Our Team

Shawnna Alto is the founder and president of LivingWell NV.

Shawnna is a native Nevadan and currently resides in Sparks with her two sons. She attended the University of Nevada, Reno, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work and graduated from Western Governors University in 2023 with her master’s in business administration. Since 2012, Shawnna has served urban and rural northern Nevada as a licensed social worker in a variety of settings.

Her experience includes child welfare, juvenile justice, public policy, healthcare, and leadership. Since starting her career, she has had the honor of working with individuals and families with diverse backgrounds and needs aged from gestation to 104-years-old, which is a gift she is very thankful for.

Since 2017, Shawnna has primarily worked with older adults in a healthcare setting. This experience opened her eyes to the disparity faced by seniors throughout northern Nevada resulting from a lack of critical services and community supports. The outcomes of seniors she witnessed as a result of gaps and barriers of resources and care were poor health, unsafe living environments, homelessness, social isolation, untreated mental health conditions, and shortened lifespans. These realities led to the creation of LivingWell NV.

Shawnna believes if we come together as a community, we can address the disparities seniors are experiencing in northern Nevada. By working together, we can ensure older adults are able to thrive while living and aging well.

Aj Reed was born in Arizona and moved to Las Vegas in 1986. She's been a Nevada resident for 37 years, moving to Reno to attend college. She met her husband of 22 years at UNR and they knew Reno was their forever home.

After graduating nursing school, she specialized in oncology and Hospice. She knew instantly she had found her true niche in life by providing unparalleled care to a most deserving population. Hospice has taught her much after fourteen years. Every day is different brining new challenges, but her unwavering love for patients and their families never changes. She often speaks of how they touch her heart daily and her biggest goal is to impact their lives in the same way

It was the community care that opened her eyes to the challenges of navigating of the Healthcare system compounded by daily life struggles and limited resources. It was these concerns for our senior population that compelled Aj to join our board. Her goal is to serve our community by easing the burden of limited resources and providing support and guidance through education. We are here for you!

Shane McCartin is one of our fantastic directors on the board of LivingWell NV, and he serves as our treasurer.

Shane, as a third generation Nevadan, is passionate about serving our community. He was born in Carson City and has spent most of his life in Washoe County, including Incline Village and the Reno area.

Professionally, Shane is a licensed insurance agent, which he began a decade ago. It was his work in insurance that opened his eyes to the ability to be of greater help and support to seniors in our community. He provides education, assistance, and guidance to aging adults and their loved ones while they navigate Medicare and insurance needs.

Shane is a founding member of a local Business Networking International (BNI) Chapter, which means he has close community connections with individuals from a variety of settings. His BNI chapter includes experts in many professions including plumbers, electricians, realtors, bookkeepers, chiropractors, and others. His well-rounded network means he can help connect the right people to each other.

Shane joined LivingWell NV’s board because he saw that seniors in our community often feel overwhelmed by a lack of support and connection to others and when trying to navigate decisions that impact their health and security. His goal with LivingWell NV is to help seniors feel confident understanding resources available to them, provide support and guidance, and provide education about imperative topics – such as Medicare.

Kellie Laberry serves as one of LivingWell NV’s outstanding board members. She is a licensed social worker, having served in the field since 2009 after graduating from UNR with her undergraduate degree in social work. She has spent the majority of her career working with the aging community. Kellie currently serves our rural communities within northern Nevada.

Kellie has identified multiple gaps and barriers within our health and social systems and wanted to be a part of the solution, which led her to joining the LivingWell Board. She is passionate about improving the lives of others and is excited to work collaboratively with her fellow board members, community partners, and individuals we serve. As she likes to reiterate, it takes a village!

In her free time, Kellie enjoys life with her two pups and cat. She was raised in Reno & Sparks, but currently resides in Fallon, NV. She loves nature and travelling.

Kellie is eager to help others in whatever way she can, and she is also an advocate for systems change. She would love to have conversations with others about ways to make changes to “the system” so that those in need receive better care, access, and services.

Marsy Kupfersmith is a Senior Advisor for LivingWell NV. She has vast knowledge and experience, especially as it relates to senior issues in our community.

Marsy moved to Nevada in 2004 from New York, where she served as a legal secretary for 30 years. She was an integral member of the team that formed the Sparks Senior Citizen’s Advisory Committee in 2018, and she currently serves as the committee’s Vice President.

In addition to her work on the Sparks Senior Citizen’s Advisory Committee, she volunteers and participates in a multitude of senior related activities. Marsy routinely attends Senior Day at the Nevada Legislature, volunteers with the Alzheimer’s Association and participates in their annual walks, is a member of the OLLI Advisory Council, made phone calls to seniors during COVID-19 as part of the Senior Friendly Visitor program, and she is the Secretary and board member for the Senior Coalition of Washoe County. Due to her hard work and dedication on behalf of seniors in Nevada, she was the winner of the 2020 Nevada Senior Citizen of the Year Award.

Marsy is a true advocate for seniors and has been working diligently over the past several years to bring light to the necessity of affordable housing for seniors. She is a member of the Policy Committee of the Nevada Housing Coalition and has been working collaboratively with leaders in the housing industry to propose potential solutions to this crisis. Her vision is to establish multi-year leases with reasonable built-in increases as a means of specifically targeting seniors who are on a fixed income that are susceptible to losing their housing when faced with rent hike increases.