Our Staff
Zack Caulkins
Zack’s commitment to helping older adults live their best lives goes back 50 years when, as a college student, he was awarded a grant to study seniors’ outlook on life based on their various living environments.
In 1975, Zack was commissioned by a city manager to conduct a study of local nursing homes and make recommendations. Afterward, he was asked to develop alternatives to the nursing home model. Aware that seniors could be much better served in a different living environment, Zack was inspired to open a group home for seniors, the first of its kind in Illinois. Later, he began a consulting service for social service agencies in Chicago and built the first five group care facilities in Chicago.
From 1984 to 1994, Zack worked in various administrative capacities operating non-profit agencies with residential care facilities and for-profit nursing homes. In 1994, he bought a group home for seniors in Beloit, Wisconsin, adding three more such homes over the next ten years.’
When the state of Illinois requested proposals to develop Supportive Living communities, Zack applied and was awarded the first project in DuPage County in 1999. Along with his wife, Rene who is Franciscan Court’s administrator and a registered nurse, Zack opened Franciscan Court in 2005.
Zack states, “Franciscan Court is a dream we built, one that allows us to carry out our belief in the value of human life and dignity.”
Rene Caulkins, R.N.
Owner and Administrator
A registered nurse since 1971, Rene has practiced nursing in various health care settings and capacities, including hospitals and nursing home facilities. For the past 20 years, her nursing acumen has focused primarily on geriatrics/long-term care.
As a quality assurance nurse for a health care company in Lombard, IL, she was instrumental in the opening of its Elmhurst facility and ensured that public health regulatory standards were met. In the 1990s, Rene served as director of nursing for a nursing home in West Chicago. Among several other responsibilities, she developed and implemented policies and procedures, managed and trained all nursing staff, and coordinated all medical services for residents. As a result of her excellent service, she was promoted to administrator of the home and received her nursing home administrator’s license.
In 2004, Rene left her employment at the nursing home to join her husband Zack in managing and overseeing a group home for seniors in Beloit, Wisconsin. From there, she teamed again with Zack in building Franciscan Court, where together they can offer the level of care and attention they envisioned from the start of their careers.
Said Rene, “We don’t give up on people; our goal is to help each resident reach their highest possible functionality. We hear from families all the time how amazed they are at the progress their loved ones have made.”
Drew Gill
Admissions Coordinator
As Rene’s son and the brother of one of our registered nurses, Drew is literally part of the Franciscan Court family. Officially, he handles admissions, marketing, and is trained by the Department of Health and Family Services in administration. However, residents know him best as the amicable “Jack of all trades” who helps them in countless ways.
“I’m their go-to person through thick and thin,” said Drew, who worked as a licensed plumber before his decade-long tenure at Franciscan Court. Perhaps his greatest qualifications are his people skills. According to Drew, quality health care boils down to common sense, passion for senior care, and great rapport with all residents.
Like Zack and Rene, Drew is acutely aware of what is special about Franciscan Court. “We’re not a big corporation,” said Drew. “We’re a single facility, family-owned business. That creates the stability and consistency that’s so important in caring for seniors.”
Registered Nurses
Jennifer Gill and Kathy Squires
Franciscan Court is staffed by two full-time registered nurses with a cumulative 30 years of nursing practice, including extensive telemetry and cardiac experience at a Level I trauma center.
