Leadership
Allison Ashe
President & CEO
Allison Ashe is a proven nonprofit leader, communicator, and fundraising professional. She formerly led initiatives for Covenant House International, the nation’s leading provider of housing and services for youth experiencing homelessness and human trafficking.
A person of faith, Ashe earned a master’s degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and has served in chaplaincy roles. She gravitated to nonprofit service as a manifestation of her commitment to Christ.
Ashe has significant experience in youth and family programs, working with youth aging out of foster care, and independent living. She has expertise in the impact of trauma and generational poverty. Known for team building, creativity, and mission focus, Ashe built the largest volunteer program in the national Covenant House network. She enjoys working collaboratively with staff, state, corporate and individual donors, board members, and volunteers.
Greg Copeland
Chief Operating Officer & Treasurer
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
Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer
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
Senior Vice President, Programs
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
Vice President, External Relations
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
Director, Development
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.
Ashley Blocker
Director, Foster Care
Ashley Blocker started her career with Wellroot in 2012 as a foster home recruiter and licensing specialist. Since then, she has held several positions within the Foster Care department, including case manager, lead case manager, and program manager of the Newnan and LaGrange offices. Each role preparing her for her current position as director of Foster Care.
As a director who leads with a solution-focused approach, Blocker oversees Wellroot’s foster care department and support programs across five regional offices. Blocker has obtained a number of degrees including a master’s degree in social work and forensic psychology.
In her free time, Blocker enjoys reading, going to the movies, and is a foodie at heart. She and her husband live in Peachtree City with their children, Jailynn, Darcie Grace, and Grayson.
Sar’Taj Bush
Area Director
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.
Caro Hill
Director, Marketing & Communications
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
Director, Community Development
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.
Mary Meyer
Director, Continuous Quality Improvement
Mary Meyer is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with over 25 years of experience in project management, international business, and management. Meyer leads the continuous quality improvement initiatives and efforts for the organization. She helps teams define clear goals and initiatives and identify key data elements and performance indicators that illustrate our results. She facilitates project work, policy and process updates and encourages a data-driven, continuous improvement culture. Meyer also serves as the primary liaison with our accreditation partners and facilitates the Risk Assessment and Compliance Committee’s ongoing activities.
She and her husband live in Johns Creek and combined have five children and five grandchildren.
Monica McGannon
Director, Functional Family Therapy
Monica McGannon joins Wellroot with over 35 years of experience. Prior to joining Wellroot, McGannon worked for the Department of Health and Human Services at the United States border addressing the needs of unaccompanied minors and training staff in trauma-informed care, sexual abuse prevention, and much more.
She was clinical director at Chris 180 for eight years prior to working at the board. McGannon specializes in grief therapy, and her passion is providing the best quality care possible for underserved populations.
Semaj’ White
Director, Residential Programs
Semaj’ White joined Wellroot as director of Residential Programs in April 2022. White comes to Wellroot with a passion for social work and community. His passion stems from early experiences in his own life and community in south-central Los Angeles. As an adolescent he began connecting people in his community to resources that could help them live a better life.
White attended Grambling State University where he earned a bachelor’s in social work, and a master’s in the arts of teaching the social sciences and a master’s in criminal justice. White puts God first and continues to be led by knowing who is he in Christ. In his spare time, you can find White with his three precious girls and coaching basketball.
Vivian Robinson
Executive Assistant
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.