Chairman and President

John G. Beard currently serves as Chairman and President of Alacare Home Health & Hospice. Beard has been with Alacare since November of 1976.

Beard earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Auburn University in 1972 and  a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Samford University in 1976. That same year, Beard earned a Juris Doctorate degree at Cumberland School of Law. He is a member of the Alabama Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the American Health Lawyers Association.

Beard currently serves as an Adjunct Professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Health Related Professions. He also serves on the board of Navigator, Inc. In addition, Beard is on the board of the Alabama Nurses Foundation (ANF) which works to increase public knowledge and understanding of nursing and the nursing profession. The ANF also helps to raise scholarship funds for licensed nurses who are pursuing graduate degrees to become faculty members at the Alabama Nursing School.

In 2002, Beard was selected by the Birmingham Business Journal as an inaugural class member of “Birmingham’s Top 100 in Health Care.” He was chosen by the Alabama State Nurses Association (ASNA) as the 2006 Outstanding Non-Member, and he was the recipient of the ASNA’s 2010 D.O. McCluskey Award, given to a health care administrator who has demonstrated outstanding support of nurses and nursing during the past year.

Susan Beard Brouillette, MPH, MBA

Chief Executive Officer

Susan Beard Brouillette is the Chief Executive Officer of Alacare Home Health & Hospice. She joined Alacare full-time in 1988, serving first as the Director of Community Relations and Education, then as Associate Director of Administrative Services, and Chief Operating Officer. She became CEO in 2002.

Brouillette earned a B.S. degree from Birmingham-Southern College in 1986. She went on to earn Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Public Health from the University of Alabama in Birmingham in 1988.

Susan Brouillette’s leadership has led to Alacare being recognized by the Birmingham Business Journal as one of the area’s "Top 100 Privately Held Corporations". Alacare is on the Birmingham Business Journal list of the largest women-owned businesses in the Birmingham area. In 2002, Brouillette was honored as one of the Birmingham Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40,” and in 2006, she was recognized as one of the “Top Women in Business in Birmingham.”

Brouillette serves on the Board of Directors of the Hospice and Home Health Fund of Alabama (HHHFA), Alacare’s non-profit organization, which provides monetary assistance to help hospice and home health patients throughout the state stay in their homes. This aid is available to any qualifying homebound or hospice patient in Alabama—not just Alacare patients. Brouillette is a tireless fundraiser for the HHHFA, which has a special place in her heart because it was founded by her parents, Mary Sue and Charles D. Beard, Jr.

In her work at Alacare, Brouillette sees every day the need for terminally and critically ill patients to receive adequate management of their pain and other symptoms. With that in mind she, along with her brother, John G. Beard, spearheaded the fundraising effort for the UAB Center for Palliative Care. They also sponsor the Alacare Family Room at the Center.

In November of 2010, Brouillette received the Stevie Award for Best Executive, an honor given by the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. This international competition, produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards, recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding women executives and entrepreneurs.

Susan Brouillette is also an active member and past president and treasurer of the Shades Valley Rotary Club, providing hands-on assistance to local groups, and working directly with the Rotary Interact Club at Mountain Brook High School. In 2005, she received the Shades Valley Rotary Club’s 2005 Vocational Achievement Award. She also serves on the Board of the American Cancer Society, and feels strongly about supporting their community education and outreach. In 2006, she was the co-chairperson of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama Founders Dinner, which raised funds to build a new house for critically ill children and their families to stay in during treatment.

Brouillette feels strongly that successful people need to nurture the next generation of business professionals, and as such, she participates in events like the UAB School of Public Health Alumni Career Round Table.

Susan Freeman, RN

Chief Operating Officer

Susan Freeman has served as Alacare Home Health & Hospice’s Chief Operating Officer since March of 2012. Prior to this, Freeman served as Chief Administrative Officer. She oversees day-to-day operations of Alacare, with oversight of Branch Operations, Corporate Services, Clinical Operations, Human Resources and Business Development.

Over the years, Freeman has been called upon numerous times to speak at national conferences, including the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), Profit Through Technology, the Horizon User Conference and the Homecare HomeBase User Conference.

Freeman has been married for over 25 years, and she is most proud of her two wonderful children: Hayley, who is studying Special Needs Child Education, and Alex, who received a Purple Heart during his deployment to Iraq, and served in the U.S. Army.

Nanette Heard, JD

Compliance Officer/General Counsel

Nanette Heard joined Alacare in 1994, where she serves as the Compliance Officer and General Counsel, assisting with oversight of operations to limit risks and legal exposure. She works with all Alacare staff to promote the Agency’s culture of compliance with all applicable rules and regulations governing business operations.

Prior to joining Alacare, Heard practiced law at Sirote & Permutt, PC in the healthcare and business area. She graduated from Samford University with a degree in Public Administration and received her law degree from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law.

Corrie Hall, CPA

Chief Financial Officer

Alacare Home Health & Hospice named Corrie Hall, CPA, its’ new Chief Financial Officer in 2015, following the retirement of Gene Sykes, who had been with Alacare for over 20 years.

Hall is responsible for overseeing all company finance and accounting practices, including Finance/Accounting, Billing and Collections and Purchasing departments. He directs budget preparations, financial reports and tax and audit functions, and spearheads financial strategy, planning and forecasts in conference with the company’s chief officers and department directors. In addition, Hall studies, analyzes and reports on trends, opportunities for expansion and the projection of future company growth.

Before joining Alacare, Hall served as Chief Operating Officer at Kare-In-Home Health in Gulfport, Mississippi, for 10 years. Prior to that, he worked at Hattiesburg’s South Mississippi Home Health for 27 years, ultimately becoming a Vice President in Finance. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Association of Home Care.

Hall received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in Professional Accountancy from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Hall has spent his career working in home health care. “I love being part of helping the elderly and infirm meet their health care needs,” he said.

Steven Waits, RN, BSN

Chief Financial Officer

As the Chief Clinical Officer at Alacare Home Health & Hospice, Steven Waits is responsible for all aspects of clinical care provided by Alacare. He oversees Clinical Compliance, Clinical Management, Business Intelligence, Rehabilitation Services and Education.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Jacksonville State University, Waits worked as an emergency room nurse for two years. He then went into management in the home health setting, where he now has over 20 years of experience. Waits joined Alacare in 1994, serving as Branch Director of the Pell City Branch.

Waits also serves as a city councilman in his hometown of Oxford, AL.