Employee of the Month — June 2026
Employee of the Month — June 2026
June 1, 2026
Name: Jamerson Baker
Job Title: Medicaid Waiver Case Manager
How long have you been at TARCOG and what do you do? I’ve been here for one year and four months and I’m a Medicaid Waiver Case Manager. I’m responsible for managing care for seniors and disabled adults by assessing their long-term services and support needs. That includes developing and monitoring care plans and facilitating service provision by service providers.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Professional Sports player – baseball or football.
What do you hope to accomplish within the next year? Get my Social Work license.
Who is your hero and why? My Mom. She’s always made a way for me and my siblings growing up no matter the circumstances.
If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? I would choose to be a millionaire for a day.
What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? To always look forward and never look backwards.
What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? Jumped off a 50-foot cliff into the ocean.
Who knows you the best? My wife, Tamekia
What would you do if you won the lottery? I would change a lot of people’s lives.
Medicaid Waiver Case Manager Jamerson Baker
Employee of the Month — May 2026
Employee of the Month — May 2026
May 5, 2026
Name: Sarita Chaloupka
Job Title: Medicaid Waiver Case Manager II
How long have you been at TARCOG and what do you do? I have been at TARCOG for approximately one year and nine months. I am currently a Medicaid Wavier Case Manager II. I provide direct training, support and guidance to the newly hired (and to anyone else that finds us at our desks); we typically carry a caseload of 25-30 clients; and we take on additional cases during periods of staff turnover.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
In 4th grade, I wanted to be a paleontologist. In the 5th grade, I wanted to be an astronaut (despite having a fear of heights and a deep appreciation for gravity.) As a freshman in high school, I wanted to be a newspaper reporter. By 10th grade, I had changed my aspiration to that of a child psychologist. The Career Inventory Assessment told me to find a job in agriculture, that I would excel as a farmer (I have brown thumbs and kill plants). Needless to say, I actively explored various opportunities that fit my passions. In the end, I still wanted to help people and found that social work was the perfect fit for me.
What do you hope to accomplish within the next year? Submission of paperwork ahead of the deadlines. Writing brief HCBS summaries. Cutting the irrelevant information from my home visit tools. Completing home visits in under 45 minutes. All I can say is that I’m a work-in-progress.
Who is your hero and why? I have more than one. My maternal and paternal grandmothers, who made to do with so little for themselves and managed to raise so many children with a strong work ethic. And my mother, cousin and brother, who have experienced so many challenges in their lives and careers and still continue to persevere. My father, whose experiences have taught me that people are capable of change, you just have to give them time to do so.
If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?
To learn Polish and Czech cooking and cook my husband his favorite foods.
What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? “The only control you have is over the changes you choose to make.” From my mom.
What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
Nothing yet, I’m a homebody.
Who knows you the best?
My husband, Jim and my cousin-sister, Kavita.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
If it’s a big payout lottery, pay some of my family’s bills, diversify my financial portfolio, start a scholarship fund and throw the rest into trusts for my parents, nieces and nephew.
TARCOG Case Manager II Sarita Chaloupka
TARCOG New Office Ribbon Cutting
TARCOG holds ribbon cutting at new office
TARCOG holds ribbon cutting at new office
April 16, 2026
Officials attending the ribbon cutting included from left, DeKalb County Commissioner and TARCOG Board Member Lester Black, State Rep. and TARCOG Board Member Mike Kirkland, State Rep. Ginny Shaver, State Rep. Marilyn Lands, State Rep. Rex Reynolds, State Rep. Tom Butler, TARCOG Executive Director Michelle Gilliam Jordan, Guntersville City Councilman and TARCOG Board Member John Myers, Athens City Councilman and TARCOG Board President James Lucas, State Rep. Andy Whitt, Limestone County Commissioner and TARCOG Board Member Johnny Turner, Limestone County resident and TARCOG Board Member Helen Carter, Madison County Commissioner Rex Vaughn, Madison city resident and TARCOG Board Ex Officio Connie Spears, Huntsville Mayor and TARCOG Board Member Tommy Battle, Madison County Commissioner and TARCOG Board Member Craig Hill, State Rep. Phillip Rigsby, and can’t be seen on the second row, Arab Mayor and TARCOG Board Member Robert “Bob” Joslin, Geraldine Mayor and TARCOG Board Member Chuck Ables, DeKalb County resident and TARCOG Board Member Larry Chesser, and Gurley Mayor Stan Simpson
Michelle Gilliam Jordan on a TARCOG milestone
In just three short weeks, TARCOG staff moved in and officially opened the facility with a ribbon cutting on April 16.
We are excited to be home again—just a few blocks from our longtime location—as we replant our roots in Cummings Research Park and MidCity.
Working alongside our executive team and architect, Les Tillery, we were intentional in designing spaces that support our staff and the work they do each day. From the windows to the color schemes and furnishings, every detail was thoughtfully considered. Doster Construction then turned the dream into a reality.
While there’s more to share than space allows, a few highlights include a dedicated office for light-sensitive staff, a private telephone room for those working in cubicles, and wellness rooms on each floor. These quiet, calming spaces are especially important for our Area Agency on Aging staff, who sometimes need a moment to regroup after challenging home visits or the loss of a client.
Our new office is located at 4976 Corporate Drive NW, near the intersection of Old Monrovia Road. For the past three years, the agency has operated from a temporary location after a flood destroyed our longtime office just down the street.
This facility now serves as TARCOG’s home base as we support communities across DeKalb, Jackson, Limestone, Madison, and Marshall counties—identifying shared challenges, opportunities, and solutions.
Within this region, 173,694 residents are age 60 or older, representing 23 percent of TARCOG’s total population of 742,021.
During the ribbon cutting, State Rep. Rex Reynolds served as guest speaker, noting that nearly 1,200 nursing home–eligible clients received in-home care last year through the TARCOG Area Agency on Aging’s Medicaid Waiver program—resulting in an estimated $132 million in savings to the Alabama Medicaid Program.
He also highlighted TARCOG’s continued impact in economic development and planning, including securing more than $7.7 million in grant funding last year for 16 community projects across the region.
This is meaningful work, and we are grateful to everyone who joined us to celebrate this milestone. Approximately 200 people attended the ribbon cutting and building tour, including state legislators, regional government leaders, board members, staff, and many valued partners.
On behalf of our board and staff, we are proud—and happy—to be back in a permanent home.
Michelle Gilliam Jordan
See more photos, courtesy of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, and TARCOG staff
Employee of the Month — April 2026
Employee of the Month — April 2026
April 6, 2026
Name/Title: Shelanda Pride, Medicaid Waiver Case Manager Supervisor
How long have you been at TARCOG and what do you do? I have been at TARCOG for 10 years. I supervise Personal Choices counselors and Medicaid Waiver case managers.
What did you want to be when you grew up? A juvenile probation officer.
What do you hope to accomplish within the next year? I hope to complete home improvement projects, spend more time with my family, and travel.
Who is your hero and why? My hero is my grandmother. She taught us about faith, how to love unconditionally and support one another, how to overcome obstacles, and to be of service to others. She was my foundation and my mother is just like her.
If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? I would just be. I would live in the moment without care in the world.
What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? A long time ago one of my uncles said, “Do not just pay bills, pay yourself.”
What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? I survived the gas chamber while in Basic Training for the U.S. Army Reserves.
Who knows you the best? My husband. We grew up in the same church. I can’t remember a time when we didn’t know each other.
What would you do if you won the lottery? I would make my family very comfortable and I would retire. I would volunteer for everything in every grade that my granddaughter is promoted to, from homeroom grandmother to Senior class trip chaperone.
TARCOG Medicaid Waiver Case Manager Supervisor Shelanda Pride