nominating Committee, and Palliative Care Steering Committee.

He lives with his wife in Broadalbin.

Dana Monk

Dana Monk

Nurse Manager, Nancy Dowd Hospice HOME

 

Dana joined the MVHPC team in 2011 as the Nancy Dowd Hospice House Nurse Manager. She knew from the beginning of her career she would welcome the opportunity to assist patients and their families facing life-limiting illnesses with a focus on comfort, quality, and dignity. Of her career at MVHPC, Dana states, “It’s the most rewarding job I’ve had…those I’ve cared for along the way have taught me so much more than I could ever teach them.”

Dana graduated with an Associate’s in Applied Science/Nursing in May of 2004. Already working in the Special Care Unit of a local hospital, she was offered a transition from her Unit Coordinator/Monitor Tech position to the RN role. Dana attended the Critical Care Consortium and became certified in telemetry monitoring during her tenure in the hospital setting.

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Dana then transitioned from acute care to long-term care and rehab, where she was instrumental in transforming a former county-run facility into a privately owned entity. While working in that setting, Dana fulfilled the Nursing Supervisor position for the 120- bed facility and eventually became the Unit Manager for a 40-bed wing. Dana worked closely with the facility’s Interdisciplinary Team and Medical Director to provide exceptional care to the individuals residing there.

Dana resides in Montgomery County with her husband, son and daughter.

Celeste Farnham, MSN RN

Celeste Farnham, MSN RN

Clinical Director

Celeste Farnham, MSN, RN joined MVHPC in 2020 as Director of Clinical Services. Celeste recently relocated to Gloversville from the Washington, D.C. area to be closer to family. In Washington, Celeste was the director of the neuroscience unit at the Washington Hospital Center. A nurse for almost 30 years, Celeste has her Master’s degree in Nursing.

CORA JONES

CORA JONES

Human Resources Director

 

Cora Jones joined Mountain Valley Hospice & Palliative Care as a part-time Human Resources Manager after a 14-year hiatus as a stay-at-home mom and housewife. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge of employment law from her former life as a corporate litigator. As an attorney, Cora represented employers in legal matters, and developed and participated in client seminars regarding compliance with labor and employment laws.

Prior to attending law school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cora graduated from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and worked in advertising in South Florida. Cora has always had a special interest in human behavior and employee relations. She is enthusiastic to continue developing her skills in these areas and is working towards earning her certification as a human resources professional with the Society of Human Resource Professionals.

Cora lives in Cooperstown with her husband, three teenagers and their menagerie of two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and three cats. She equally loves traveling and adventure and cozying up on the sofa with her family to read or watch movies.

Kara U. Travis

Kara U. Travis

President/Chief Executive Officer

 

Kara Ulasewicz Travis, Certified Executive Coach and Compliance Officer, joined Mountain Valley Hospice & Palliative Care (MVHPC) and the Nancy Dowd Hospice Home (NDHH) as President/Chief Executive Officer in June of 2017. MVHPC is based in Gloversville, NY and covers the rural Upstate New York counties of Fulton, Montgomery, Saratoga, and Hamilton, including eight private Hospice beds in the Gloversville location.

Prior to joining the MVHPC team, Kara spent more than 10 years as a senior leader with the Bassett Healthcare Network in a variety of roles from Facilities Operations to Patient Experience to Employee Relations and Organizational Development.

Kara currently serves as Treasurer of The Fort Hunter Free Library, President Elect of the Amsterdam Rotary Club, Co-Vice Chair of the Montgomery County Office for the Aging Foundation, Board Chair of the Horace J. Inman Senior Center, Board Member at Fulmont Community Action Program, and Board Member at Hospice & Palliative Care Association of New York State.

Kara and her black lab Stella also volunteer their time through Therapy Dogs International to provide pet therapy.

Kara is the 2023 Sok Nam Ko Rotarian of the Year for the Amsterdam Rotary Club, as well as a former recipient of The Capital District Business Review’s ‘Forty under 40’ award for emerging leaders. During her years at Bassett, she was part of a national speaking panel of experts on improvement of Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS) scores. Kara was also selected to serve on a New York State advisory board for the United Way campaign for A.L.I.C.E. (asset limited, income constrained employed), also known as “the working poor.”

Kara grew up in Lake Placid, NY and currently lives in the Mohawk Valley with her husband and Labrador retrievers. When she’s not working or volunteering, she usually has her nose in a book.

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Kara’s professional experience also includes engagements with the State University of New York at Cobleskill, Howe Caverns, Inc. and the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau.

Broad experience working with non-profit boards, Kara most recently served as past President of the Board of Directors for United Way Otsego/Delaware Counties, as well as past President of the Friends of the Worcester Free Library and the Worcester Women’s Club.

Kara is a former recipient of The Capital District Business Review’s ‘Forty under 40’ award for emerging leaders in the Albany, NY region. She is also part of a national speaking panel of experts on improvement of Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS) scores. Kara was recently selected to serve on a New York State advisory board for the United Way campaign for A.L.I.C.E. (asset limited, income constrained employed), also known as “the working poor.”

Kara grew up in the Adirondacks and currently lives in the Mohawk Valley with her husband and two Labrador retrievers.

Justin Miller

Justin Miller

Chief Finance Officer

Justin serves as the Chief Finance Officer at Universal Bookkeeper, Inc., a distinguished remote accounting firm specializing in small business accounting, payroll, and tax services, with a particular focus on Hospice clientele. Co-founded by Justin and his wife Beth in 2015, the company seamlessly blends their profound commitment to community business support with extensive expertise in accounting and customer service.

Justin’s unwavering zeal lies in empowering small business owners to expand their ventures while nurturing their passion. His dedication to assisting them in streamlining their back-office operations has been instrumental in the establishment of Universal Bookkeeper. Headquartered in New Hartford, NY, the firm boasts a dedicated team of five full-time accountants.

With a rich professional background, Justin has previously held pivotal roles including CFO at Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc., Controller overseeing Restaurant and Retail operations at Par Technology, and Senior Auditor at D’Arcangelo & Co.

Justin graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Rochester Institute of Technology and earned his Certified Public Accountant designation in 2012. He remains an active member of the NYS Society for CPAs.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Justin cherishes family time with his wife and their two sons and daughter. An avid golfer, occasional Peloton rider, and dedicated reader of self-development literature, he continually seeks growth and fulfillment in both his personal and professional spheres.

Sean Lemiszki

Sean Lemiszki

Facilities Director

Sean was born and raised locally in Montgomery County, in the Town of Glen, where he still resides today with his wife and son. In his younger years he was out in the fields in the summertime doing farm work, grounds care and mowing lawns at a local cemetery.

He then attended Fulton Montgomery Community College where he earned an A.A.S. in Construction Technology in 1998. While attending college Sean worked as a site manager for Amerada Hess Corp. managing the corporation’s convenience store/gas station located in Perth, NY. Prior to joining the team at MVHPC, Sean was an over 20 year employee at Community Health Center working as their Facilities & Purchasing Manager and then at FMCC as their Assistant Director of Facilities for almost six years.

Sean has a very strong commitment to volunteer work, having served nearly 30 years in the fire service. He is currently a Life Member of the Town of Glen Volunteer Fire Department. He has held just about every position there and is still an active firefighter as well as a board member currently serving as the department Treasurer. Sean previously served as a Deputy Fire Coordinator for Montgomery County and was a member of the Mont. Co. Fire Investigation Team. He is also a long-time board member with the Fulton County Community Heritage Corp. His newest volunteer role is serving as Treasurer of the Glen Cemetery Association.

In his not-so-much free time Sean enjoys spending time with his family camping, fishing, hunting, off-roading, and watching NY Giants football. Sean is looking forward to traveling more and doing some woodworking in his retirement years.

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