Sandy Sabersky is co-founder of Elderwise® and co-author with Ruth Neuwald Falcon, of The Elderwise Way: A Different Approach to Life with Dementia which explains the Elderwise Philosophy and practice of Spirit-Centered Care®. She practiced physical therapy for 25 years and is a Certified Sage-ing Leader with Sage-ing International.

With an educational background in ecology and fisheries, Annie Koziol’s work took her to many places including Nepal as a Peace Corps Volunteer and Japan as an exchange researcher at Kagoshima University. She came to Seattle to attend UW and stayed to raise her children. She was drawn to Elderwise® by the wholeness of the Elderwise philosophy and the practice of Spirit-Centered Care®. For Annie, being part of Elderwise has been a wonderful journey of growth, respect and joy.

Janet discovered her love of working with seniors while getting her MSW at UW. Her first job in social work was discharge planning at a skilled nursing facility. She then worked with low income seniors in independent living and as a contract social worker with a local senior village. Prior to geriatric and medical social work, Janet dabbled in residential landscape design after graduating from the UW Dept of Landscape Architecture. She is thrilled to be a part of the Elderwise and UW Memory Hub community that supports people with dementia their families and friends.

Hilary is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Art Therapist practicing in WA State as an independent contractor. Hilary has engaged as a Therapist in WA for the past 20 years including having worked with the Tulalip Tribe, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, group practices and Clinical Manager and Therapist at Center for Human Services. Her work span (past and current) serves a diverse range of both cultural and ethnic Elders, Adults, Youth and their families. Hilary’s focus and training has been concentrated in Trauma Informed Care, Diversity & Inclusion and Culturally Relevant practices. Additionally, Hilary was a former Elderwise facilitator between 2013 and 2019. Hilary has integrated her earlier years of training and love for music and the visual arts into her work and leisure. Hilary joined the Elderwise Board in June of 2024.

Nat is a facilitator at Elderwise. He also works at a bakery in Pike Place Market. He loves the creative process of painting and is glad he has the opportunity to paint, sing, and spend time with the Tuesday group every week.

Claire has been a lifelong advocate for the elderly, and has experience caretaking for family members. She enjoys giving back to the community and continuing to learn and grow together. She enjoys gardening, making art, and collaborating with others to make something more than what we could do individually.

For most of his career Dick was a Professor of International Business at the University of Washington, and was the founder of the university's Global Business Center. He holds degrees in engineering and business administration from Stanford and Harvard, and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia from 1964 to 1967. After retiring from the academic world, Dick worked from 2001 to 2024 as part of the team at Global Partnerships, a Seattle-based non-profit organization that supports microfinance institutions in Africa and Latin America. He is also a member of the Board of Water 1st International, another Seattle-based organization that funds water projects in poor communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Cal began collaborating with Elderwise in 2019 while working on her Master of Design at the University of Washington. Together, Cal & Elderwise displayed artwork created by Elderwise Day Program participants at an installation called 'Looking Forward' at the Seattle Design Festival. Cal was drawn to Elderwise through her connection with her Great Grandmother, Doris, who lived with dementia before she passed away in 2009. Cal joined the Elderwise Board at the beginning of 2022 and is looking forward to supporting all of Elderwise's current and future endeavors.

Joline, originally from Los Angeles, has been a Seattle resident for over 40 years. An artist, gardener and chicken steward — she always has her fingers into one creative project or another. She saw her mother through her final years at various living communities and discovered that she enjoys and is enriched by being with folks with dementia.

Margaret Bovingdon is from Seattle. She studied painting at Cornish College of the Arts and graduated from the Art Therapy program at Antioch University. While in the program, an internship at a skilled nursing facility allowed her to meet many wonderful and inspiring individuals, the majority of whom were adults experiencing younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease and elders living with dementia. She was invited to join the staff upon graduation. Margaret is an artist who specializes in painting and ceramics.

Mariko Sata joined ArtWise in January 2021 as a student volunteer. She is currently enrolled in the Art Therapy program at Antioch University and hopes to work with this demographic upon graduation. She has volunteered with the Elderwise community in the past and is thrilled to have the opportunity to return. She believes art can heal and serve as modality to uncover personal narratives. In her free time, Mariko plays with her poodle Mochi, and enjoys running.

Katie Spears is the Elderwise Education Specialist and an ORISE fellow at the CDC in Atlanta, GA. She is a native of East TN but lived in Seattle, WA for eight years, where she completed her MPH at the University of Washington. While completing her thesis, she interviewed and met some of the wonderful people at Elderwise! Her experience as a caregiver for her mother has led her to pursue a career in dementia-related work, and she is passionate about helping those affected by dementia receive the necessary support and care to live a quality life with this diagnosis.

Born in Yakima but raised primarily in the Hawaiian Islands, Lynn graduated with a degree from UW in Speech Pathology. Married to Dennis Black in 1962, the couple settled in Kirkland, and raised three children. Lynn co-founded a junior high in the Lake Washington School District and taught at and led the Community Elementary School for over 20 years. Lynn and Dennis enjoyed 50 years of sailing together until Dennis was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2008. Lynn found Elderwise where he participated in the painting, music and socialization activities. The family home is decorated with Denny's paintings from his time at Elderwise. Her beloved ukulele is never far from reach, and she cherishes her time volunteering at the Memory Hub and Elderwise.

I was born in East Liverpool, Ohio. I attended college at Princeton University and The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore where I met my wife Lynne. In 1974 we moved to Cleveland, Ohio to complete my training in Hematology and Oncology and where our daughter Kate was born. In 1979 we moved to Corvallis Oregon to join a multi-specialty clinic and we joyfully embraced the Pacific Northwest as our home. In addition to my medical practice I was involved with the establishment of a home-based hospice and later served as a medical director after retirement from full-time practice. In 2020 we moved to The Hearthstone Continuing Care Community in Green Lake to be close to our daughter. We found Elderwise in our search for support for Lynne in her journey with dementia. She is an alumna of the program that reawakened her artistic skills in an enriching and supportive environment.

Susan still feels new to Seattle. She and her husband moved here 2 years ago from north Michigan to be closer to their son. Susan has worked as a medical social worker, a landscape architect, a community college art teacher and taught art at a Montessori school. Susan comes from a family who values volunteering and has volunteered her entire life–starting out as a hospital candy striper! Susan brings a playful spirit to Elderwise and enjoys experimenting with different mediums and shapes.