Welcome To Wise - Team
Meet The Team
At WISE, we’re proud to be guided by a national team of compassionate medical and mental health professionals who share over 120 years of experience in geriatric care. Our diverse team includes graduates and leaders from institutions like Harvard, UT Austin, Syracuse University, UT Southwestern Medical Center, and Texas Tech.
Most importantly, the voices of older adults, caregivers, and community leaders continue to shape our mission—ensuring that everything we do is grounded in real needs, real stories, and real care.
At WISE Care, our strength lies in a compassionate and dedicated team committed to empowering older adults and caregivers. Meet the people redefining aging—one meaningful connection at a time.
Dr. Nekilee Hughes
Dr. Nekilee Hughes, Executive Director and Founder of WISE, brings over 25 years of experience in healthcare and long-term care administration. A proud U.S. Army veteran, who honorably served for eight years before beginning her healthcare career as a Long-Term Care Assistant Administrator, with a focus to improve quality of care in skilled nursing facilities.
During that time, she formed deep connections with residents and their families and gained firsthand insight into the concerns, unmet needs, and often-overlooked challenges of aging individuals and their caregivers. Realizing the urgency of those issues, Dr. Hughes left long-term care to pursue opportunities to improve the quality of healthcare on a boarder scale.
This shift led to a 20-year career at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where she leads healthcare quality initiatives that promote clinical excellence. While working at one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, she earned a Doctorate of Business Administration with a concentration in healthcare from University of the Incarnate Word, aiming to integrate her military, professional, and academic experiences.
Dr. Hughes earned her B.S. from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and holds an MBA, along with a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification from ASQ. While completing coursework and a 1,000-hour internship in Long-Term Healthcare Administration, she was honored to be mentored by the late, Dr. Princess Jackson—former Regional Administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration and Professor of Long-Term Healthcare Administration at Tarrant County College.
Dr. Hughes is currently collaborating with faculty to publish research based on her study, VOICE: Views of Informal Caregivers and the Elderly, which continues to shape her work and the mission of WISE.
Jordan Hughes
Director of Operations - Registered Behavior Technician & Clinical Psychology Specialist
Jordan Hughes is a dedicated Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) with a passion for supporting individuals across the autism spectrum. She brings a unique background in clinical psychology and cognitive assessment to her role, having previously served as a psychometrist specializing in neurological research for adults aged 50 and older.
Jordan earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas Tech University and a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from Texas A&M University–Commerce. Her graduate training included an impactful internship at the Community Psychology Clinic, where she led individual and group therapy sessions and conducted comprehensive assessments for adolescents, college students, and community members.
Before joining the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Jordan developed extensive experience with older adults—working in nursing homes and later conducting clinical assessments for individuals aged 65 to 95. Her work supported individuals with a range of diagnoses including severe depression, anxiety, aphasia, stroke, and other neurocognitive and motor challenges. She also contributed as a project program manager for a Continuing Education Program designed for cognitively high-functioning nursing home residents.
Jordan’s lifelong commitment to mental health and aging informs her person-centered approach to care and her mission to support individuals across all stages of life.
Dr. James Brooks
Advisor
Dr. James Brooks holds a B.S. from St. John Fisher University and earned his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. He completed postdoctoral studies in gerontology at Syracuse University and was honored as one of the Educational Psychology Department’s “Top Five Graduates” during its centennial celebration — a recognition of his enduring contributions to the field.
Dr. Brooks began his career on a national platform with the National Caucus and Center on the Black-Aged, leading age-related initiatives in Washington, D.C. He later served as a gerontologist on the Psycho-Geriatric Unit at the Rochester Psychiatric Center. His passion for elder education led him to spend 20 of his 48-year career in gerontology designing innovative continuing education (CE) programs for high cognitive functioning nursing home residents.
The first phase of this pioneering work took place in Texas, supported by the Continuing Education Department of Tarrant County. The second phase expand to New York, supported by the University of Rochester’s “Aging Well Initiative”.
In addition to developing CE courses for older adults, Dr. Brooks also spent over a decade as a professor of geriatric psychology — a dual focus that uniquely bridges both sides of aging education.
Dr. Brooks brings unmatched depth to the WISE Care team. His lifelong commitment to understanding, educating, and empowering older adults reflects our mission in action. His work exemplifies what it means to meet aging with dignity, intellect, and innovation — making him an invaluable resource to our organization and the communities we serve.
Dr. Neal Hall
Advisor
Dr. Hall is a trained ophthalmologist and internationally acclaimed, award-winning poet. With over two decades in private medical practice, he has also authored seven volumes of poetry—translated into eight languages—that explore themes of social justice and systemic disparities. His powerful work has led to invitations to perform and speak across the U.S. and globally, where he engages with academics, community leaders, and activists.
Dr. Hall’s unique background bridges the worlds of medical science and literary arts, offering a rare and compelling perspective on the human experience. He earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University, his M.D. from Michigan State University, and completed his surgical subspecialty training in ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.
Social Services - MLSW
Advisor
Human Resources
Advisor
