Barbara Hughes Sullivan

National Director

Barbara Hughes Sullivan is a recognized leader in the aging and eldercare fields with over 20 years of experience. She earned a BA in Business Administration and Marketing from George Washington University and began her career in 2001 with Retirement Unlimited, Inc., where she led the marketing and business development team in Alexandria, VA. Focused on senior issues, Barbara continued her education and earned certification with the Commonwealth of Virginia's Board of Long-Term Care Administrators in 2006.

Barbara has been a key figure in the Village Movement, which aims to help seniors age in place. She served on the Board of Directors for the first suburban village, Mount Vernon At Home, from 2008 to 2010 and became its Executive Director in 2010. In 2018, she was appointed National Director of Village to Village Network (VtVN), the national association representing over 350 Villages across the U.S. and beyond. Barbara is passionate about supporting older adults to live independently and has served on numerous boards, including as President of the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the national board of Leading Age.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Clagett

Office Manager

Betsy Clagett has been involved with villages since 2010 when she became the office manager of Mount Vernon At Home, a village in Alexandria, VA. She was extensively involved there coordinating with members and volunteers, newsletter production, marketing material development, financial reports, and a variety of other activities.

Prior to Mount Vernon At Home, Betsy had a wide range of professional activities including 8 years as marketing/event coordination at an historic rental venue and 15 years as a defense contractor supporting naval warfare logistics programs.

Betsy holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University. She and her husband have three daughters who have “grown and flown” to different parts of the world.

Cele Garrett

Programs Manager

Cele served as the executive director for At Home in Alexandria (AHA), the village serving Alexandria, Virginia, from March 2013-January 2026. During that time, the organization greatly advanced its impact in the Alexandria community, tripling the number of older adults served. AHA actively collaborated with numerous local industry partners like Dementia Friendly Alexandria, the Northern VA Falls Prevention Alliance, Goodwin Living At Home, and Senior Services of Alexandria. AHA hosted presentations to the greater community on such topics as The Continuum of Care, Financial Literacy for Older Adults, Managing a Hospital Stay, Solo Aging, Seven Types of Senior Living Communities, Understanding Care Management, and Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults. Cele developed new offerings for AHA members that become popular staples: Tech Thursdays, Lively Arts discussion group, Morning Brew and its weekly chair yoga classes and gentle mat yoga classes. Cele served on the board of the Washington Area Villages Exchange (WAVE) for six years and has often presented at WAVE and VtVN conferences.

Prior to Cele’s village experience, she worked in development for the Public Broadcasting Service at its headquarters office in Virginia. During the years her children were young, she was a freelance writer and project manager for PBS and other clients that included Whitecoat Strategies, Biotechnology Industry Organization, and Classic Cottages. In her volunteer work, Cele ran a volunteer tutoring program for her kids’ elementary school and campaigned for several local political races, including a state Senate race, a mayoral race, a city council race and two school board races. She served on the board of the local nonprofit RunningBrooke (now known as Move2Learn) for four years.

Travis Mowers

Director of Operations

Travis Mowers has worked with nonprofit organizations for more than a decade. In his current role at VtV Network, Travis assists members with any questions, manages a database, produces newsletters, maintains the website and social media presence, hosts several monthly webinars, along with many other roles.

Prior to 2016, Travis worked as the communications coordinator for the Center for Plant Conservation at the Missouri Botanical Garden, helping to prevent the extinction of rare and imperiled native plants. Travis maintained the website and social media presence of the Center and produced many print and digital pieces for both internal and external audiences. Travis has also worked for an electric cooperative in rural Missouri and produced content for Rural Missouri Magazine.

Travis is a US Air Force Veteran of the first Gulf War and did a tour in Saudi Arabia as an aviation fuels specialist. He has a BA in interactive media from Webster University and currently lives in Maplewood, Mo.