Rose Centers for Aging Well

Dabney K. Conwell is Executive Director of the Rose Centers for Aging Well and Vice President at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. She joined Benjamin Rose in 2015.

Conwell has committed her career to working with underrepresented populations developing, implementing, supervising and evaluating social service programs. Prior to joining the Benjamin Rose senior management team, she served as Executive Director of the East Cleveland Neighborhood Center. She was also previously Project Coordinator of the Families and Schools Together (FAST) program for the Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County, and later became a national trainer and program supervisor for FAST in Madison, Wisconsin. She has also served as a social worker with the East Cleveland City School District and Guidestone. Conwell’s professional passion includes addressing issues of inequity for marginalized populations.

She currently serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU).

Conwell received her Master of Social Service Administration degree at Case Western Reserve University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from Edinboro University. Conwell completed the YWCA Women’s Momentum Leadership Program in 2015. Ms. Conwell is an inaugural Fellow with the Sisters of Charity Innovation Mission, developing the first Food is Medicine process in Cuyahoga County; she is also the recipient of the CWRU Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences Alumni Achievement Award. She is a National Board of Governor for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and co-chair of the local HRC Steering Committee.

Melissa A. Winberry is Assistant Director of the Rose Centers for Aging Well LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. Winberry joined the Rose Centers administration team in 2015.

Winberry has 20 plus years of progressively responsible experience leading people in multiple capacities, including human resources in manufacturing, retail and service industries to social work focusing on geriatrics, mental health and clinical social work.

Prior to the Rose Centers for Aging Well, Winberry worked for Windsor Laurelwood Center for Behavioral Medicine, where she served as a critical member of the Intake and Referral Department triaging patients and facilitating care plans for people experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis.

Winberry earned her Bachelor of Science degree from John Carroll University, and a Masters in Social Work from Cleveland State University. Winberry completed the American Society on Aging's Leadership Institute in 2018.

Winberry currently serves on the John Carroll University Nonprofit Administration Community Advisory Committee and the Advocacy in Motion initiative through the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging.

Nicole Alexander is the Center Director for the Ernest J. Bohn Rose Centers for Aging Well. She is responsible for planning, development and supervision of day to day activities at the Center, and oversees programming and services, the nutrition program and transportation services. Alexander joined the Rose Centers for Aging Well in 2014.

Alexander has 20 years’ experience in the social service field. She attended Cleveland State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in Social Work. She completed her internship at Eliza Bryant Village’s Adult Day Care Program.

Upon graduation, she accepted a social work position with the Golden Age Centers, now known as Rose Centers for Aging Well, Ernest J. Bohn Center. At the same time, Eliza Bryant Village opened a new housing facility, Eliza Bryant Manor and offered comprehensive service to the Manor residents. The Golden Age Center-Ernest J. Bohn provided meals, supportive services and programming for Eliza Bryant Manor residents. As the social worker for Eliza Bryant Manor, Alexander learned the day to day operations of a senior center. After eight years of social services, Alexander became the Director of The Golden Age Center-Ernest J. Bohn. She oversaw the day to day operations of Eliza Bryant Manor and Ernest J. Bohn Center for six years.

Tracey Elaine Kirksey is the Center Director at the East Cleveland at Salvation Army Rose Center for Aging Well. She joined the Rose Centers in 2017.

Kirksey is responsible for planning, development and supervision of day to day activities at the Center, and oversees programming and services, the nutrition program and transportation services. She works to ensure that the East Cleveland Rose Center is an inclusive and welcoming environment that hosts a variety of educational, social and fitness activities for participants.

Kirksey has always enjoyed working with people and has an extensive background in non-profit community development, including 20 years’ in executive level management positions. Her focus and expertise include holistic community development and advocacy, primarily in affordable, market rate and senior housing development, as well as small business development.

Kirksey earned her Bachelors of Business Administration degree in Organization Management from Malone University Organization.

Ashley Langford is the Center Director of the Gunning Park Rose Center for Aging Well and joined Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging in July, 2017. She is responsible for planning, development and supervision of day to day activities at the Center, and oversees programming and services, the nutrition program and transportation services. Langford embraces team work, and prides herself on working collaboratively with her staff to make the Center a welcoming community.

Langford’s experience prior to joining Benjamin Rose was in alcohol and drug rehabilitation. While in graduate school, she worked as a counselor’s assistant in a rehabilitation facility helping people recover from substance abuse. Once she moved back to Cleveland, Langford worked in alcohol and drug prevention and education.

Langford earned a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Toledo and a master’s degree in public health from The University of Toledo. Her primary focus was in health promotion and education, specifically in the geriatric population.

In addition to Langford’s current role as Center Director, she also leads the Benjamin Rose Young Professionals committee, and coordinates volunteers for the Nutrition Solution project.

Jerry Purcell, LSW is the Center Director for the King Kennedy and James Woods Rose Centers for Aging Well. He is responsible for planning, development and supervision of day to day activities at the Center, and oversees programming and services, the nutrition program and transportation services. He is also responsible for implementing social services which benefit the residents of Riverview towers and King Kennedy. He began working in this field in 1986 and began working at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging in September, 2014.

Purcell began his social work career at the Golden Age Centers of Greater Cleveland in 1986. He began as the Food Service Manager and was soon promoted to a social work position. Over the years, he’s worked in a total of six Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) high rises providing services to low income seniors.

Purcell graduated from Cleveland State University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work. He is a licensed social worker.

Ashlee Williman is the Center Director at Paul W. Alandt Lakeshore Rose Center for Aging Well. In this role, she works one-on-one with clients to help them maintain independence, coordinates social and educational activities for older adults and collaborates with community partners to offer diverse opportunities for Center participants, including intergenerational programming. Williman is responsible for planning, development and supervision of day to day activities at the Center, and oversees programming and services, the nutrition program and transportation services.

She joined Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging in 2015. Prior to her Center Director role, Williman was the Administrative Assistant for Institutional Advancement at Benjamin Rose. She received her bachelor’s degree in Gerontology with a minor in Management from Miami University. She is currently enrolled in Cleveland Leadership Center’s OnBoard Class of 2019 and regularly participates in young professional events throughout Cleveland.