Registration is closed for this event. Please contact Jess Maurer if you have questions at [email protected] or 207-592-9972.

Russ Armstrong, Ph.D.
Chair, Board of Directors, Monadnock at Home

Russ Armstrong, Ph.D, is a member and past chairman of the New Hampshire State Committee on Aging and has collaborated with the NH Department of Health and Human Services and related agencies to develop and apply policies and procedures to help seniors live independently with dignity and safety in their homes and communities.  Russ Chairs the Board of Directors of Monadnock at Home, a “village” operating in the Monadnock Region.  He is an advocate for community-based senior services, volunteering with ServiceLink of New Hampshire, Central NH VNA&Hospice, Lakes Region Partnership for Public Health, The River Center and the Advisory Committee for the Endowment for Health.

Sarah Jo Brown, Ph.D.
Board Member, Community Nurse of Thetford

Sarah Jo has been actively involved in forming Community Nurse of Thetford. She has a special interest in documenting quality and impact of the services provided in a way that is not cumbersome to the nurse.

Meg Callaway, MA, Counseling Psychology
Senior Services Coordinator, Charlotte White Center

Meg Callaway is the Senior Services Coordinator for the Charlotte White Center and project director of the Piscataquis Thriving in Place Collaborative, a project funded by the Maine Health Access Foundation that improves regional services and supports to help individuals with chronic medical conditions stay safe and well at home.  She co-chairs the Maine Council on Aging and serves on the boards of the Maine Gerontological Association, NAMI Bangor, State Coordinating Council for Public Health, and Maine Highlands Senior Center.  She holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology and is a graduate of the Hanley Health Leadership Development Program.

Jo Cooper
Executive Director, Friends in Action

Jo has worked in the volunteer sector for over 20 years as a hospice volunteer and a volunteer coordinator. She founded Friends in Action in 2003, with the help of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Faith in Action grant.

Allen Cressy
Chair, AARP Age-Friendly Community Project in Bethel

Former Project Manager at a hi-tech, non-profit corporation in MA (33 years) and an Inn keeper of a small B&B in Bethel, ME (15 years).  Has been associated as a volunteer in different leadership capacities with a number of non-profits in Bethel for 18 years.   Currently Chair of the AARP Age-Friendly Community Project in Bethel.

Philippa Cully
Executive Director, Neighbor To Neighbor

Philippa Cully is Executive Director of Neighbor to Neighbor, an organization in Manchester, VT that provides a variety of support services to elderly and disabled individuals. She previously held development positions at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and Williams College in Williamstown, MA. In addition to her nonprofit work, Philippa is a certified Massage Therapist whose practice includes oncology and geriatric massage. Her primary areas of focus include maximizing independence and quality of life throughout the aging process, increasing awareness of elder issues, and creating programs that strengthen the connections between elders and their communities.

Kate Cutko, LMSW
Library Director, Bowdoinham Public Library

Kate Cutko is the Library Director of the Bowdoinham Public Library in Bowdoinham, Maine.  In that capacity Kate designs and implements programming from preschool story time to AARP Age-Friendly initiatives.  A licensed social worker, Kate also practices adoption social work for agencies in Maine.

Richard Davis, RN
Guilford Cares

Richard Davis recently retired after a 38 nursing career in Vermont. He has been a long-time health care activist in Vermont.He has worked in acute care hospitals, home health agencies and has provided health care consulting services in Vermont and in the U.S. Virgin Islands. For the past 3 ½ years he was the Care Coordinator for the Vermont Blueprint Community Health Team in Brattleboro.   With his wife he helped to create Guilford Cares. He has been writing a weekly column on health care related issues in the Brattleboro (Vermont) Reformer for the past 21 years and has published articles in a number of national nursing journals.

Nancy Davis

Retired educator, active volunteer in the Western Mountains Senior College and other community endeavors.

Elizabeth Dragon
City Manager, City of Franklin

City Manager for Franklin last 8yrs, before that worked for the communities of Bristol and Plymouth NH.   She is a  Certified Public Manager and holds a Bachelors Degree in Accounting.  Elizabeth is also a member of ICMA (International City Managers Association),  Member of NH Managers Association  and am Executive Board member of the NH Municipal Association.

Lesley Fernow, MD
President, Maine Highlands Senior Center, Fernow House Calls

Lesley Fernow received her MD at Tufts University and has practiced geriatric medicine in Piscataquis County, Maine, for thirty years.  She now operates a house call practice in Maine and Connecticut.  She is president of the Maine Highlands Senior Center, a project that involves restoring an historic building in Dover-Foxcroft to house an adult day service center, a resource center for independent seniors, and a multi-generational community event center.  Lesley is an active member of the Piscataquis Thriving in Place Collaborative, an avid advocate for older adults, and champion of innovations in health care delivery.

Jennifer Fitzgerald, RN
Wilmington Town Nurse

RN that can’t seem to “retire” after a successful nursing career in MA, raising 4 children, none of whom could afford to live in Wilmington, VT where she has been the Town Nurse since 1982. Active Supporter of Brattleboro Area Hospice, Families First, and now Aging in Place- local homegrown initiatives.

Laurie Harding, MS, RN
Upper Valley Community Nursing Project

Laurie ‘s nursing background is in the area of Community Health.  She currently consults with a non-medical home care agency and is the co-director of the Upper Valley Community Nursing Project.  She served 10 years in the NH Legislature where she was the vice chair of the Health and Human Service Committee and chair of the Long Term Care subcommittee.  Currently, she is on the Advisory Committee for the NH Endowment  for Health and chairs the NH Commission on the Primary Care Workforce.  She also sits on the steering committee for the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging.

Rebecca Harris
Director, Transport NH

Rebecca Harris is Director of Transport NH, the backbone organization of the Statewide Transportation Initiative.  Transport NH leads a network of organizations across the state in creating an integrated transportation system that gives people options for getting around.  She is Board President of Bike-Walk Alliance of NH, an organization working to improve biking and walking conditions statewide, and serves on the State Coordinating Council for Community Transportation.  From 2008 through 2012, Rebecca was founding Executive Director of CVTC, where she developed a volunteer driver program and carpooling program that still serve the Monadnock Region.

Kara F. Janes, LMSW
Program Manager, At Home/WHCA

Kara received her Master’s in Social Work, from the University of Maine in 2012.    During her time as a graduate student, she earned certificates in the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education and in Leadership in Rural Geronotological Practice.    She volunteered to participate in the “Learning by Living” research project, which entails living the life of an elder resident in a nursing home.   Because of her nursing home stay she received an award from the National Center on Caregiving, The Family Caregiver Alliance.    Kara became Program Manager of At Home Downeast in 2012 and in 2015 expanded the program to Mount Desert Island.    Having been raised in a small town in Maine, Kara is sensitive to rural issues.

Lenard Kaye, D.S.W., Ph.D.
Director and Professor, University of Maine Center on Aging

Dr. Lenard W. Kaye is Professor of Social Work and Director of the University of Maine Center on Aging. During the 2014-2015 academic year he was honored with the University of Maine Trustee Professorship.    He has published more than 150 journal articles and book chapters and 14 books on specialized topics in aging including home health care, productive aging, rural practice, family caregiving, controversial issues in aging, home care technologies, support groups for older women, and congregate housing. His most recent book is A Man’s Guide to Healthy Aging: Stay Smart, Strong, and Active, John’s Hopkins University Press (2013).

Debora Keller
Executive Director, Bath Housing

Debora Keller is the Executive Director of Bath Housing.  She is a community development leader in Maine with over 20 years of experience in non-profit management. She holds a Masters in Urban and Environmental Policy from Tufts University.  She previously worked at the Genesis Community Loan Fund and at Avesta Housing, where she oversaw real estate development and other programmatic efforts.

Inas Khayal, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Dartmouth College

Dr. Inas Khayal is an Assistant Professor at the Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy & Clinical Practice at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.  She holds a PhD in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco Joint Graduate Group.  She also holds several patents.  She began her career in biomedical research within the clinic, which was expanded to health technological research experiments outside the clinic and within the ‘real-world’ living lab.  Her work acts at the intersection of engineering, medicine and innovation and seeks to develop systems solutions that curb the growth of non-communicable chronic disease.

Dr. Carol Kim
Vice President of Research and Dean of the Graduate School, University of Maine

Dr. Carol Kim is the Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Maine.  Having received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Chemistry and Philosophy from Wellesley College and her Ph.D. in Microbiology from Cornell University; she joined the University of Maine faculty in 1998 in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology. Under her leadership the Successful Aging for Independent Living (Project SAIL) has become a major multi-disciplinary aging research initiative conducted in close partnership with community agencies, organizations, businesses, and older adults.

Suzanne Koperniak
Executive Director, Village Network

Suzanne Koperniak, Executive Director of the Village Network, has also been a case manager at Life Coping for 12 years.  Suzanne earned her BA in Psychology from Williams College and her MA in Psychology from New York University.  She worked in the field of mental health for 15 years.  Suzanne is a current member of the Nashua Elder Wrap and the Breakfast Exchange Club of Nashua.

Melissa Lee, M. ED, CCP, RHC
Community Health Improvement Specialist, LRGHealthcare

Melissa Lee has an active role in community coalition work, facilitating the Franklin Healthy Eating Active Living Coalition and serving as Chairperson for the Franklin Mayor’s Drug and Alcohol Task Force. Melissa also helps patients manage their chronic health conditions by working both one on one and in group settings.

Sandy Markwood
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a)

Sandy Markwood is the CEO of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), the organization which represents the nation’s 629 Area Agencies on Aging and serves as a champion for the more than 246 Title VI Native American aging programs.  n4a is dedicated to build the capacity of its members to: advocate on behalf of older adults and their caregivers; take action to ensure that communities are equipped to support and enhance the well-being of older adults, persons with disabilities and their caregivers; and serve as the focal point in the community for answers on aging.
Prior to joining n4a, Ms. Markwood worked for 20 years at the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and as the Assistant to the County Executive in Albemarle County, VA.  In these positions, she provided policy and programmatic support to counties and cities throughout the nation on aging, health, housing, community development, land use, transportation, environmental quality, and workforce development issues.
As CEO, Ms. Markwood is responsible for working with the Board and staff to set n4a’s overall strategic direction, oversees the implementation of all policy, grassroots advocacy, membership and program initiatives.  Externally, Ms. Markwood forms strategic partnerships with federal agencies and organizations in aging, human service and health care arenas to enhance the role and recognition of Area Agencies on Aging and Title VI programs.
Ms. Markwood graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in urban and environmental planning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Jess Maurer, Esq.
Executive Director, Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging

Jess Maurer began work as the Executive Director of the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging in 2011. She advocates for healthy aging at the national, state and local levels on behalf of Maine’s five Area Agencies on Aging. She also assists the area agencies in strategic planning, program development & implementation. She provides leadership within Maine’s aging network, including on the Maine Council on Aging and Maine Council for Elder Abuse Prevention, to advance public policy initiatives that support Maine’s aging population. She is one of the lead authors of the 2012-16 Maine State Plan on Aging and of Building a Collaborative Community Response to Aging in Place. She was the primary organizer for the Speaker’s Round Table Discussions on Aging and the Maine Summit in Aging and is helping to lead the Maine Aging Initiative. Jess is also the Project Manager for the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging.

A licensed Maine attorney, Jess worked for nearly 17 years in the Maine Office of the Attorney General. In her last 7 years in the Office, she served as a Special Assistant Attorney General, implementing public policy and legislative initiatives for the Attorney General. Aging related policy initiatives include elder abuse prevention, prescription drug pricing and end of life care. She is a graduate of the University of Maine School of Law and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Dennis McCullough, M.D.
Co-Director, Upper Valley Community Nursing Project

Dennis McCullough, M.D., has been an “in-the-trenches” family physician and geriatrician for over 30 years and has served as a long-time faculty member in Dartmouth’s Department of Community and Family Medicine and the Dartmouth Centers for Health and Aging. His book, My Mother, Your Mother: Embracing “Slow Medicine”, the Compassionate Approach to Caring for Your Aging Loved Ones (HarperCollins, 2008) lays out the humane complement to the world of American High-Tech “Fast” Medicine. He presently serves as co-director of the Upper Valley Community Nurse Project, and consults on eldercare issues.

Peter Morelli
AARP Maine

Peter F. Morelli  manages the Age Friendly Community program for AARP Maine, providing technical assistance to communities preparing for an aging population. He was development director and previously city planner for Saco, where he worked in planning, economic development, housing and historic preservation for 27 years. He led efforts to rebuild Saco’s beautiful Main Street, built an Amtrak train station, built two business parks and created a business finance agency, and was a co-founder of Maine’s first Main Street organization. He earned a masters degree in public policy at Tufts, and graduated from the University of Southern Maine.

Dr. Jennifer Nichols
FrameWorks Institute

Jennifer Nichols is a Senior Associate in the FrameWorks Institute. Prior to joining FrameWorks, she worked as a higher education policy specialist and union organizer at the American Association of University Professors. In that role, she developed policy guidelines to protect academic freedom and taught faculty members how to create grassroots campaigns to build institutional support for the adoption of sound academic procedural standards. She also won representation and fair-share campaigns for both public- and private-sector employees.
A literary studies scholar by training, she has taught courses in literature, women’s studies, and interdisciplinary humanities. Her past research has analyzed the influence of migration narratives in American literature and film on U.S. public discourse about economic mobility, immigration, sex trafficking, and the labor movement.
Dr. Nichols holds a B.A. from Boston University, an M.A. from Syracuse University, and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University.  She can be reached at [email protected].

Stephen Norton
Executive Director, NH Center for Public Policy Studies

Steve Norton is the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies, a private non-profit and non-partisan think tank whose mission is to enhance and enrich the policy conversations on issues of critical importance to New Hampshire’s future.   In addition to his many speaking engagements and research projects, he has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of New Hampshire.  Prior to joining the Center in 2005, Steve worked for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, most recently as the State’s Medicaid director.  Between 1990 and 1998, Steve worked as a Research Associate at the Urban Institute in Washington DC where he conducted health services research. Steve was identified in 2012 and 2013 as one of NH’s most influential policy makers by Business NH magazine, and selected as one of New Hampshire’s 25 up and coming leaders in 2008. He is the former President of the Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Center for Non-Profits, a former board member with Onpoint Health Data and currently sits on the Federal Reserve Board’s New England Public Policy Advisory board and the Concord, NH Zoning Board. Raised in Gilford, New Hampshire, Steve now lives in Concord with his family.

Jane Nyce
Board Member, Village to Village Network

Jane was co-President of the Board for Village to Village Network for 2015. Additionally, she is working with MCH in Knox County to establish a village model program.  She was the founding Executive Director for Staying Put in New Canaan in Connecticut, now in its ninth year of operation. She came to the program when it was in development in 2007 as an intern for Masters of Health Advocacy, Sarah Lawrence College.  Her earlier professional work for twenty years was consumer insights and market research. Her prior education includes an undergraduate degree in Psychology, Smith College and work in the doctoral program in Psychology, Cornell University.

Patricia Oh, LMSW, MS
Coordinator of Older Adult Services, Town of Bowdoinham

Patricia is Coordinator of Older Adult Services in Bowdoinham, Maine, where she works with Bowdoinham’s Advisory Committee on Aging to provide services and advocacy that enable older residents to live in their homes for as long as possible and to remain active and engaged in the community. In addition, Patricia is a PhD candidate in the Department of Gerontology at U-Mass, Boston where she is writing a thesis about the development of age-friendly communities. Recently, her essay “The Age-Friendly Community Movement in Maine” was published in Maine Policy Review.

Kathleen Otte
Regional Administrator, U.S. Administration for Community Living

Kathleen Otte is the Regional Administrator for the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL).    In this capacity, she represents ACL on all matters related to the implementation of the Older Americans Act (OAA) and other aging related issues within the 8 states and 2 territories she oversees.  Proudly, Kathleen previously served as the Director for the Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services for the State of New Hampshire.  Kathleen is honored to participate in the Tri-State Summit on Aging where professional collaboration and resolute determination, will help seniors live in their homes and fully participate in their communities.

Lori Parham, Ph.D.
State Director, AARP Maine

Greg Payne
Director, Maine Affordable Housing Coalition

Since 2007, Greg Payne has been the Director of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, a diverse association of more than 125 private and public sector organizations committed to ensuring that all Mainers are adequately and affordably housed.  He also a developer of affordable rental homes at Avesta Housing, a non-profit housing agency based in Portland.    Mr. Payne has more than 18 years of experience in issues related to affordable housing and homelessness as an advocate, practitioner and attorney. He currently serves on the board of directors of the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Genesis Community Loan Fund.

Annamarie Pluhar, M. Div
Owner, Sharing Housing

Annamarie Pluhar, M.Div. advocates for adults, especially older singles, to have a “home-mate,” someone with whom they can share a home with other(s) for the benefits of cost, company, cooperation, and comfort. She is the author of Sharing Housing, A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates. She maintains the website, www.SharingHousing.com which offers articles and resources to help individuals.  She has 30 years experience in corporate and non-profit consulting, group facilitation, training development and delivery. She is a graduate of Vassar College and The Episcopal Divinity School. She lives in Vermont with one two-legged and two four-legged housemates.

William (Bill) Post, MPA
Town Manager, Town of Bowdoinham, Maine

Bill is the Town Manager for Bowdoinham, Maine for the last five years. He has twenty years of experience in local government management having served as manager in the Towns of Waldoboro, Damariscotta and Bradley, Maine and Administrator of Knox County, Maine. Bill has a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Maine and a Bachelors in Political Science from the University of Southern Maine.

Dr. Mary Richards
SeniorsPlus, Maine
Mary is currently working with SeniorsPlus as the grant coordinator for a Thriving in Place grant in the Rangeley and Farmington areas but began working with senior issues in 2014 when she chaired the HELP committee.  During her tenure with this group they began a Neighbors Calling Neighbors program; a Winter Seniors Social program that provides companionship and a hot noon meal to over forty seniors in her community and  a socially-based Respite care program for cognitively challenged  adults based on the Brookdale curriculum which serves 6 individuals one day a week and can expand as demand requires.

David Royle
Member, Aging in Place – Upper Valley

Retired teacher-teaching for more than 44 years  Certifications-Special Ed., Vocational Ed,   Church Youth Group leader for 10 years.

Anne Schroth
Thriving in Place Coordinator, Healthy Peninsula

Anne Schroth is the TiP Coordinator at Healthy Peninsula, coordinating the efforts of the Thriving in Place Downeast collaboration.  Anne is a longtime poverty lawyer and has recently returned to Sedgwick, Maine, where she grew up, after many years of practicing poverty law in Michigan and Washington, D.C.  Most recently, she was a Clinical Professor at the University of Michigan Law School, where she founded the Pediatric Advocacy Initiative, an innovative collaboration between legal and health professionals designed to remove legal barriers to the health and wellbeing of low-income patients and their families.

Patricia M. Sears
State President, AARP Vermont

Patricia M. Sears is the co-founder, President and CEO of NEKTI Consulting, a strategic communications firm providing government and community relations expertise to growing businesses and organizations. She is recognized internationally for her skills in coalition building, networking for opportunities with tenacious follow-up for impact, community outreach and advocacy. Patricia most recently served as founding director of the award-winning Newport City Renaissance Corporation. She serves as AARP Vermont’s Volunteer State President, chairs the Age-Friendly NewportVT Advisory Council and the Northeast Kingdom International Airport Committee, as well as serving as a board member of the Vermont Aviation Advisory Council.

Patty Seybold
Board President, Boothbay Region Health & Wellness Foundation

Patty has been living in Boothbay, Maine for three decades as a seasonal resident, and for one decade as a year-round resident. She is a consultant and author in customer experience and customer-led innovation. Since 2012, she has been spearheading  a customer-led initiative in local healthcare, and putting into place a senior self-help network.

Ann W. Sprague
Executive Director, Interlakes Community Caregivers, Inc.

Ann W. Sprague has a background in management and marketing in a variety of industries including law, manufacturing, hospitality, and retail.  For the past 10 years, Ann has been serving in a leadership role for nonprofits in the New Hampshire Lakes Region, for the past 4 years as Executive Director of Interlakes Community Caregivers.  She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from UNH, Paralegal certification from Georgetown University, and is a Certified Marketing Director.  She has been a primary caregiver for an aging parent and is passionate about helping older adults live well in their own homes and in their own communities.

Kelly Stoddard-Poor
Director of Outreach, AARP

Kelly joined the AARP Vermont team in 2013 as the Associate State Director for AARP Vermont.  Kelly’s background is in public policy and community organizing.  She leads the livable community work for AARP  – establishing a vision and action steps for Vermont communities to meet the needs of its aging population.   Kelly was appointed to the Governor’s Commission for Successful Aging and serves as the chair of the livable communities subcommittee.   Prior to AARP Kelly spent seven years at the American Cancer Society where she was the Director of Health and Advocacy Initiatives, she managed a host of programs and activities in implementing the Society’s overall business plan and legislative agenda.  She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and completed a master’s degree in sustainable development at the School for International Training in VT.  She lives in Montpelier, VT with her husband and two children.

Martha Tecca, MBA
Principal, M&M Strategies

Martha is a healthcare consultant, entrepreneur, and community leader. Her passion is to help ensure that all individuals and families can lead healthy lives in compassionate, engaged, and improving communities. Her hope is for all neighbors to experience the best of what their communities have to offer, especially at times of need. Martha is a consultant with the Village to Village Network and the NH Endowment for Health, an advisor with the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging, a member of the ReThink Health Upper Connecticut River Valley steering committee, a Trustee of the Lyme Foundation, and a deacon at the Lyme Congregational Church. She holds an MBA from Dartmouth and a BA in Biology from Harvard.

Ellen Thompson, MS, RN
Board Member, CommunityCare of Lyme

An RN for over 40 years – retired from DH as Clinical Director of Care Management  Currently the Lyme Parish Nurse for the Lyme Congregational Church and Lyme Community

Jim Warner, FAIA
Principal, JSA Architects Planners Interiors

A founding principal of JSA and head of their nationally recognized Senior Living Studio, Jim is a firm believer that design can have a profound impact on human behavior and at its very best can actually extend and improve the quality of one’s life.  His insights into the lifestyle of an aging society, the forces that shape them and the innovation resulting from that insight, have resulted in many awards and publications.  Of particular interest are emerging trends especially those driven by Baby Boomers to age-in-place in their own homes resulting in the need for Universal Design at every level of the built environment.  Jim has played leadership roles in LeadingAge, Environments for Aging, ALFA and Design for Aging.  He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and received degrees in Architecture and Art History from Syracuse University and Engineering from the United States Military Academy.

Linda Weare
Director, Portland Office of Elder Affairs

Linda Weare is Director of the Office of Elder Affairs in Portland, Maine.  She has worked for 25 years as a social worker and elder advocate for the residents of Portland, and is currently leading the Age Friendly Communities Initiative there. Linda is passionate about helping older adults to live independently and safely in the community of their choice for as long as possible.

Martha Zoerheide
Director, Volunteers in Action

Martha Zoerheide has been Director of Volunteers in Action for 3 years in Windsor VT. ViA is a nonprofit that was started in 1997 to connect neighbors with neighbors who need a helping hand esp. with transportation. Martha grew up and lives in the neighboring town of Cornish NH where she is part of the Aging in Cornish group. She  is a retired nurse and massage therapist and is pleased that her job helps her to continue to be of service to her neighbors.

With over 250 expected participants at the Summit and an expansive list of individuals interested in the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging, this event is a great place to spread the message about your organization or business.