Guided by Experience,
United by Purpose

A native of Southwestern Virginia, Kelley Kinder founded the Appalachian Memory & Aging Initiative to address the unique needs of the aging population in rural Central Appalachia. With nearly two decades of experience in counseling and psychology, Kelley is passionate about promoting healthy aging, increasing awareness of the differences between normal aging and cognitive decline, and expanding access to essential services and supports for older adults and their families.

Kelley is a licensed professional counselor in Virginia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from The University of Virginia’s College at Wise (2006) and a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling from Liberty University (2016). She is currently a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology, expected to complete her PsyD in the spring of 2026. Her doctoral research and clinical training have centered on psychotherapy for older adults, cognitive assessment, and interventions that foster resilience and well-being in later life.

In addition to her work with the Appalachian Memory & Aging Initiative, Kelley is the founder of The Brain Clinic in Abingdon, Virginia. There, she provides cognitive evaluations, psychotherapy, and consultation to support older adults and their families as they navigate life transitions and the challenges of aging.

Outside of her professional roles, Kelley enjoys spending time with her husband, stepdaughter, and two miniature schnauzers. She has a love for travel—especially to cities with rich history, beautiful architecture, and breathtaking coastlines. She also enjoys exploring antique and thrift shops, listening to a wide range of music, and experiencing moments of solitude and gratefulness.

Kristen Rutherford is a community-minded professional whose career spans across education, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit leadership, all rooted in her passion for serving others and strengthening the communities she has always called home in Southwest Virginia. Throughout her career, she has embraced opportunities to support people at every stage of life.

Kristen holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from East Tennessee State University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. She is deeply passionate about developing partnerships and collaborations that strengthen educational opportunities across the region.

Currently, she serves as Director of Nutrition and Senior Employment Services at Mountain Empire Older Citizens, where she oversees programs providing meals, employment opportunities, and essential services to older adults. Her work focuses on improving access to resources and enhancing the quality of life for seniors throughout the region. Her leadership contributed to program achievements recognized with a 2025 US Aging Achievement Award. As a workforce development leader for seniors, she serves on the Southwest Virginia Workforce Development Board.  She was recently invited to serve on the Virginia Cooperative Extension Leadership Council for Lee County, Virginia.

Before stepping into nonprofit leadership, Kristen spent more than a decade as a public school educator. Teaching fostered her deep appreciation for adaptability, creativity, and lifelong learning—qualities that continue to guide her professional journey. She also fulfilled a lifelong dream of entrepreneurship by founding and operating a successful catering and restaurant business that served her community.

Personally, Kristen enjoys gardening, cooking, thrift shopping, decorating, singing, and growing in her relationship with Christ. She and her husband of 21 years, Steve, share three wonderful children—Brooklyn, Alleigh, and Graham.

Dr. Allissa Caudill graduated from Marshall University with a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She is a Licensed Psychologist in both Kentucky and West Virginia. Dr. Caudill is a certified Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) therapist and has certification in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT). She is currently working as a psychologist for the UK King’s Daughters healthcare system, where she is focused on conducting psychological assessments for children and adolescents in the Tri-State area of Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Dr. Caudill is actively involved in her community, where she currently serves as PTO President at her daughter’s school and is a Parent Representative on the school’s Site-Based Decision Making Council. She is also a member of the Aspire Conservatory Board of Directors and previously served a three year term as Secretary of the West Virginia Psychological Association (WVPA). Dr. Caudill also served as President-Elect of the WVPA until returning to practice in Kentucky. In addition to these leadership roles, she enjoys assisting with her church’s children’s choir.

Carolyn Dando was born and raised in Washington County, Virginia, on a small dairy and burley tobacco farm where hard work and family values shaped her life from an early age. Her father worked as a mechanic and dairy farmer, while her mother devoted herself to homemaking and raising the family.

As a young woman, Carolyn became active in her local 4-H Club and the annual Tobacco Festival. Her natural talent for communication led her to focus on public speaking, where she excelled in maintaining meticulous records of her speaking engagements and her weekly radio broadcast. During her sophomore year of college, she earned national recognition, receiving the National 4-H Public Speaking Award, which included a trip to Chicago and a college scholarship. Carolyn pursued higher education at James Madison University—then known as Madison College—where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics Education, becoming the first in her family to graduate from college.

Her early career began close to home, serving as a dining room hostess and craft store manager at the Southwest Virginia 4-H Camp in Washington County. Upon graduation, she joined the Virginia Tech Extension Service as a Home Economist in Newport News, Virginia, where she spent four years teaching and leading 4-H programs for women and youth.

During that time, Carolyn met the love of her life—her “knight in shining armor”—just before he deployed to Vietnam as an Army helicopter pilot. After his return, the two married and began a life filled with adventure, as her husband served in the U.S. Army, pursued work in the trucking industry, and later as an FBI agent. Carolyn continued teaching while also embracing her most meaningful role as mother to their three sons. Her husband often says that her role of raising three boys into fine men was far more important than any work of his own.

When the opportunity came for early retirement, Carolyn and her husband returned to her family’s farm in Abingdon, Virginia, where they lovingly cared for her aging parents for over two decades. The farm in the Appalachian Mountains became a place of peace, renewal, and multigenerational connection.

Carolyn’s three sons grew up spending summers on the farm, learning life skills and creating cherished memories with their grandparents. Today, her eldest son, along with his wife and four sons, have made the farm their home, continuing the family’s deep roots in the region. Carolyn and her husband are now proud grandparents of eleven grandchildren, four of whom were raised on the family farm.

A lifelong learner, educator, and advocate, Carolyn continues to value the lessons of family, faith, and resilience that began on that small Virginia farm. Her story reflects a life of service, love, and dedication—both to her family and her Appalachian heritage.

Brandi Pettey works as a Family & Consumer Science Extension Agent for Virginia Cooperative Extension in Lee, Scott and Wise counties. She has an extensive background working with individuals across the lifespan. Previous experience includes the Area Agency on Aging, Mountain Empire Older Citizens, Inc., as Care Coordination Director, Program Manager of Healthy Families and Prevent Child Abuse America, and AmeriCorps Seniors Director. She has experience in the nursing/rehabilitation sector serving as Social Services Director at Lee Health & Rehab and nearly 10 years as a high school and college success coach at Mountain Empire Community College. Brandi holds a bachelor’s degree in human development from Virginia Tech and is working towards her master’s in leadership studies at Virginia Tech with a certificate in gerontology. Brandi has a passion for intergenerational work and helping people age well in their communities. A proud moment is earning a National Program of Merit recognition through Generations United for Cultivating Intergenerational Connections and Learning Opportunities in 2025 in Scott County (Intergenerational Program Certification – Generations United). She enjoys turkey hunting, paddleboarding, spending time with her three children and finding new places to hike and eat!

Bryan White is the Chief Financial Officer of Isaiah 117 House, a national nonprofit serving children entering foster care. In this role, he oversees multi-state financial strategy, donor development, investments, and growth planning. He holds an MBA from Radford University and an Executive Certificate from Cornell University. Recognized as a Forbes Finance Council member and Forty Under Forty honoree, Bryan brings more than a decade of experience in nonprofit leadership, financial strategy, and organizational growth.

Beyond his CFO role, Bryan founded BW Insights, a fractional CFO and consulting firm that equips nonprofits and small businesses with the tools to achieve clarity and confidence. His work reflects a deep commitment to strengthening the backbone of organizations so they can focus on their mission impact.

Bryan and his wife, Emily, have been married for 10 years and are raising three children, Isaac (7), Averie (5), and Claire (< 1). When he’s not working, Bryan can usually be found in the gym, traveling abroad, coaching a sports team, casting a line on the water, or gathering around a table with friends and good food.

Dr. Andrea Sartori is a clinical neuropsychologist specializing in aging, dementia, and neuropsychological evaluation. She provides clinical services through both The Brain Clinic and the Appalachian Memory & Aging Initiative (AMAI), where her clinical expertise supports AMAI’s efforts to expand access to high-quality cognitive and neuropsychological services for older adults in rural Southwestern Virginia.

Dr. Sartori earned her PhD in Medical/Clinical Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed a neuropsychology-focused predoctoral internship/residency at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, followed by a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at The Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She remained at Brown as faculty and attending staff for several years before relocating to South Carolina. There, she practiced in a private neuropsychology setting before joining the Medical University of South Carolina as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology, Division of Neuropsychology.

Throughout her career, Dr. Sartori has developed extensive expertise in the evaluation of adults and older adults experiencing memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and complex medical conditions. She also brings significant experience in clinical supervision and professional education, having supervised neuropsychology interns and fellows, graduate and medical students, and medical residents.

Dr. Sartori’s clinical approach is patient-centered and collaborative. She believes patients should be active participants in their healthcare, with accessible providers serving as partners in understanding concerns, making informed decisions, and developing individualized treatment and care plans. Education and community outreach have been longstanding passions for Dr. Sartori. She has provided numerous presentations and interactive workshops addressing cognitive aging, brain health, and dementia. Her commitment to this work began before graduate school, when she volunteered at The Memory Clinic in Bennington, Vermont, while living in rural Western Massachusetts.

Through her complementary clinical roles with The Brain Clinic and AMAI, Dr. Sartori brings specialized neuropsychological expertise directly to the region while helping AMAI strengthen access to assessment, education, and dementia-related care for individuals and families throughout Southwestern Virginia.