Our Team

Management Team

	Carl Zimmerman, Managing Partner Carl has been employed in nursing facilities continuously for nearly 40 years and proudly working for the same company his entire career. He is a Certified Nursing Facility Administrator as well as a Certified Assisted Living Center Administrator. He has degrees in Institutional Management, Health Care Administration as well as nutrition and is a licensed Insurance Producer. Much of his free time is devoted to the Green Valley Rotary Club. He enjoys contributing to the Rotarians causes. Carl is the Managing Partner and can be reached at carl@santaritacare.com.
	Robyn Eaglen RN, BSN, Director of Nursing Robyn is our Director of Nursing. Robyn has gained experience in many areas of nursing throughout her many years of work. Robyn is compassionate and finds her job rewarding when she can make a difference every day in the lives of our employees and residents. When not at Santa Rita, Robyn enjoys spending time with her family and enjoying all the beauty that southern Arizona has to offer. Robyn can be reached at robyn@santaritacare.com or (520) 352-3014
	Fabiola Encinas , Social Services Director Fabiola is our Social Services Director and resides in Southern Arizona. In her free time she enjoys spending time with my family. You can reach Fabiola at socialservices@santaritacare.com or at (520) 352-3032.
	Iliana Bravo, Activity Director Iliana works as our Activity Director. Iliana has worked in long term care for the past 10 years. Iliana truly enjoys making the activity experience the best that it can be for all of our residents. She is fluent in Spanish which makes so many of our residents feel much more at home. Iliana is the Treasurer for the Arizona Activities Professional’s board. She also is a volunteer for the Saguaro Girl Scout Council, which occupies her time away from work. Iliana can be reached at activities@santaritacare.com or (520) 352-3007
	Jose Avendano, Therapy DirectorJose has 24 years of experience as a COTA and his career spans from hospital-based acute rehabilitation to expertise in home health and outpatient settings. Jose’s passion is now inpatient rehab and he joined Santa Rita Nursing and Rehabilitation in 1998 as a COTA and Director of Rehabilitation Services. Jose’s diverse background lends itself to a well integrated approach to patient care and gives him the foresight to transition clients to appropriate levels of rehabilitation. He enjoys working with his patients and making a positive impact in people’s lives so they reach their maximum functional level. In his free time he enjoys being in the outdoors, hiking and spending time with friends. You can reach Jose at pt@santaritacare.com.
	Allie Rustad, Admissions DirectorAllie Rustad is Santa Rita’s Admissions Director. Allie is the mother of 2 adorable little girls. Allie helps our clients through the admission process. She can be reached at admissions@santaritacare.com or (520) 352-3004
	Myrna Rascon CDM, Dietary ManagerMyrna is our Dietary Manager. Myrna is a proud mother to a beautiful family. She has worked in very unique rural settings throughout Southern Arizona. Myrna personally welcomes each of our clients to Santa Rita with a great snack basket. You can reach Myrna at mailto:diningservices@santaritacare.comor (520) 352-3009.
	Janeth Bustamante, Housekeeping/ Laundry DirectorJaneth is our housekeeping and laundry director. Janeth is the proud mother to 3 beautiful daughters. She is the one responsible for making sure that our facility is looking and smelling great, just like the laundry. You can reach Janeth at housekeeping@santaritacare.com or at (520) 352-3030
	Jackie Haifley , Medical Records Director Jackie is our Medical Records Director. Jackie can assist you with retrieving any medical records request. You can reach Jackie by calling (520) 352-3016.
	Amy Malkin, Chief Operating OfficerAmy has been with Pioneer Health Group since 1991. She is the very proud mother of 3 beautiful children, all of whom attend school in the area. Amy is responsible for providing the managers with any support they may need to meet our client’s needs. Amy serves on the Arizona Health Care Association’s Board of Director as the Region 2 Representative. She enjoys spending time with her husband the 3 children in her spare time. You can reach Amy Malkin at amy@santaritacare.com or (520) 352-3005

Therapy Team

	Jose Avendano, Therapy Director Jose has 22 years of experience as a COTA and his career spans from hospital-based acute rehabilitation to expertise in home health and outpatient settings. Jose’s passion is now inpatient rehab and he joined Santa Rita Nursing and Rehabilitation in 1998 as a COTA and Director of Rehabilitation Services. Jose’s diverse background lends itself to a well integrated approach to patient care and gives him the foresight to transition clients to appropriate levels of rehabilitation. He enjoys working with his patients and making a positive impact in people’s lives so they reach their maximum functional level. In his free time he enjoys being in the outdoors, hiking and spending time with friends. You can reach Jose at pt@santaritacare.com.

	Luanne Martin, MS, OTR/L LuAnne is originally from Pennsylvania and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Occupational Therapy in 1994 and a Master’s of Science in Health Care Administration in 1997. She has worked in a variety of different settings from skilled nursing, sub-acute, transitional units, rehab hospitals, out-patient therapy and adult day health care just to name a few. She came To Arizona to care for her mother, who was a patient at Santa Rita at the time. She enjoys gardening, music, gourmet cooking and taking care of her pets. She takes great pleasure in helping her patients learn how to help themselves.

	Chuck Kruger Chuck received a Master’s of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and a Bachelor’s in Rehabilitation Studies from the University of North Texas; a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Northwood University; and has earned 5 Associate degrees that are business and marketing related from Tarrant County Community College. He has 15 years experience in the field. His hobbies include Billiards, Backgammon, and Chess.His children and him used to breed exotic birds and he would give talks at the schools on endangered animals and bring parrots. The students called him “The Birdman” and thought it was funny that he taught people and birds to speak.What Chuck loves most about his job are the people (patients, therapists, and staff). “Everyone has a life story. I enjoy hearing about people’s lives.”

	Jean-Anne Freeman Jean-Anne Freeman has lived in Tucson, AZ since she was 6 years old. She attended Pueblo High School, Pima College and Apollo College where she received an AAS degree in the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. She has 16 years experience as a COTA. She loves people, and getting to know others from different backgrounds. She has worked in the healthcare field for the last 40 years as a C.N.A, EMT, Paramedic and COTA. She likes gardening, genealogy, and going on hikes with her family, as well as spending time with her husband and taking her 2 small dogs to the dog park. In the future she would like to travel and go on cruises.