About Us

Allison Ashe has been an executive in the Georgia not-for-profit space for over two decades.  Currently, she is serving as the president and CEO of Wellroot Family Services, formerly known as the United Methodist Children’s Home. During her four-year tenure with the organization, Allison has significantly enhanced the organization’s impact and spearheaded the organization’s work to keep children and families together. Under her leadership, Wellroot has launched three evidence-based family preservation programs, developed a comprehensive suite of community trainings for youth-serving professionals, and expanded services for youth transitioning out of foster care, including the acquisition of a 29-bed apartment for youth. Last year Wellroot reached over 2,200 children and families.

Allison brings a wealth of experience to her role at Wellroot. Allison was the founding staff member and the Chief Operating Officer of the Atlanta Police Foundation.  She served as the executive director of Covenant House Georgia for nine years, where she led initiatives to support youth experiencing homelessness and human trafficking. Additionally, she consulted for Covenant House International for two years, contributing to their mission as the nation’s leading provider of housing and services for vulnerable youth. Allison is a member of Leadership Atlanta’s class of 2017, a member of the Governor’s Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund Commission, and the Vice Chair of the Methodist Ministries Network, a nationwide network of methodist ministries serving children, youth, those with developmental disabilities, and seniors. 

A person of faith, Allison earned a master’s degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and served as a chaplain at Northside Hospital early in her career. Her background in ministry and nonprofit management, combined with her compassionate leadership, has driven Wellroot’s success and reinforced its commitment to providing comprehensive care for Georgia’s children, young adults, and families in need.  Allison is married to Paul Barsness, a partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLC.  Allison and Paul have three children, Sophia, Miles, and Scarlett, and reside in Johns Creek, Georgia.  

Greg Copeland comes to Wellroot with over 30 years of experience and success in operations and financial management. He has a unique ability to link people and business strategy to exceed organizational goals.

Copeland has served nonprofit organizations throughout his career and has an extensive history of reducing expenses, managing multi-million-dollar budgets, and implementing strategic plans. Before coming to Wellroot, he served at Georgia Legal Services Program as the director of Finance since 2014. He also held fiscal/operational leadership roles with the YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Clark Atlanta University and served on several nonprofit boards with a focus on serving children and youth.

Copeland graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance. He and his family reside in Smyrna, Georgia.

Christina Lennon has over two decades of nonprofit management experience specializing in program development, scaling a nonprofit statewide, fundraising, and community collaborations, and she spent the last decade partnering with local and national nonprofits to develop strategy and build capacity to further their mission.

Lennon previously served as executive director for a statewide nonprofit where she grew the organization from serving 1,000 people a year to 6,000 in her seven years at the helm. Her work has been recognized by many, including the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, who named her Georgia’s Revolutionary Nonprofit leader of 2009. She holds a master’s degree from The Andrew Young School of Policies Studies at Georgia State University (GSU) where she was honored as a distinguished alumnus in 2011. In 2014 she was their keynote speaker for commencement ceremonies. Lennon is now an adjunct professor at GSU. She is active in her church and serves on the board of Amana Academy.

Mary Vincent provides executive leadership and oversight to the Foster Care, Family Housing, Transitional Living, and Independent Living programs at Wellroot. Vincent has been with Wellroot since 2005 when she joined the organization as a foster care worker. In 2010, she took on the role of Independent Living Program manager, before returning to the Foster Care Program in 2011 as the program director. Vincent is a graduate of the University of Georgia where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Master of Social Work degree.

Vincent is married to Grant, and they have three children, Charlie, Caroline and Isabel.

Lee Ann Else is a dedicated nonprofit fundraising professional with experience designing and implementing programs, as well as securing resources to scale philanthropic strategies.

Before coming to Wellroot, Else served as the director of development at a Georgia-based nonprofit where she diversified revenue and built strategic partnerships to grow statewide public health initiatives. Prior to this, she managed programs for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a national nonprofit founded by the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association, to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity. Else holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Marketing from Indiana University, Kelly School of Business.

Alyson Ackerman has over 13 years of experience in the nonprofit industry. She joined Wellroot in 2017 as a volunteer coordinator before transitioning to event manager for the Development team. Alyson is passionate about building relationships and raising awareness to give more children and families the benefits of a loving, compassionate, and nurturing home.

Ackerman is a graduate of University of Georgia and University of Illinois Chicago where she obtained a master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in nonprofit management.

Ackerman enjoys hiking, crafting, and spending time with her husband, Neil, and children, Claire and Walton.

Sar’Taj Bush is an accomplished child welfare agency executive, with 18+ years’ experience ensuring children’s safety, enabling permanency for children, and promoting the well-being of children and their families. She served as a program manager in the Gainesville office and the Augusta office. Bush helped establish Wellroot programs including Health Families Gainesville and Caminos. Bush received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Charleston Southern University, and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Webster University. When Bush is not collaborating with her team, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Travis, and their children, Morgan, Asher, and Jonathan.

Carol Hill is an experience marketing and strategy leader with over 20 years in business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing. She started her career in public relations (PR) working for Fleishman Hillard in Atlanta. After several years in PR, Hill transitioned to brand management after receiving a Master of Business Administration degree from Goizueta Business School at Emory University. She spent the last ten years working for Georgia-Pacific, one of the world’s largest manufacturer and distributors of tissue, pulp and paper, and supporting several brands including Dixie®, Quilted Northern® and Angel Soft®. Hill lives in Decatur with her husband, David, and sons, Cullen and Devon.

Rev. April McGlothin-Eller, a United Methodist ordained deacon, holds a Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (IL) and a Bachelor of Music degree in music therapy from The University of Alabama. McGlothin-Eller has a background in community organizing, leadership development, and fundraising. She brings those skills to her work at Wellroot by connecting churches, individuals, and civic organizations to the needs of children in foster care. McGlothin-Eller is married to Rev. Vince McGlothin-Eller, and they have two children, Julian and Zemery.

Erica Kaufman brings over a decade of experience serving underserved populations, both domestically and internationally. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of Charleston and her master’s in social work from UNC Chapel Hill. Erica has experience in addressing the needs of youth facing homelessness, people combating human trafficking, and navigating foster care and adoption systems.

Before her current role, Erica served as a quality analyst, focusing on outcomes related to foster care, adoption, and juvenile justice. Erica’s social work lens and attention to detail offer a unique take on performance and quality improvement.

When she is not working, Erica enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, watching movies, traveling, and eating spicy foods.

Brittany Rouse is a dedicated human services professional with extensive experience in serving children, families, and the community. She currently serves as the Director for Wellroot Family Services’ Healthy Families Program, overseeing both the Healthy Families and First Steps programs across two regional offices.

Rouse began her tenure at Wellroot in 2017 as a Foster Care Case Manager and quickly advanced to Lead Case Manager. In 2021, she transitioned to the Healthy Families Program as the Program Manager, playing a pivotal role in its launch. Under her leadership, the program has expanded into six new counties, initiated several new partnerships, built a robust team, and completed the initial fidelity assessment.

Rouse is a graduate of the University of North Georgia, where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services Delivery and Administration. When not working with her team, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Leekwon, and their children, Brynlee and Blaze.

Leisa is a dedicated professional with a background in human services and a deep commitment to community well-being. With over 25 years in the nonprofit sector, she has experience ranging from direct care staff to various leadership roles.

Leisa is passionate about developing future leaders. Her mission is to assist individuals in challenging life transitions and at-risk populations, helping to turn their pain into purpose and rewrite their stories. She has lived out this mission by working in child welfare, with youth, women, and families in recovery programs, and supporting women in reclaiming their dignity after exploitation.

With over 15 years of supervisory experience and a diverse program management skill set, Leisa has significantly contributed to organizational success through value-based services, advocating for women’s empowerment, youth services, and behavioral healthcare.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human and Social Services Administration and a Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling, along with certificates in Leadership Professional Coaching and Advanced Skills in Life Coaching.
One of Leisa’s proudest accomplishments is her 37-year marriage, their two children, and serving as a pastoral care leader alongside her husband in their local church. She also enjoys traveling, learning about diverse cultures, and exploring new foods.

Cassandra Royal brings more than 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector of Georgia’s behavioral health systems to her role as Director of Behavioral Health at Wellroot Family Services. She is known for her collaborative leadership style and her proven ability to build high-quality, cost-effective programs that align clinical excellence with community-based services.

In addition, Cassandra has provided organizational leadership, clinical supervision, and educational training in behavioral health operations, as well as medical insurance and compliance

Cassandra has extensive clinical experience providing therapy to adults, children, adolescents, and families. Her background includes crisis response and prevention, intensive family interventions, anger management, domestic violence, forensic populations, sexual trauma, substance-related disorders, personality disorders, and complex mental health conditions. Her work is grounded in a trauma-informed, systems-based approach that emphasizes ethical practice, individualized care, and long-term stability for clients and families.

Augustin K. Brown (Gus) serves as the Controller at Wellroot Family Services, where he oversees the finance and accounting operations. With extensive experience in non-profit management and government accounting, Gus has a unique ability to cultivate business acumen and provide strategic leadership.

Gus has been an integral part of Wellroot since 2016. His previous roles include Controller at Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers in Camden, NJ, and Accounting Director at Philadelphia Works.

He holds a BBA in Finance and Accounting from Temple University and an MBA in Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University. Gus is married to Marie, and they live with their three children in Hoschton, GA.

Vivian Robinson is executive assistant to the President and CEO and the Vice President of Advancement. With more than 30 years of experience and a Master of Religious Leadership degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Robinson is motivated by and attributes her success to developing and cultivating strong relationships with family, church, friends, Wellroot colleagues, clients, and board members. For Robinson developing strong relationships is the foundation of everything she does professionally, personally, and spiritually.

Robinson is the mother of one adult son, Chris. She resides in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where she worships and serves as a Lay Servant at Stone Mountain First United Methodist Church.