In 9th grade, Marvell did a biology report on Alzheimer’s disease and was tragically fascinated by a disease that could steal your memories. He dreamed of becoming a doctor and researcher in hopes of one day finding a cure.

Fast forward to the College of Charleston in South Carolina and Chemistry 212, where a mentor gave Marvell the best feedback he could have received: Marvell, you are not going to be a doctor. Let’s figure out how you can seek your passions in other ways.

Leapfrog to graduate school at Chapel Hill and a master’s in health administration with a focus on aging services (called long-term care back then).  Marvell was in the last cohort of students to take Dr. James Allen’s foundational courses in LTC administration before he retired from UNC.

That was over 20 years ago. Since then, Marvell has served as nursing home administrator, surveyor, director, chief executive officer, board member, project manager, and chief operating officer…to name a few.  But no matter the role, he has found one unrelenting gap in how we provide housing, supports and services to older adults.  Equity.  Disparate treatment and outcomes in aging are pervasive and systemic, and Marvell is committing the next 20 years to creating equity in aging.

• After graduate school, Marvell went on to complete the renowned administrator-in-training program at Monroe Community Hospital in Rochester, NY, the 13^th AIT to do so.  While there, he received unparalleled advice from Carter and Frank Williams, both pioneers in geriatric medicine and person-directed care.
• Marvell’s experiences span many complex and challenging operating environments, including the $4 billion University of Rochester and URMC System, as well as the 13-community, multi-region Kendal System.  He is adept in lending detailed expertise and guidance as a 13-year veteran surveyor for CARF International, accrediting aging services providers in the US and Canada.  Marvell is also a highly trained dementia skills practitioner and coach with in-depth experience in understanding, teaching, and including the perspectives and needs of persons living with cognitive change.
• Marvell has committed his career to leading not-for-profit organizations and has served on the boards of well-known and respected aging services entities like LeadingAge (fmr. Board Director), Pioneer Network (Board Chair), The Green House Project/CFI (Board Treasurer) and Communities of Inclusion & Belonging, Inc. (Board Chair).  This commitment to service has led to several awards, honors, and recognitions like LeadingAge NY Administrator of the Year, Forty Under 40, Duke University Leadership in Aging Scholar, Theodore Stern Cup Award for Collegiate Service, and LeadingAge Academy Coach, to name a few.

Sarah is an accomplished entrepreneur and senior-level project director with experience in the fields of aging services, architecture and engineering, manufacturing, horticulture, and community planning. Sarah recently co-founded W Lawson, a company that offers strategic consulting, community development, and aging services, focusing on equity in aging. In her role as co-facilitator of W Lawson’s Longevity + Inclusion Alliance Fellows Program, Sarah guides cohorts of diverse individuals on their professional and personal journeys of inclusion and allyship.

She also serves as the Board Treasurer of W Lawson’s associated not-for-profit, Communities of Inclusion and Belonging, where she works on developing replicable models of communities of inclusion and belonging for older adults, intergenerational families, and caregivers. 

In her spare time, Sarah grows and sells flowers with her mother in Rochester, NY, volunteers as a Girl Scout leader, rugby coach, hiking trip leader, and community gardener, and spends time with her young family.