Meet Our Team
Providers
Dr. Charles Edwards II, MD
Founding Physician
Dr. Charles H. Edwards II, MD
Founding Physician
Deeply affected by caring for his parents, both of whom suffered from dementia, Dr. Edwards established the Memory & Movement Center in 2013.
After 30 years as a cardiovascular surgeon, he received training in dementia care from Johns Hopkins Medical Institute. He is quick to share that none of this could have happened without the help and inspiration of his wife, Mary. Early on, she answered the phone, heard patients’ stories and knew the work that lay ahead.
A Charlotte native, Dr. Edwards graduated from University of Virginia and UNC School of Medicine. He did his residency in surgery at Duke University Medical Center. He and Mary have three children, Virginia, Charles III and Leslie, and eight grandchildren. Away from work, he loves to paint, fish and play golf.
Dr. Sanjay S. Iyer, MD
Medical Director
Dr. Sanjay Iyer, MD
Medical Director
Dr. Iyer is a Movement Disorders Neurologist who joined MMC in 2019 after spending more than a decade as Chairman of Neurology and Director of Movement Disorders at Atrium Health. He was drawn to MMC by the “time and attention” model that enables us to focus on the needs of the entire family, not just the patient. He completed his neurologic training at the Medical College of Georgia, including a Fellowship in Movement Disorders.
Dr. Iyer is a big proponent of exercise and social interaction as means of slowing progression of neurologic conditions. He is an avid sports fan and enjoys spending free time on Hilton Head Island with his wife and two kids.
Dr. Aristides Chaconas, MD
Neurologist
Dr. Aristides Chaconas, MD
Neurologist
Dr. Chaconas has practiced neurology in Charlotte for 25 years, devoting himself to getting to know his patients and families as he helps them navigate a diagnosis of dementia. Memory & Movement Charlotte offered him the opportunity to practice a highly personal style of what he calls bedside medicine.
A native of Baltimore, he graduated from Loyola College in Baltimore, then completed medical school and neurology residency at Georgetown University School of Medicine. He and his wife, Christina, a radiologist, have two children, Elizabeth and Peter. Dr. Chaconas is an avid marksman (target shooting, not hunting) and scuba diver.
Heather Braucher
Nurse Practitioner
Heather Braucher
Nurse Practitioner
Through her personal experience caring for a family member with dementia, as well as her professional experience working with patients living with chronic and life-limiting illnesses, Heather has developed a passion for individuals living with memory and movement disorders. She joined Memory and Movement Charlotte after being drawn to the practice’s philosophy of time-and-attention. She is committed to improving the quality of life of our patients and families by providing support, education and expert symptom management.
A native of Ohio, Heather earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She also earned a master’s degree from The Ohio State University School of Nursing. She is certified as an Adult Nurse Practitioner and has specialized training as an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She has experience in Mental Health, Oncology and Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Robyn Wolkofsky, PA-C
Physician Assistant
Robyn Wolkofsky, PA-C
Physician Assistant
Seeing the need to treat dementia differently – caring for the entire family, breaking down the walls of fear and misunderstanding that surround the disease – inspired Robyn to join the team. So did losing her grandmother to dementia.
A native of Cranford, N.J., she graduated from Penn State University and worked as a registered dietitian before earning a Master of Science degree from the Physician Assistant program at Duke University School of Medicine. She and her husband, Evan, have three children, Brooke, Ryan and Jessica. Cooking, watching her children’s ballgames and game night with friends reenergize her for work.
Office and Clinical Team
Janet LeClair
Executive Director
Janet LeClair
Executive Director
Her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and a 7-year journey as her primary caregiver led Janet from a successful banking and business career to the not-for-profit world of dementia care. After serving on the board of The Ivey and then as COO for over 6 years, Janet assumed the Executive Director role at Memory & Movement Charlotte in October 2020. A mission to support caregivers and help families combat the impact of memory and movement disorders coupled with a profound respect for Dr. Edwards made this a natural transition and an opportunity to continue to support the greater Charlotte community.
A native of New Jersey, Janet earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Marketing from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. Janet spent over 20 years with Wachovia in senior Human Resources and operations roles and served as President of a small Charlotte based HR outsourcing company prior to joining The Ivey.
Janet is a Certified Care Manager and certified in the BCAT (a cognitive screen and assessment tool) program.
Janet and her husband John have four children and one grandchild. She's has served on numerous local boards and currently serves on the Mint Museum of Art collections board and the Magnolia Memory Care, Inc. board in Fort Mill, SC.
Melanie Baron
Community Engagement, Marketing and Development Director
Melanie Baron
Community Engagement, Marketing and Development Director
Since 1991, Melanie has been telling stories through words, pictures and 3-dimensional environments in museums, libraries and places for informal learning. She moved to Charlotte in 2005 to be part of the team that opened ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center, and comes to MMC from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation, where she handled marketing and communications for the fundraising arm of the public library.
Together with her mother and sister, Melanie was a caregiver for her father during his journey with Alzheimer’s disease and saw firsthand the need for comprehensive education and support for both patients and caregivers. It is her privilege to share the impact of MMC’s time and attention approach, and to play even a tiny role in making this type of care possible.
A native of Rhode Island, Melanie holds a BA from Tufts University, and a MEd from Bank Street College of Education in New York City. She and her husband have a teenage daughter who keeps them both driving in circles in their spare time.
Angela Carnes
Senior Billing Specialist
Angela Carnes
Senior Billing Specialist
Angela brings invaluable experience to Memory & Movement Charlotte in provider credentialing, insurance and patient billing, accounts payable and accounts receivable.
She also brings personal inspiration: Her mother suffered from dementia. Angela saw the toll it took on the entire family, and her calling now is to ease that burden for others.
A Charlotte native, she earned a BS in Marketing from Appalachian State University and spent 20 years in business marketing. She has one daughter, Julie. She enjoys knitting, sewing and gardening. Margaret and Angela are sisters-in-law.
Margaret Carnes
Registered Nurse
Margaret Carnes
Registered Nurse
Margaret cites three reasons for joining the team when the practice launched in 2013: Personal experience caring for family members with dementia, her affection for elderly patients, and the opportunity to work with Dr. Edwards, his wife Mary and the entire staff to create a superior model of care.
A Charlotte native, Margaret worked in the ICU at Mercy Hospital and Durham County General Hospital and as an Infection Control Practitioner at Union Memorial Hospital in Monroe. She has three children – Wes, Michael and Maggie – and two grandchildren. Her husband, James, died from leukemia in 2017. She enjoys cooking, reading and exercising.
Katie Cooper
Family Education and Support Coordinator
Katie Cooper
Family Education and Support Coordinator
Katie recently completed her Master's in Social Work from NC State University. She joined Memory & Movement Charlotte in August 2021 as a Program Coordinator, focused primarily on Caregiver Resources. Katie works closely with our Advanced Practice Providers, Robyn and Heather, supporting our Care Plan appointments and coordinating our growing Caregiver Support groups.
Additionally, Katie is a facilitator for UNC Charlotte's Caregiver TLC research study, developed in collaboration with Stanford University.
For more information on the TLC program, email Katie at kcooper@mmclt.org.
Aubrie Ford
Patient Experience Coordinator & Analyst
Aubrie Ford
Patient Experience Coordinator
Aubrie’s position answering the phone and making callers feel welcome offers her the opportunity to work with seniors, a passion of hers since she was 16. A Minnesota native, she earned a BS in Therapeutic Recreation from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She moved to Charlotte several years ago for an internship at a Continuing Care Retirement Community before joining our practice. “The care and passion each member of the Memory & Movement Center team exudes is unique and hard to find anywhere else,” she says. Aubrie enjoys hiking, spending time with friends (and her dog, Tod) and catching up on the latest TV shows she’s streaming.
Lisa Grodi
Registered Nurse
Lisa Grodi
Registered Nurse
An Ohio native, Lisa earned her RN certification From Mercy College of NW Ohio and is a registered Certified Care Manager.
Previously, Lisa worked at Atrium Health as a cardiac nurse and served as the Health and Wellness Manager at The Ivey prior to joining Hospice as a case manager.
Lisa and her husband Lance have 3 children, Vincent, Marissa and Cameron. In her spare time Lisa loves to bike ride, enjoy the beach and spend time with her family.
Dede Heath
Accounting & Business Administrator
Dede Heath
Accounting and Business Administrator
Dede loves helping people and letting them know that Memory and Movement Charlotte is here to help.
An Air Force “brat” who grew up all over, she graduated from Virginia Tech with a BA in Communications and Spanish.
She and her husband Shawn have three sons, Luke, Dean and Pete. She enjoys spending as much time as she can with her family, which includes taking Finn the family dog on walks.
Mombo Massaquoi
Certified Nursing Assistant
Mombo Massaquoi
Certified Nursing Assistant
Mombo was working at The Cypress senior living community in Charlotte when she met Dr. Edwards, who was there to evaluate a patient. He was impressed by how she related to people with memory loss. She gave him her contact information.
Today, she is sharing her skills and compassion with our patients as she pursues her goal of becoming a registered nurse. A native of Monrovia, Liberia, she and her husband, Melvin, have three daughters, Aniyah, Melanie and Camille. Mombo’s favorite pastime is watching Disney movies with her girls on Friday nights.
Heidy Noble, RMA
Clinical Administrator
Heidy Noble
Clinical Administrator
Originally from Tampa, FL, Heidy has always had a passion for helping others. She began her medical career as a Certified Nursing Assistant working with seniors and disabled children. Soon after, she earned her Registered Medical Assistant license to provide clinical and administrative support to physicians.
She learned about Memory and Movement Charlotte from a colleague who worked with Dr. Iyer, and she was drawn to the practice by the time and attention model.
Heidy works closely with Dr. Iyer's team supporting both patients and caregivers, and she helps facilitate the new patient onboarding process.
In her spare time, Heidy enjoys the outdoors and spends quality time with her family and friends.
Kristen Phillips
Registered Nurse
Kristen Phillips
Registered Nurse
Kristen embraces the opportunity to help seniors navigate their health challenges with wisdom and grace.
She joined Memory & Movement Charlotte after 16 years at Carolinas Healthcare System/Atrium, where she worked as a clinical supervisor and in medical surgery, pre-op and other areas. Having a grandmother who suffered from Alzheimer’s deepens her motivation to help others.
A Charlotte native, she earned her RN certification from Central Piedmont Community College. Away from work, she loves spending time with her children, Taylor and Conner.
Christina Ryskiewich
Registered Nurse
Christina Ryskiewich
Registered Nurse
A commitment to the "time and attention" model of medical care drew Christina to Memory & Movement Charlotte. This approach allows Christine to offer unrushed help to patients and families in managing medication and taking care of each other in this phase of life.
An Indianapolis native, she graduated with a BS in nursing from Ball State University and previously worked at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and in pediatrics at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center. She has also volunteered at the homeless shelter medical clinic in Charlotte.
She and her husband Paul have two sons, Daniel and Alexander. She enjoys yoga, hiking, traveling and cooking.
Shelly Sedory
Registered Nurse
Shelly Sedory
Registered Nurse
The opportunity to truly get to know and care for her patients and their families brought Shelly to Memory & Movement Charlotte. “It’s an amazing place to serve,” she says.
A Pittsburgh native, she earned a BS in Nursing and Master of Education in Health Education from Penn State University. She previously worked as a critical care nurse and critical care educator.
She and her husband Rich have two children, Sam and Holly. Away from work, she loves taking great adventures with her family and cheering on her hometown Pittsburgh Steelers.
Yvette Williams
Patient Services Specialist
Yvette Williams
Patient Services Specialist
Yvette worked in Patient Services and Medical Records at Carolinas Healthcare System/Atrium for 9½ years before joining Memory & Movement Charlotte. As our receptionist, Yvette greets and welcomes patients and families, making them feel welcome and comfortable.
A native of Erie, Pa., she and her husband Pries have three children, Reaujah, Aujanae and Damauri. Away from work she loves spending time with her family and reading.
Debbie Wolfson
Registered Nurse
Debbie Wolfson
Registered Nurse
Having experienced her mother’s struggle with dementia, Debbie appreciates the compassion needed to help patients and families. That’s what drew her to Memory & Movement Charlotte.
She earned a BS in Elementary Education from Slippery Rock University and an RN degree from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in her native Pittsburgh. She has previous experience as a nurse in Cardiac Care ICU.
Debbie and her husband Ken have two children, twins Maya and Nicholas, and another set of twins – pooches Oscar and Ali. She does pilates for fitness and loves those Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kelly Young
Registered Nurse
Kelly Young
Registered Nurse
Kelly earned a B.S. in Communications from Appalachian State University, then an RN degree from Mercy School of Nursing in Charlotte. She worked for several years in the neuro intensive care unit at Carolinas Healthcare System/Atrium before joining our staff.
The connection is clear: A commitment to helping patients and families navigate difficult situations, in our case, memory and movement disorders.
A Charlotte native, she and her husband Chad have three children, Parker, Payton and Paxton. If she’s not working with patients, she’s spending quality time with her family.