Executive Spotlight: Shelly Sun Berkowitz, Founder and Executive Chair of BrightStar Care (2027)
Shelly Sun Berkowitz is the founder and executive chair of BrightStar Care, a home care and medical staffing franchisor based in Gurnee, Illinois. She co-founded BrightStar Care in 2002, opened it to franchising in 2005, and, according to the International Franchise Association (IFA), moved into the executive chair role after selling a majority stake to Peak Rock Capital in early 2025. She has also chaired the IFA and now runs two ventures focused on founders, Founder 2 Founder and Next Phase Capital.
This page covers public professional information only, drawn from her IFA profile, her University of Tennessee alumni profile, and two trade interviews.
Current role and company
BrightStar Care provides medical and non-medical home care and medical staffing through a national network of franchised and company-owned locations. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) alumni office describes her as founder and executive chairwoman of BrightStar Group Holdings, the parent of BrightStar Care and its senior living and care home brands. The IFA profile adds that she chairs the BrightStar Care board and also serves on the boards of several franchise and service companies, plus the UT Haslam School of Business Franchising Program.
- CompanyBrightStar Care, home care and medical staffing franchisor; parent BrightStar Group Holdings (UT alumni profile, IFA profile).
- TitleFounder and Executive Chair of the Board, BrightStar Group Holdings (IFA profile).
- Other venturesFounder and CEO of Founder 2 Founder and Next Phase Capital, which advise and invest in women-led businesses and emerging franchise brands (IFA profile).
- EducationUT Knoxville graduate (class of 1992) and 2024 Distinguished Alumna Award winner (UT alumni profile).
Career path
- Before BrightStar. A 2011 Franchising.com profile describes a background as a CPA and corporate controller, with executive roles at two major insurance companies, and says she owned two hotel franchises before building her own franchise concept.
- Founding in 2002. She co-founded BrightStar Care in 2002 in the Chicago area. The IFA profile says she saw a gap: no single provider offered both non-medical and medical care in the home.
- Franchising from 2005. She wrote the franchise operations manual in 2004, according to the 2011 profile, and the system began franchising in January 2005. That profile calls it the first U.S. franchisor to specialize in both medical and non-medical care and healthcare staffing.
- Industry leadership. The 2011 article lists her as the IFA's 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year. The IFA profile later says she served as chair of the association.
- 2025 ownership change. In early 2025 she sold a majority stake to Peak Rock Capital, kept more than 30 percent ownership, and became executive chair, per the IFA profile.
What she is known for
- Clinical oversight model. In a May 2020 Home Health Care News interview, BrightStar was described as requiring a registered nurse to oversee every plan of care, with locations Joint Commission-accredited since 2008. The UT profile says she positioned the brand as the premium home care provider on that basis.
- Early technology investment. The same interview says that after passing $2 million in revenue the company moved from manual tracking to a technology platform in mid-2004 to support scaling and track key performance indicators.
- Senior living expansion. By 2020 BrightStar had added a medical staffing business and BrightStar Senior Living and Memory Care communities, launched to serve families whose needs had outgrown home care.
- COVID-19 response. The 2020 interview says the company invested more than $2 million in an online PPE ordering and fulfillment capability and added caregiver symptom certification. Glassdoor named her one of its top 25 highest-rated CEOs during the pandemic, the only woman on that list, per the IFA profile.
- Recognition. The IFA profile lists the 2023 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Midwest award and McKnight's 2023 Women of Distinction. It also notes two Harvard Business School case studies about her, an appearance on CBS's Undercover Boss, and a Franchise Certification Program she endowed at UT's Haslam School of Business.
Leadership style and philosophy
In the 2011 Franchising.com profile she described her management approach in a few words: "Hire right. Share and reinforce the vision clearly. Empower." The same article says she chose not to lay off employees during the downturn, investing in healthcare benefits and a short-term bonus program instead.
In the 2020 Home Health Care News interview she said, "I say I run toward change," and stressed that leaders need to keep repeating what must happen and why. She also said choosing a CRM tool from corporate, rather than with franchisees, had led to missteps. These are her own statements, not independent assessments.
Key numbers
Figures are company-reported or from the profile cited, with the date shown. Counts change, so check the company for current numbers.
- July 2011More than 160 locations in 31 states, up from one company-owned location in the Chicago area; a $6 million SBA-guaranteed credit facility in July 2010 (Franchising.com).
- May 2020More than 340 U.S. locations and about 100,000 families served per year (Home Health Care News).
- 2024More than 380 franchised and company-owned locations, 15,000 caregivers and 5,700 registered nurses (UT alumni profile).
- 2026More than 400 locations and more than $750 million in annualized system-wide revenue (IFA profile).
- RankingsEntrepreneur's Franchise 500 for 13 consecutive years; Inc. Fastest Growing Private Companies list (IFA and UT profiles).
Questions people ask
Who is Shelly Sun Berkowitz?
She is the founder and executive chair of BrightStar Care, a Gurnee, Illinois home care and medical staffing franchisor, and founder of Founder 2 Founder and Next Phase Capital.
When was BrightStar Care founded?
She co-founded BrightStar Care in 2002 in the Chicago area. It began franchising in 2005.
Is she still the CEO of BrightStar Care?
Not according to her IFA profile, which says she became executive chair of BrightStar Group Holdings after selling a majority stake to Peak Rock Capital in early 2025. Earlier sources, including 2011 and 2020 articles, list her as CEO.
Does she still own part of BrightStar?
The IFA profile says she retained more than 30 percent ownership after the early 2025 sale.
What is Founder 2 Founder?
Per the IFA profile, it is her advisory business for majority-owner founders facing scaling, leadership transition and exit decisions. Next Phase Capital is her investment vehicle.
What awards has she won?
The IFA profile lists the 2023 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Midwest award and McKnight's 2023 Women of Distinction. UT named her a 2024 Distinguished Alumna.
Sources
- International Franchise Association: Shelly Sun Berkowitz profile · Title, 2025 ownership change, awards, numbers, portrait
- UT Knoxville Alumni: Shelly Sun Berkowitz ('92), Distinguished Alumna · Role, 2024 location and staffing counts, award, photo caption check
- Franchising.com: Grow Smart, Risk Less: BrightStar CEO Builds On Her Rapid Success (Jul 11, 2011) · Background, 2005 franchising, 2011 counts, quotes
- Home Health Care News: Changemakers: Shelly Sun (May 27, 2020) · Clinical model, technology, COVID-19 response, quotes
Facts were read from the linked pages on November 1, 2026. Titles and counts are as of the dates shown and may have changed; BrightStar's own leadership page no longer lists her, so her current title rests on the IFA and UT profiles. The hero photo is a solo portrait from her IFA profile page, cropped to page format; it was matched to the portrait on the UT alumni page whose alt text names her. This page covers public professional information only.
Top photo: International Franchise Association (franchise.org profile page)