About OALA
Our Association formed in 1993, to ensure assisted living its own voice, is governed by a Board of Trustees and supported by member dues and activities. Our membership is diverse encompassing all the models of assisted living in Ohio, from small to large, free standing to part of a continuing care campus, individually owned to corporately owned and/or religiously affiliated, all united by a commitment and belief in assisted living.
Meet the OALA Team
- Megan Kelley, Executive Director
- Melissa Shanmugam, Associate Director
- Kim Dumaine, Senior Member Services Director
- Jessica Dusenbery, Program & Education Director
- Amy Schwieterman, Marketing Director
- Byers, Minton & Associates, LLC Government Relations Team
Megan Kelley. On behalf of the OALA board of Directors, it is our pleasure to announce that Megan Kelley has been selected to serve as the Association's Executive Director. Megan will assume the role on March 21st, 2022.
"I am deeply honored to be entrusted with the strong legacy built by Jean Thompson and the OALA team as the leading voice for the assisted living industry in Ohio. As a committed aging services advocate, I am excited to focus my energies on building upon this legacy to ensure that Ohio's assisted living community thrives despite this challenging time and is prepared to meet the needs of the growing and changing aging population."
Megan succeeds Jean Thompson, OALA's first Executive Director, who provided excellent leadership and oversaw incredible membership growth until her retirement at the end of 2021. Jean will continue providing support and consultation to the Association
Prior to her role as Executive Director, Megan spent nine years with National Church Residences, most recently serving as Vice President of Public Policy, Government Relations & Corporate Communications. In addition, Megan just completed a six year term on the Ohio Ethics Commission. Prior to her work in senior living, she worked in private practice and in the Ohio legislature.
Megan is unanimously considered a perfect fit for this role, and the board of Directors, as well as the OALA team, are incredibly excited for her to begin.
Melissa Shanmugam is the Associate Director at OALA. She has a bachelor’s degree in nursing and minor in Nursing Management from Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Melissa has a National Wound Care Certification from the nationally accredited Wound Care Institute as well as a certification in Executive Assisted Living. She also holds the Train-the-Trainer Certification as an instructor for the DD Certified Medication Aide training.
Melissa has been working in the healthcare industry since 2004 in the Greater Columbus area. Her background includes Surgical, Trauma, and Skilled Nursing. She also has a strong background in Behavioral health with adolescents, serving as the Clinical Director of a 90-bed in-patient acute behavior hospital. Melissa has worked in the Assisted Living industry since 2014 in the role of a Nursing Director or Operations Director. Previously Melissa worked with agencies supporting the DD population as the Corporate Director of Operations.
When Melissa is not working, she enjoys boating, flying and spending time with her husband, three children and multiple pets, whether in the Columbus or surrounding area or in Tennessee, where she is originally from.
Kim Dumaine is the Senior Member Services Director at OALA. She has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Findlay. Kim has worked in the Health Care field for over 22 years and 20 of those years were as an Executive Director in Assisted Living Communities.
Kim’s dedication to the industry is shown through her experience, knowledge of the industry and the ability to understand Provider needs as well as the residents they serve. Kim previously worked with adolescents in a variety of capacities including counseling, behavioral health management, trauma informed care and placement over a 10-year time span.
When Kim is not working, she enjoys attending and watching sporting events, traveling, spending time with her husband, family, and 2 fur babies, Malakai, and Kali.
Jessica Dusenbery is the Program and Education Director at OALA.
Amy Schwieterman is the Marketing Director at OALA. She has a Bachelors of Business Administration. She has been in the Senior Living Industry for 17 years and 10 of those years have been in the Assisted Living Industry. She has worked in the industry as a Sales Manager, Sr. Director of Sales & Marketing and Executive Director. Prior to the pandemic, Amy worked for OALA as the Membership Director. In March of 2022, she rejoined the OALA team.
Amy has a passion for helping people find solutions. She always enjoyed connecting with residents and their families to understand what they needed to feel happy and stay healthy. That same connection helped Amy to connect with community staff to help them reach goals and make the communities they served happier places to work and live.
When Amy isn’t working, she and her husband, Ben, are raising young 2 daughters, Keiara and Kaydence. They enjoy trips to the Columbus Museum of Art, the Franklin Park Conservatory and Columbus Metro Parks.