Meet ADS Evanston Team

Tori Gruber, LSW, MSW, MPA, works as the Manager of CJE SeniorLife’s Adult Day Services (ADS) in Evanston program. Tori graduated from Florida State University with a Master of Social Work and a Master of Public Administration, with focuses in non-profit management and aging studies. She has been serving the older adult community since 2017, wearing many hats, including Respite Coordinator with the Alzheimer’s Project in Florida, volunteering with the AmeriCorps program to provide in-home respite for families, serving as a case manager for seniors and their families, and more. Working with CJE perfectly combines Tori’s passions of working in the non-profit sector and serving the older population and their families.

Jordyn Cohen is a social worker at CJE’s ADS program in Evanston. She earned her Bachelor of Science in psychology from The Ohio State University and Master of Social Work from Loyola University Chicago. She has experience working in life enrichment/activity roles in skilled nursing and memory care communities, has assisted in research developing a clinical needs assessment for dementia caregivers, and completed her MSW internship practicing psychotherapy with CJE’s Counseling Services department. Jordyn is passionate about working with seniors and their families to help them navigate life as we age and feels grateful to be able to serve the clients and families at ADS.

Liz Wesley Smith, a CJE Employee of the Year for 2022, has worked for CJE SeniorLife since 2011. She began her time in CJE’s Personal Care department as a Certified Nursing Assistant and transitioned to ADS as a Program Aide and CNA. She has worked as a CNA for 34 years and loves every part of her job. In her free time, Liz likes to volunteer at nursing homes and feed the homeless, sing, and spread inspiration wherever she can. Liz believes in giving where she can and loves that her job is a place where she can help and connect with others.

Daniel Cuyugan joined ADS as the Registered Nurse in 2021. Before working at ADS, Daniel worked as a Staff Nurse at another CJE community for two years. Daniel would describe his personality as being friendly and easygoing. He loves meeting new people and learning about their lives and their backgrounds, and enjoys making people feel comfortable in his presence. He also has a passion for cooking and baking, playing basketball and video games, and reading in his spare time. He can speak English and Tagalog fluently, and understands a little bit of Japanese and Korean.

Rochelle Peterson works as a Creative Arts Therapist at ADS. She graduated from Adler University with a Master of Arts in Counseling in Art Therapy and received state licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor. After briefly interning at CJE SeniorLife’s former skilled nursing and long-term care community, Lieberman Center, she fell in love working with older adults. To be the Art Therapist at ADS is an honor and a dream job. Unsurprisingly, she loves making art of all sorts in her free time, especially overly ambitious fiber arts and bookbinding projects. But she also enjoys flexing her creative muscles through creative writing, cooking, and baking.

Cassie Fox is a Board-Certified Music Therapist, teaching artist, and piano teacher.  She currently works part-time at ADS as well as contractually at other communities with older adults in assisted living and memory care. She also works as a music educator in a community music school, as well as with children and teens with special needs and on the autism spectrum. Working with these various populations has helped her to shape her philosophy of how a person can effectively utilize music to improve cognitive function, enhance emotional expression, and improve their own quality of life.