Making dreams come true

For the past 25 years, we have been providing adults with special needs homes where they can live the kind of lives they want to live with independence, care, and a sense of inclusiveness within a community.

Our Mission

is to create the forever homes that make dreams come true for those with special needs. 

Our Vision

for the future is an inclusive community, where everyone has a loving home. 

Rose House Leadership

Board of Trustees:

Ed Abelew

President

Dr. Edward Yaw

Vice President

Elizabeth Lehmann

Secretary

Elizabeth Mckenna

Board Member

Bryan Hershkowitz

Board Member

Kemsey Mackey

Board Member

Mark Kramer

Founder

Andrew Botwin Portrait of Rose House

Andrew Botwin

Board Member

Tom Mitchell

CEO

Our Administrative Team:

Ray Woody

CFO

Tom Mitchell

CEO

Josh Speert

Director of Marketing & Development

Theresa Godding

HR Coordinator

Steve Henley

Maintenance Coordinator

India Thompson

Coordinator

Kathy Dickson, RN

Staff Nurse

The Rose House Board of Trustees meets on the third Monday of alternate months. They are always from 7:00 – 9:00 PM. 

The 2024 dates are:  

  • January 18 
  • March 18 
  • May 20 
  • July 15 
  • September 16  
  • November 18  
  • Annual Board of Trustees meeting – December 16, 2024 from 6:00 to 8:00pm

It began with a family and a dream.

In 1999, Mark and Pearl Kramer created the Rose House for their daughter Abby, and over the next 2+ decades it has grown to become a premier residential provider of 6 programs throughout Morris County. 

Founded on August 1, 1999, and opening our first group home in November of 2003, we offer an extensive range of recreational choices for our residential clients, employees, and other adults with special needs throughout Morris County.

Thanks to the generous support of our donors, surrounding townships, and capital funding, today we have 5 residential programs and eight independent living apartments where our clients thrive, living their best lives.

Become a part of
our family.

Whether you’re looking to support a loved one or are an advocate for others, when you join the Rose House community, you help people with special needs live their best lives.

Ed Abelew

Ed founded IMPAC in 1984, a marketing consulting firm, and has served recognizable clients including Nabisco Foods, Kraft Foods North America and Celgene, as well as small B2B companies. He also is Chair of the Cultural Arts Committee of Hanover Township and has held previous Board positions in the Hanover Wind Symphony, Chatham Community Band and Temple Adath Shalom.

Dr. Edward Yaw

Dr. Yaw is the President Emeritus of County College of Morris, and was President from 1980 to 2016. He has served as Chair of the NJ Presidents’ Council and was a member of the NJ Commission on Higher Education. He earned his Ed.D. degree from Columbia University, his M.S. from Southern Illinois University, and his B.A. from Harpur College, SUNY Binghamton.

Elizabeth Lehman

Elizabeth served as Director of Social Services for Morris County, responsible for the administration of all state, federal, and local public assistance and social service programs, plus administration of a 429-bed nursing home and two adult day care centers. She was also the Northern Regional Supervisor for the NJ Department of Human Services and Executive Director of The New Philharmonic of NJ.

Elizabeth Mckenna

Beth is a First VP and Wealth Management Advisor for Merrill. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Rutgers University and is a Certified Financial Planner®. Beth also earned the Chartered Special Needs Consultant designation from The American College of Financial Services and is involved in the Summit/New Providence Rotary Club and Lumind/Research Down Syndrome Foundation.

Bryan Hershkowitz

Bryan has a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision and has been a teacher, principal and supervisor/coordinator of various educational and recreational programs. He has 10+ years’ of experience working with special needs students and is the Coordinator of the Extended School Year Program in the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District. Bryan is also a real estate agent.   

Kemsey Mackey

Kem is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Family and Marital Therapist. His varied career includes senior-level administrative and clinical positions in two NJ hospital systems. These healthcare and behavioral health programs included service delivery systems for dually diagnosed individuals, often critical to the services needed for our Rose House residents.  

Mark Kramer, Founder

Mark Kramer founded The Rose House in 1999 and served as Executive Director until 2014. He has a Bachelor’s in Economics from CCNY and a Master’s in Planning from NYU School of Public Administration. Mark and his wife Pearl, also a founding Board member of The Rose House, have two daughters, one of whom is a client in the residential program.

Andrew Botwin

Andy brings 30+ years of HR, legal and financial experience. He founded Strategy People Culture in 2012 focusing on workplace culture, executive development, and workplace harassment/discrimination. He has a Bachelor’s in Accounting from Villanova U., an MBA in HR Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a JD from Rutgers School of Law – Newark, and a graduate certificate in Executive Coaching from U. of Texas.

Tom Mitchell

Tom has been with Rose House since 2014, and has 30+ years of experience in social services/healthcare. He has earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Healthcare Administration and has experience in residential, day, and educational services as well as the care of children and adults with developmental disabilities. Tom is also the baseball coach for High Point High School.

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