Board of Directors
Meet Edenwald's Board of Directors

Edenwald Senior Living’s Board of Directors at their annual educational retreat.
Vincent P. Nesline, Chairman
C.P.A. – Stoy Malone & Company, PC
Debra S. Wertheimer, M.D., Vice Chair
Retired, Former Medical Care Director of Hospice & Palliative Medicine Maryland VA Medical Systems
William L. Hermann, Treasurer
Retired C.P.A. – President – William L. Hermann, Inc.
Scott Ensor, Secretary
Stockbroker, Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas
Katherine Allen, Resident Board Member
Retired – Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the Peabody Conservatory
Francis B. Palumbo, Previous Chairman
Professor and Associate Director – University of Maryland
Emily Brophy
Partner, William Tan & Associates Inc.
Lawrence S. Cook
Retired – Project Manager, Whiting Turner Construction Company
Bruce J. Mattheiss
Retired – President, B.J. Mattheiss Insurance Company
W. Charles Rogers III
Retired – Attorney – Rogers, Moore and Rogers, LLP
Robert L. Seeger
Retired – R.L. Seeger Printing Company
Cory Silkman
Silkman LLC
Astrid S. Wexler
Retired – Registered Nurse
Tracy J. Jacobs
Director of The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Towson University
Andri Purkanto
Owner of Brightstar Care of Baltimore
Michele Ewing
Vice President for Advancement at Goucher College
Vince is currently the Chairman of the Board of Edenwald, and has served on the Board since 2016. Vince grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and graduated from the University of Maryland. He holds a CPA license, and has worked for Stoy, Malone and Company, PC since 1983. He and his wife Kristin moved to Towson in 1986, and raised three children. Vince has been active in community and civic organizations. He currently serves as Treasurer of the historic Prospect Hill Cemetery. In his free time, he and Kristin enjoy taking care of her extensive gardens at their home in Bay Ridge.
Frank is a professor and executive director at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy Center on Drugs and Public Policy. He is also a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia Bars and is a licensed pharmacist. Frank has practiced both pharmacy and law. As an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, he teaches the course in food and drug law. In addition, Frank served as chair of the editorial advisory board of the Food and Drug Law Journal.
He has been the principal investigator on major federal research grants and served as a member of a NIH study section for over four years. In addition to law, Frank maintains a strong interest in public policy, pharmacoeconomics, pharmacoepidemiology and health services research. He has many journal articles and presentations to his credit, covering a wide range of topics including law and public policy, and he co-authored a book on containing costs in third party drug programs.
Frank is also Of Counsel at Baker & Hostetler, in their Washington, D.C. office, where his practice is principally in the food and drug area. He has also been very active in several national professional organizations, including the American Pharmacists Association where he served as President of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science, the American Society for Pharmacy Law where he is a past president, and the Food and Drug Law Institute where he serves as a member of the Board of Directors. He received his B.S. in Pharmacy from the Medical University of South Carolina, M.S. and Ph.D. in Health Care Administration from the University of Mississippi and J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Frank served in the U.S. Army from 1969-1971 and has been a member of the Edenwald Board since the early 1990s. He is our Immediate Past Board Chair. Frank has no serious hobbies, but he does enjoy spending time with his wife, Karen, and walking their dog. He and Karen have one daughter and two grandchildren.
Trudy is a retired home care nurse and has worked with seniors for over 40 years. She came to Baltimore in 1967 from New York City where she was a public health nurse for the New York City Health Department.
Trudy received a Masters’ Degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins in 1968, and worked for the Baltimore County Health Department as a nurse manager in their Home Care division for 30 years.
Always active and never able to fully retire, Trudy’s last position was as a Medicare Home Care nurse for Blakehurst.
Due to her extensive background, we are honored to have Trudy as a member of our Board, particularly as we plan our future and the addition of service lines we envision will include serving seniors in their homes.
Andri Purkanto is the Owner of BrightStar Care of Baltimore County and South-Central Pennsylvania. Prior to his current role, he held global leadership responsibilities at multinational companies where he developed a depth of knowledge and experience in management, operations, technology, and execution.
Andri earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Colorado State University and an MBA from Pennsylvania State University.
Andri’s lifelong pursuit is to find an opportunity to indulge his intellectual passion of life, enjoy doing it, and at the same time contribute something beyond himself. He and his wife, Sussy, have two children, Lexi, 13, and Elie, 11.
Kitty Allen, a lifelong Baltimorean, mother of three and grandmother of five, is a 6-year resident of Edenwald and currently President of the Residents’ Association (RA), 2020-2022. After a position in Promotion and Public Relations at the old Baltimore News Post, Kitty served as administrative assistant at her church until widowed, retiring for a job with benefits as administrative secretary to the dean of the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University for 15 years, then for 16 years as the administrative assistant in Spiritual Support Services at GBMC. When elected vice president of the RA, she retired, yet again, to be free to attend all the RA committee meetings and activities.
Additionally, Kitty always has a part-time job or two, some paid, some volunteer, as a proofreader for Waverly Press, Hopkins Press, the Aspen Institute, or editing newsletters for the Baltimore Symphony Associates, Grace Church, The American Guild of Organists, and creating program books for the Symphony Decorator’s Showhouses.
Among Kitty’s passions are music (choral, classical), watching tennis, Orioles and Ravens, and visits from her family.
Emily Brophy has over 15 years of experience in commercial asset management. She began her career with William Tan & Associates, Inc. by managing the day-to-day operations of various properties including retail, mixed-use, office and raw land (for future development). She progressed from overseeing the daily operations of properties to managing the strategy, planning, construction, and development of new properties within her portfolio.
Emily developed increased responsibility in her career with Westfield and Brookfield. During her time at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, MD, the approximately 1.3 million square foot mall underwent a 100+ million-dollar renovation, which included the addition of a new movie theatre, expanded food court and several new full-service restaurants. At Brookfield’s Towson Town Center, she worked closely with the development and construction teams to deliver a 12+ million-dollar entertainment renovation, which included relocating 10+ tenants and delivering a 55 thousand square foot white box space to an entertainment user.
Emily has extensive knowledge of various areas of asset management including strategic planning, budget preparation, lease negotiations, project management, tenant coordination, accounts receivables, vendor relations, and center operations.
Currently, Emily is a Principal at William Tan & Associates, Inc., which is a Baltimore-based professional services company that provides accounting, tax, financial planning, and real estate development and management services. Emily heads the real estate department, which consists of over 20 properties in multiple asset classes, including retail, office, office condominiums, and mixed-use.
Emily is married, has a 2-year old Labrador puppy, and enjoys travelling and drinking wine.
Chuck was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended McDonogh School, Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and University of Maryland School of Law. He practiced law for 37 years, 34 of which were spent with his family’s law firm, Rogers, Moore, and Rogers in downtown Baltimore. He retired from the practice of law in 2017, but still serves on the boards of several local companies.
Chuck joined the Edenwald Board in 2015. He currently serves as Board treasurer and chairman of the finance committee. His aunt has resided in independent living at Edenwald since 2012 and is very appreciative of the excellent living environment provided by the Edenwald staff.
He enjoys spending several months a year in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. He loves hiking there with his wife, Margie, and his dog, Little Rachel. Chuck also enjoys scuba diving and reading most anything.
Tracy is the Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Towson University. She is originally from a small college town in northern New York State. She holds a BA from Middlebury College in Vermont and an MFA from the University of Maryland at College Park.
Before working with the “overgrads” in the Osher at Towson University program, Tracy worked with students of all ages as the Director of Special Programs in the School for Professional and Continuing Studies at MICA. She also taught college-level studio art classes at Baltimore area colleges and universities. Tracy is passionate about providing lifelong learning opportunities that help people to enrich their lives. She lives in Baltimore with her husband Greg.
Debbie’s entire life and professional career involved caring for and serving seniors. Debbie received her medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine. She has been a geriatrician and hospice/palliative care physician associated with both the University of Maryland Medical Center and the Veterans Affairs Maryland Healthcare System.
Her relationship with Edenwald began as a result of her professional interests and affiliations, however, it was with great pleasure that her parents chose to become members of the Edenwald community. Debbie has reflected that “the move from their house to Edenwald was a very positive step and they loved the activities and stimulation they found here.”
Debbie’s children and grandchildren remember Bubby and Opa’s apartment, and treats from the Café. The entire family was thankful they were safe and happy at Edenwald. Debbie’s experience and interests are instrumental in guiding Edenwald forward, and expanding the services that our organization offers.
Larry is a native Baltimorean who was called to serve in the US Army during the Vietnam era. Upon returning from duty, he completed his education with a BS degree in Business Management. He worked for a well-known national construction company until his retirement after 38 years as a senior project manager. Larry joined the Edenwald board as a director in 2010. He currently serves on the healthcare committee, and also consults on construction matters. His relationship with Edenwald goes back to 1997 when his father became a resident, and at which time he invested himself into the general welfare of all residents and staff. On a personal note, Larry is happiest when spending time with his wife, Ginni, and their blended family which includes six grown children and ten grandchildren ranging in age from 5-29. Larry’s interests include gardening, kayaking, exercising, traveling, and time at the beach.
Michele is the vice president for advancement at Goucher College since June 2020, after serving nine years at Johns Hopkins School of Education as the associate dean for development and external relations. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and has worked in higher education fundraising for 28+ years in Maryland. Whenever she gets the chance, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, baking, or reading, and looks forward to spontaneous days on the beach or the mountains of West Virginia, wine and food tours or friendly competition of any kind.
Cory Silkman is the managing attorney for Silkman LLC, a Maryland law firm defending health care providers and entities in contested licensing matters before government agencies. Mr. Silkman holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Messiah College, a Master of Arts in Religion from Yale University, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. He is also a registered nurse with over thirteen years of experience in direct-care nursing and nursing management.
Mr. Silkman is the current Chair of the Healthcare Subcommittee at Edenwald, and also a member of the Strategic Planning Subcommittee and Recruitment Subcommittee.
He grew up in central Pennsylvania and has roots in the Mennonite and Anabaptist communities. He loves his two boys, ages 1 and 3, and enjoys seeing his own parents enjoy grandparenting.
Bruce followed in his father’s footsteps and has been a board member for thirty-two years, and now serves as Chairman of the Continuing Quality Improvement Committee and member of the Nominating Committee. His mother was a resident in independent living until she passed eight-months later. Bruce’s wife, Carolyn, is now a resident in Hoerich’s Hall, the memory-care unit, where she is receiving excellent care.
Bruce has a B.A. degree in Business Management, and is a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC). He is retired after forty-one years in the insurance business, and is the second-generation owner of the B.J. Mattheiss Insurance Agency, Inc., now owned by the third-generation, his son.
Bruce is very active in the Bethel Presbyterian Church and serves on the Board of Trustees, the Finance Committee, and is a member of the Men’s Breakfast Brunch. Bruce is an outdoorsman who enjoys hunting, fishing, golfing, and driving his 1963 Corvette.