Leadership Team
Founder & Chief Executive (Semi-retired)
Fran O’Connell, RN,MS,FNP,CMC
A Holyoke native, registered nurse, and former officer in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, Fran founded O’Connell Care at Home in 1987. He was one of a very few area geriatric care managers also practicing as a nurse practitioner. Fran received a BS in nursing from Columbia University, New York, NY; an MS as a family nurse practitioner from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He and his wife Kim have three daughters and a son. Fran enjoys writing music, traveling, horseback riding, and making a difference in the lives of others. He & Kim now share most of their time between residences in Vieques Puerto Rico and a family farm in New Hampshire.
Chief Operating Officer
Danielle Lord
Danielle joined O’Connell shortly after receiving her master’s degree in health care management from Springfield College. Her first position was as a care coordinator herself and over the years has experienced most every position. When not working, Danielle enjoys relaxing time with her husband Brett, their two adorable sons Leo and Auggie, and their dog, Boggs. She also enjoys the beach, reading, and spending time with friends.
Finance Manager
Pauline Moore
Pauline Moore joined the O’Connell team in 2015. Pauline studied accounting at Holyoke Community College and at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. She has held a variety of accounting positions over her 20+ year career and enjoys applying those experiences and mentoring others at O’Connell. Pauline and her husband enjoy gardening, dancing, listening to the blues, reading, and spending time with their daughters.
Director of Human Resources
Allison Garriss
Born and raised in western Massachusetts, Allison joined the O’Connell team in 2022. She studied Sociology and Political Science at Umass Amherst and received a master’s degree in Organization Management from Springfield College. Allison’s career path has always been about her passion for helping others and she has done this through a variety of roles with agencies that provide support and services to people in the community. In 2013, Allison was featured as one of Business West’s 40 Under 40 for her career accomplishments and volunteer activities in our local community. In her free time, Allison enjoys watching her son, Jag, play hockey and lacrosse as well as spending time with her husband Matt and their dog Freedom.
agarriss@oconnellcares.com
Director of Nursing
Brenda Mockler
Brenda has been a registered nurse for nearly 35 years and has experience with patients across the life continuum in a variety of settings. Home care is by far her favorite since that is where most people prefer to be and where it is possible to best care for the whole person and maintain well-being. Brenda has a diploma in nursing from the Leominster Hospital School of Nursing and also attended the University of New Hampshire and Saint Anselm College. She enjoys bicycling, reading and spending time with family.
bmockler@oconnellcares.com
Office Manager – Springfield MA
Michelle Tardy
Michelle is a 25-year health care industry professional who gladly tells anyone that she loves the health services field and has enjoyed “almost” every minute she’s worked in it. She has a deep passion for helping others and serves as role model at O’Connell for commitment to dedication to exceptional service to clients. Michelle is a mom of two amazing kids, Nicholas and Kendall. When not working she enjoys spending as much time with them as possible.
Office Manager – Holyoke
Brigit Shea-O’Connell
Brigit received a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. She worked in the hospitality industry before joining O’Connell Care at Home as a scheduling care coordinator in 2015. ” I think I was drawn to home care for the same reasons I was initially drawn to hospitality, I enjoy helping people. The transition to health services was pretty easy as my education and experience in hospitality applied in so many ways, and what we do at O’Connell Care is much more personally rewarding. Brigit enjoys spending free time with friends and family, traveling, and hiking with her dog Rusty.
Office Manager – Westfield MA
Melissa Wuerth
Office Manager – Greenfield, MA
Christopher Maschino
Chris joined the O’Connell team in April of 2022 after several years working in behavioral healthcare. He attended Endicott College from which he earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2021. He has held several supervisory positions within other organizations and hopes to utilize this experience to positively impact both O’Connell’s and those they serve. In his free time, Chris enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with loved ones.
cmaschino@oconnellcares.com
