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Meet the Leadership Team

	John DeHart, CEO and co-founder John DeHart has led Nurse Next Door’s emergence as a successful national home health care brand, with more than 50 locations throughout Canada and the United States. Early in his professional life, John started several successful technology businesses but started Nurse Next Door with partner Ken Sim in September 2001. John is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a master’s degree from the EO/MIT Masters in Entrepreneurship program, where he still lectures frequently about building culture in companies. John was awarded the Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2006 and has been named to the Top 40 Under 40 list; under his leadership, Nurse Next Door has earned a number of prestigious business awards, such as inclusion in Franchise Business Review’s annual list of North America’s 50 Best Franchise Systems with under 50 units; BC Business magazine’s Top 10 employer list for four of the last five years; and being named “Canada’s most admired emerging corporate culture” by Waterstone Human Capital. John lives in Vancouver with his wife Gayla and two daughters, Aja and Daisy, and runs up mountains for fun.
Ken Sim, co-founder and Board of Directors member Ken Sim founded Nurse Next Door with partner John DeHart in September 2001 after his own bad experience with home health care; his wife’s new caretaker turned out to be a brand-new hire the home health care company hadn’t even met. Ken has helped lead Nurse Next Door to its position as the dominant home health care company in Canada, with more than 50 locations and six more in the United States, and the company has been recognized as a model in growth strategy, customer service and employee relations. Before Nurse Next Door, Ken was a financial analyst at KPMG in Vancouver; an investment banker at CIBC World Markets; a merchant banker at CIBC Capital Partners; and a contracted CEO/COO/CFO at numerous technology companies. Ken’s leadership and business savvy landed him the 2006 Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award; a spot on Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 Under 40 list; acceptance into EO/MIT’s “Birthing of Giants” program; and profiles in media across the country, including The National Post, The Globe and Mail, and CBC. Ken, the son of immigrants from Hong Kong, was born and raised in Vancouver, where he continues to live with his wife, Teena, and four rowdy boys.
	Val Litwin, VP of Franchise Operations Val joined Nurse Next Door in January 2011 and became our VP of franchise ops after a brief but highly varied 10-year professional career: Val went from co-founding and marketing a wildly successful nonprofit, Kindness Crew, and co-authoring two books from that experience; to working in strategic communications for a conflict management firm; to co-founding and managing a franchised hair care business; to serving as a business development and marketing consultant — all before his 35^th birthday. As Nurse Next Door’s VP of franchise operations, Val oversees the day-to-day performance of the company’s franchise partners and Nurse Next Door’s critical training program for new partners. The University of Victoria graduate lives in Vancouver and enjoys reading and writing when he’s not paddle boarding, surfing or hiking.
Arif Abdulla, VP of Marketing & Communications Arif began working for Nurse Next Door in September 2006, not long after his graduation from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby. Now, as vice president of marketing and communications, Arif oversees all aspects related to marketing, branding, public relations and franchise sales. His work has helped Nurse Next Door grow from one location in Vancouver to more than 50 across Canada and the United States. Arif has induced hundreds of stories on Nurse Next Door from media across North America, including the National Post, The Globe and Mail, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Inc. magazine. Arif, who lives in Vancouver, is married and enjoys running and biking; he also considers himself a hobbyist photographer.
	Rubylyn Engstrom, VP of Care Services Rubylyn has helped design and implement perhaps the most important factor in Nurse Next Door’s growth: the Care Services Center, staffed by a dynamic team that handles the administrative duties that often drive professionals from the home health care industry. Before she joined Nurse Next Door in April 2010, Rubylyn oversaw call center operations for several large international companies, leading her last employer, ECare Contact Centers, to more than 12 industry awards. Rubylyn, a University of Winnipeg graduate, lives in metro Vancouver with her husband Don and their two children, Brookelyn and Brody. In her down time, Rubylyn enjoys boating in the summer and curling in the winter.
Judy Brooks, Chief of Staff and Board of Directors Member Judy, who joined the Nurse Next Door team in 2011, has founded, built and successfully sold three companies over the last 20 years. Judy has a reputation for strategically building international, fiscally responsible businesses, dynamic teams and impressive brands and cultures, such as Blo Blow Dry Bar, the hair care franchise she co-founded with our VP of Operations, Val Litwin; and ProActive ReSolutions, a successful conflict resolution firm. A well-known presenter and mentor in the business community, Judy sits on the board of directors for FWE and Small Business B.C., and on the business advisory boards for Nurse Next Door, The Smart Cookies, YYoga and Young Women in Business. She lives in Vancouver with her husband, Dennis, and enjoys hiking, biking and anything with her daughter, Devon.
	Julian Deck, Vice President of HeartQuarters Operations Julian joined Nurse Next Door in January 2011 because he felt an affinity to Nurse Next Door’s core values and vision. Julian spent seven years with lululemon athletica as a business analyst and planner, helping the company grow from $65 million to $650 million in annual revenue. At Nurse Next Door, he concentrates on improving the IT, HR and Find a Better Way functions. Julian loves to spend time with his wife and two children biking, hiking and skiing in the great outdoors.