Movers & Makers reached out this month to organizations that work to help older adults with the challenges that aging brings. We asked them to help showcase their notables, as part of M&M’s continuing effort to recognize individuals making a difference in Greater Cincinnati’s nonprofit ecosystem.
Peggy Slade-Sowders, Episcopal Retirement Services
Peggy Slade-Sowders is a trailblazer in aging life care management and concierge services for older adults in Greater Cincinnati. As director of Episcopal Retirement Services’ Living Well Senior Solutions, she leads a team that helps clients remain independent and thrive wherever they call home. She brings a personal and holistic approach to care, addressing not only clients’ physical needs but also their emotional and financial well-being. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, especially her five grandchildren, reflecting her commitment to supporting intergenerational connection and well-being.
Dianne Dozier, Cincinnati-Hamilton
County Community Action Agency
Dianne Dozier, Home Energy Assistance Program manager for the Community Action Agency, leads efforts to help seniors age safely and securely in their own homes through the Secure Seniors program. Dozier works with individuals who face rising property taxes, growing utility costs, financial insecurity and health-related stress. Through Secure Seniors, she helps provide relief from the high cost of utility bills. Thanks to her leadership, more seniors can avoid difficult trade-offs between groceries, medicine, utilities or other housing costs. Her efforts prevent housing instability as well as promote dignity, health and emotional well-being.
Breanna Williams, Meals on Wheels of Southwest OH & Northern KY
Breanna Williams helps nourish seniors’ minds and spirits by creating and expanding remedies to social isolation and loneliness. As the agency’s programs manager, she leverages technology for seniors’ benefit. She has collaborated with other groups to enable seniors’ digital literacy. For instance, Meals on Wheels’ Digital Connect program is an education series for seniors to earn their own tablet device to promote stronger connections, well-being and independence. Williams loves music of all kinds and live concerts. Eclectic in her interests, she enjoys hiking, sci-fi shows and baking sweet treats.
Lisa Zimmers, Twin Lakes
Lisa Zimmers, executive director of Twin Lakes, is a seasoned leader in organizational growth, leadership development and cultural transformation. Under her guidance, Twin Lakes has achieved operational excellence, high occupancy and outstanding resident experiences. She launched a Memory Support Assisted Living program, including a memory support chapel that provides spiritual support. President of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce and vice chair of the Sycamore Schools Business Advisory Council, she is active in civic and professional organizations. A devoted Georgia Bulldogs fan, Zimmers enjoys traveling and cherishes time with her family.
Jason Crimmel, Habitat for Humanity
of Greater Cincinnati
Jason Crimmel, repair program manager at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati, works to ensure that seniors in our community can remain safely in their homes through the Aging in Place Program. Crimmel has developed systems that helped Habitat repair programs grow from 21 homes a year to nearly 200. He built Orion, a project management system that streamlined operations and expanded agency capacity. Crimmel has become a resource for other Habitat organizations hoping to scale up programs. In his personal life, he enjoys coding and building software programs.
Mary Sutton, Cincinnati Association
for the Blind and Visually Impaired
At the Cincinnati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired, certified low vision specialist Mary Sutton helps seniors receive prescribed low-vision aids. She began as an administrative assistant 14 years ago, then shifted to CABVI’s social services. As the intake worker, Sutton helped new clients learn about services. She later studied to become a certified low vision specialist. Sutton is always looking for new ways to serve people with vision loss. She enjoys spending time with her extended family and is active with her church and other community activities.
Mike Martini, WMKV Radio
Mike Martini has been a radio host for decades on the commercial and public dial. He hosts music and classic-radio programs daily on WMKV 89.3 FM and 89.9 FM, an independent public radio station providing music, memories and nostalgia, plus apolitical talk that gives older adults and families a place to share memories. Martini, who has won multiple Ohio Society of Professional Journalist awards, is a radio historian and a co-founder of nonprofit Media Heritage Inc. at the Voice of America. Martini also does numerous talks and presentations.
Kristin Cooley, Giving Voice Foundation
Kristin Cooley is an emerging force as program director at the Giving Voice Foundation. As a clinical social worker with over 15 years of experience, Cooley provides leadership for local programs, ensuring caregivers and those living with dementia receive vital support. Her work has been pivotal in launching programs like Creative Connections and the Purposeful Planning Program, and more – each bringing joy, connection and invaluable resources to families. When she’s not creating programs, Cooley enjoys the “simple life,” cherishing time with her family, including her daughter and pets.
Brittney Bartelson, Vantage Aging
Brittney Bartelson, senior manager of training and supportive services at Vantage Aging, leads a team supporting older adults in the Senior Community Service Employment Program. She helps participants overcome employment hurdles like transportation and food insecurity. She oversees Vantage’s Digital Inclusion Program, which provides job seekers with digital equipment, internet access and training. In her free time, she enjoys her husband’s company, her two Great Danes (who are convinced they’re lap dogs) and their regal cat. Her hobbies include reading, gardening, video games and off-roading in side-by-sides.
Russ Rosen, New Horizons Band of Cincinnati
Russ Rosen is the leader of New Horizons, a band for seniors that helps them revisit musical skills from earlier in life, while also welcoming seniors who want to play for the first time. Rosen welcomes the elderly, some into their 90s, because the band offers socialization to counter loneliness late in life. Playing in a band forces musicians to use multiple senses, which is known to improve memory and cognitive skills, potentially even fighting Alzheimer’s and dementia. When not working, Rosen enjoys music and gardening.
Chris Perry, Amberley Village
Chris Perry is the first-ever senior safety officer in Amberley Village. Partially funded by the Jewish Home of Cincinnati, Perry’s job is to get to know the community’s older residents to ensure safe aging in place. Recently retired after more than 30 years with Cincinnati Police, Perry has turned his experience with his mother’s dementia into a community-wide mission to help older residents remain safe at home. He also helps fellow law enforcement officers facing PTSD and depression and has been a guest on numerous podcasts on mental health.
Jennifer Tilford, Senior Advocate Action Group
Since joining the Senior Advocate Action Group board in 2024, Jennifer Tilford has embodied the organization’s mission to support, uplift and advocate for older adults. A Norwood resident and Xavier University alum, she brings compassion and expertise from her role as move-in coordinator at Seasons, a senior community in Kenwood. She helps manage the Columbia Baptist Church food pantry, helped launch a SAAG mini food pantry in Cincinnati’s East End and leads efforts to expand SAAG’s blessing box network, which provides free food and hygiene items to seniors in need.
Mike Walters, Pro Seniors
Mike Walters, an advocate for older adults, has been the guiding voice behind Pro Seniors’ legal helpline, where his calm presence and deep knowledge have helped thousands navigate complex issues. Walters continues to champion justice, particularly through political advocacy that gives voice to the less fortunate. Off the clock, Walters is devoted to his wife Joyce, their son Tommy and Tommy’s fiancée Emma. The family shares a love of music, travel and making memories together, whether watching Tommy’s band perform or exploring Hawaii or the American West.
Edward Wolff, La Soupe
Edward Wolff, a nourish chef at La Soupe, spends his week preparing healthy, nutrient-rich meals for those in need, especially senior citizens, through a partnership with Meals on Wheels. Wolff helps lead a volunteer team that produces approximately 330 Food as Medicine meals each week, crafted from whole, unprocessed ingredients that support blood sugar control and heart health. The program helps reduce emergency room visits and hospital readmissions, enabling seniors to remain healthier and independent in their homes. Outside the kitchen, Wolff enjoys live music and walking his dog, Wendy.
Ronnell Spears, Council on Aging
When Council on Aging chief financial officer Ronnell “Ronnie” Spears joined the agency in 2022, it marked another chance for him to serve older adults after 30 years in the home care industry. Spears works to develop financial models that will help sustain programs in the face of growing demand and rising costs. A proud veteran, husband and father, Spears also serves on the finance committee at Bethany House. Golfing and listening to audiobooks are also interests of Spears’, but “nothing gives me more pleasure than serving others,” he said.
Megan Deaton, Community First Solutions
Memory care manager Megan Deaton, LPN, developed an approach to redefine the memory care experience across Community First. Inspired by her family’s experience and in-depth research, she created Touchpoint Sensory, which weaves together threads of touch, taste, sight, sound and smell to create connections between residents, their loved ones and care partners. Touchpoint Sensory is unique to Community First, where Deaton leads the charge in training and ongoing education for team members. A die-hard music lover, Deaton enjoys traveling throughout the country attending concerts of her favorite artists.
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