About NCALA

Frances Messer, RN, BSN, has more than 50 years of healthcare experience. She is a graduate of Western Carolina University. Frances worked at NC DHHS, DHSR, Adult Care Licensure Section for several years as a state surveyor and trainer immediately prior to becoming the NCALA President and CEO. Additionally, she has worn many hats in the skilled nursing and assisted living industry as a former nursing home owner and Administrator and Director of Nursing. She is also a certified Assisted Living Administrator. Prior to joining NC DHHS, Frances was President of Beacon Health Care Services, Inc.

Karen has more than 20 years of diverse outreach education experience with non-profits and state/county governments. Specifically, the last 10 years have been within the assisted living industry. She is a graduate of Georgia State University and she is a Certified Assisted Living Administrator. Karen is the AIT Program Director; serves as a member services liaison between providers, partners, and NCALA; builds and maintains collaborative partnerships between local, state, and federal entities to develop, implement, and promote workforce development initiatives. She coordinates all NCALA continuing education and training events.

Stephanie Toledo joins NCALA as the Member Services Administrator. Born and raised in New York, Stephanie moved to North Carolina to be near her family. She attended SUNY Broome where she studied Psychology. Previously, she worked for Serco-NA, Inc., where she was contracted by the military at Fort Bragg, NC to assist with the transition of service members. She also has five years of previous luxury retail experience ranging from business office to customer service.

Dartinia Hull joins NCALA as the communications and marketing manager. She is originally from Rock Hill, S.C., and has lived in Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Charlotte. She holds a BA in Communications/Journalism from Winthrop University and an MFA in Writing from Queens University of Charlotte. Her work has appeared in CNN, The Bitter Southerner, Next Avenue, the American Society on Aging, The Charlotte Observer, and on Medium.