Barbara Hughes Sullivan

National Director

Barbara Hughes Sullivan attended George Washington University, where she earned a BA degree in business administration and marketing. In 2001 she joined Paul Spring Retirement Community to head the marketing/business development team. While focusing on senior issues she continued her education in eldercare. In 2006 she completed her certification with the Commonwealth of Virginia, Board of Long-Term Care Administrators. In 2007 in an advisory role, she was active in the growing Village movement to help seniors stay in their homes. She served on the first suburban Village, Mount Vernon At Home, Board of Directors from 2008 to January 2010. In August of 2010, she became the Executive Director of Mount Vernon At Home. In June 2018, Barbara was appointed the National Director for Village to Village Network (VTVN). VTVN is the national association that represents 350 Villages throughout the United States and four countries around the world in the Village movement’s model for aging.

During her career, Barbara served on multiple boards, including Chairman of the Board of the Mount Vernon Lee Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Board for the Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Development Council and Inova Mt. Vernon Patient Advisory Council. Barbara served as the Co-Convener of Ventures in Community, a faith based, nonprofit consortium based in Fairfax County. Barbara also served as Co-President of WAVE (Washington Area Village Exchange), a regional collation of Villages in the metro D.C. area.

Barbara was awarded the Pro-Aging Award by the Guide to Retirement Living, honoring exceptional professionals in the field of aging, and the Citizen of the Year Award from the Mount Vernon Lee Chamber of Commerce in 2008. In 2011, Barbara was awarded the honor of Lady Fairfax for the Mount Vernon District, an honor for outstanding volunteer service in the community.

Barbara and her husband Barry raised three boys, Barry Jr., Brendan and Bryan Sullivan in Alexandria, VA. A native of Ocean City, New Jersey, Barbara and her husband Barry moved in 2018 to the Jersey Shore to be closer to their children and grandchildren.

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.