Shane is the Executive Director here at The Blake at Panama City Beach. He is originally from Greenville, Tennessee, and holds a BS in Psychology from East Tennessee State University. Shane is also a Certified Dementia Practitioner.
Shane has been working as an Executive Director in Assisted Living for 17 years. His favorite part about working with seniors is hearing their stories. He has found that seniors are a true connection to our history and that they possess infinite wisdom.
His favorite part about working at The Blake has been getting to know the residents and their families, as well as the team members. He says that learning and hearing their backgrounds has been super insightful. He also adds that he enjoys how The Blake is like a melting pot where people from all walks of life have converged to form a wonderful family.
When he is not working, Shane enjoys being outdoors whether that is camping in the mountains or spending time on the water. He also enjoys spending time with his two dogs, Barkley and Nugget.
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Meet Our Team
The Blake at Panama City Beach’s management team is made up of industry professionals with years of experience providing exceptional senior services and care. We are committed to raising the bar on quality living for seniors, and we’re proud of the work we do every day.
Shane Jones
Executive Director
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Carol Miller
Director of Sales
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Carol Miller is the Director of Sales at The Blake at Panama City Beach. She is originally from Columbus, Georgia. She began her career at Aflac as an entry-level specialist and moved up to various positions such as Team Leader, Customer Service Trainer, Supervisor, and eventually Operations Manager responsible for the day-to-day operations of a large production team of 160 people. She was an Operations Manager for over 10 years until she took an early retirement, serving a total of 22 years at the company. After leaving Aflac, she eventually moved into Property Management, which she enjoyed for over five years. She recently decided to make the change to working in Senior Living after experiencing her own mother's dementia diagnosis.
Carol's favorite part of working with seniors is the appreciation they have for everything. "It’s gratifying to see joy on their faces when you’ve helped them throughout the day or complete a simple task," she says, "They NEVER take things for granted." Her favorite part of working at The Blake is the fulfillment of knowing that she's part of improving a person’s quality of life, whether helping them find their joy again or ensuring they never lose the joy they bring with them. She loves entering the building every morning knowing that there are people waiting with a smile to greet her.
When she isn't working, she can be found at the beach or doing some outside activity. She loves boating, walking on the beach, and even just basking in the sun. She has two sons, four grandchildren (two boys and two girls), and a very spoiled five-pound Biewer Terrier named Mila.
Sophie Hess
Director of Business Operations
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Sophie is originally from California and moved to Florida in March 2020. She graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a B.S. in Family Consumer Sciences in December 2020 and is currently getting her MBA from LSU-Shreveport.
Sophie started with The Blake in 2021 as the Assistant Director of Sales, then was promoted to Director of Recruitment and Retention, and is now our Director of Business Operations. Her favorite thing about Senior Living is all the people she gets to meet. During her free time, Sophie enjoys going to the beach and spending time with her boyfriend, Riley, and 2 cats, Professor Dave and Sweetbean.
Christina Dyer
Assistant Director of Wellness
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Christina is from Panama City, Florida. She originally served in the United States Army from 2005 to 2007. When she got out, she worked as a manager and loan officer for a Credit Union for 10 years. Christina then decided to attend nursing school at Gulf Coast State College and graduated in 2021 with her LPN. While in school, Christina started working at The Blake at Panama City Beach as a Personal Assistant, then a nurse, and now the Assistant Director of Wellness. Her favorite thing about working with seniors is that they give her insight into knowledge and wisdom from their life experiences. In her spare time, Christina loves to spend time with her family.
Carolyn Stewart
Director of Activities
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Carolyn is the Director of Activities here at The Blake at Panama City Beach. She was born in Harlem but raised in Brooklyn up until the age of 17 when she moved to Florida.
Prior to making the move into the Senior Living Industry, Carolyn worked in Property Management for 20 years. She was dedicated to helping others and obtained many certifications in her field. She is excited to learn all that she can about Senior Living while providing excellent customer service to our families.
When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her spouse, her two sons, and her two wonderful grandchildren. She also loves playing with her rabbit, Sheila.
Drake Garrett
Director of Facility Management
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Drake was born in Knoxville, TN but has been a Panama City Beach resident for over 20 years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Florida State University Panama City Campus in 2012. He spent the last 8 years in the residential audio/video field. He also has experience in service management, construction, and equipment maintenance. Although he is new to working with seniors in this setting, the opportunity to work at The Blake and interact with the residents has been thoroughly enjoyable for him. Our team of people that we have at The Blake is always friendly, willing to help in many areas, and provides a welcoming environment for employees and residents alike.
In Drake’s off time, he enjoys playing music, spending time at the beach, playing disc golf, and being outdoors with his family. He is excited to embark on this journey with the team at The Blake!
Ricky Ceron
Director of Dining Services
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Ricky was born and raised in Texas and has always had a passion for cooking. He has over twenty years of chef experience working for Omni Hotels, the Dallas Cowboys, Hilton and Timarron Country Club. He previously worked as a corporate traveling executive chef for Civitas Senior Living and Watermere at Southlake. He is also classically trained in French cuisine
Ricky moved to Panama City Beach with his wife, Rebekah, and children, Abigail and Isaiah.
He believes that seniors are one of the greatest generations of our time and it’s an honor to serve them. He enjoys learning and growing from the wisdom they have. Ricky is excited to bring The Blake residents a great dining experience as the Director of Dining Services. When Ricky is off work, he enjoys quality time with his family at the beach and going fishing.