Who We Are
Kelly McNamara
Kelly McNamara, RN, CMC, is a founding partner of Nightingale NJ. In her 35 years as an RN, Kelly practiced a variety of disciplines, but she found her calling in 1991 when she began working in a nursing home. Her passion led her to become a Nursing Home Administrator, so she could lead by example and inspire a shift in people’s perspective on aging.
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As her own mother’s Alzheimer’s Disease progressed, Kelly realized she couldn’t balance the demands of work and family any longer. She re-focused on her role as mother to her 4 children, and daughter to her overwhelmed parents. Her family was lucky: all five siblings lived locally and were able to capitalize on their strengths to support one another and their parents. This experience taught Kelly that although the journey is painful, there are gifts hidden along the way that bring great joy. It became her mission to help families find those gifts and support one another with love and unity through each stage of life. Thus the seed for Nightingale NJ was planted.
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Kelly obtained her RN license in 1985 and graduated cum laude from Kean University with a BSN in 1989. She lives in Somerville with her husband, Kevin, where they raised their four children. She is happiest when she is with her family and friends, swimming, boating, singing and sharing stories.
RN, LNHA
Christopher Kellog
MSW, LSW
Christopher Kellogg, MSW, LSW, has been a passionate advocate for seniors throughout his more than 20 years in long term and subacute care. He prides himself on forging through obstacles to support his clients' wishes, collaborating with providers throughout the community to create seamless transitions and ensure continuity of care.
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Through his ongoing relationships with clients, families and providers in the community, Chris became increasingly concerned about the ability of older adults and their families to meet the challenges they faced upon returning home, and the gaps in the system which led to those challenges. It was this concern that led him to be the driving force in founding Nightingale NJ.
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An exceptionally empathic and experienced Aging Lifecare Professional®, Chris is adept at simplifying complex medical and procedural information into language meaningful to clients and their families.
Chris earned BA degrees in Psychology and Sociology from West Virginia Wesleyan College. He earned his MSW from Boston University with a concentration in Gerontology in 2001, and was awarded the Louis Lowy Scholarship for excellence in Gerontology. He has been practicing as a NJ Board Certified Licensed Social Worker for more than 20 years and volunteers his time for the Alzheimer’s Association of NJ.
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Chris loves to spend time coaching his two children in their various sports, and through active volunteering he and his wife hope to instill in their children the value of helping others, and the importance of giving back to community.