Agenda

Dennis Wagner, MPA is widely regarded as an enthusiastic, thoughtful and strategic leader who believes in committing to and delivering on bold goals in work and in life. Dennis and teams that he has led have supported large public and private sector communities of practice in achieving unprecedented improvements and results. These results include: >> increased access to higher quality health care for underserved and vulnerable people, >> dramatic and lasting national increases in life-saving and life-enhancing organ transplants, >> cleaner indoor air and improved health for millions of the poorest families on the planet as a result of improved cookstoves, and >> major national improvements in hospital patient safety. Dennis and two fellow senior executives were recognized as Federal Employees of the Year in 2016 by the Partnership for Public Service. Their leadership and work to improve safety in all US hospitals resulted in an estimated 1.2 million fewer harms to patients, $19.8 billion in cost savings, and 87,000 lives saved. Throughout more than 33 years of service at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dennis has led, coached and supported others in the systematic use of powerful and proven leadership mindsets and methods. These methods not only help to generate meaningful results, but also contribute to greater joy, resilience and abundance in work and in life. Dennis is currently a Principal and the Managing Director of Yes And Leadership, LLC and recently concluded service as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Engineering and Medicine Committee that conducted an extensive review and made recommendations to improve the nation’s organ donation and transplantation system. Dennis grew up in rural Montana and attended Fertile Prairie, a one-room country school for grades K-8. He received his BA and MPA degrees from Montana State University. Dennis is married to Diane M. Hill. They live in Alexandria, Virginia and have three children: Tess, Grant and Margo.

Sandy Markwood is a national advocate for aging issues and a champion for ensuring that older adults have the best supports to age well at home and in their communities. As the CEO of USAging since 2002, she is committed to ensuring that our society values and supports people across the lifespan. This commitment has taken many forms, including advocacy with multiple administrations and on Capitol Hill for the passage of legislation aimed at supporting older adults and leading numerous USAging campaigns to support the needs of older adults as they age, including those focused on combating social isolation among older adults, encouraging healthy aging, supporting caregivers, promoting livable communities, and access to transportation and housing options. Sandy has more than 30 years’ experience in the development and delivery of aging, health, human services, housing and transportation programs in counties and cities across the nation and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Virginia.

Alison Barkoff is currently serving as ACL’s Acting Administrator and as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Aging. A sibling of an adult brother with developmental disabilities and a civil rights attorney, Alison is a lifelong advocate for community living – both professionally and personally – and has been at the forefront of national efforts to expand the home and community-based services that make it possible. As part of countless coalitions of people with disabilities, older adults, and advocates, she has fought to uphold the rights of people with disabilities and older adults and ensure their access to health care, housing, employment, education, and all other facets of American life. She has testified before Congress and the US Commission on Civil Rights on disability rights and community living. She has served in a variety of leadership roles with disability rights organizations, including leading advocacy efforts at the Center for Public Representation and the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. She also is a veteran of the federal government. As Special Counsel for Olmstead Enforcement in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, she led efforts to enforce the rights of people with disabilities to live, work and fully participate in their communities. She also led interagency initiatives with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Medicaid HCBS and with the Department of Labor on direct care workforce issues She has brought that same focus on collaboration and coordination to her current role. Under her leadership, ACL is working with partners across HHS and the federal government on initiatives and interagency approaches to issues that affect people with disabilities and older adults, such as expanding access to HCBS and affordable, accessible housing; strengthening the direct care workforce; increasing competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities; and advancing equity, to name just a few.

Dr. Lisa McGuire is the Lead for CDC’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Healthy Aging Program with more than 100 articles and book chapters on aspects of cognition, caregiving, and aging. Dr. McGuire is a member of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act Federal Advisory Council; National Advisory Committee on Seniors and Disasters; Editorial Board of The Gerontologist; co-lead for Healthy People 2020/2030 Older Adults and Dementia Including Alzheimer’s; and holds Fellow Status in the American Psychological Association and the Gerontological Society of America. As a caregiver for her mother with mixed dementia, Dr. McGuire is professionally and personally passionate about caregiving and issues related to dementia.

Brooks Kenny serves as Vice President of Consumer Engagement and Partnerships at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. In this role, she leads consumer-facing platforms and strategic, cross-cutting partnerships that engage people to advance the organization’s mission – beginning with the BrainGuide platform, the latest in a series of brain health education initiatives. She also directs the Women’s Leadership Council – a group of executive women that are spotlighting the disproportionate impact of Alzheimer’s disease on women. Brooks is a nationally recognized subject matter expert in caregiving and women’s brain health and often speaks with diverse groups on these topics. She has more than two decades of experience in health communications, previously serving as Managing Director at High Lantern Group, a healthcare communications agency, as well as Founding Partner in a technology startup serving family caregivers.

Nora Super is the Executive Director of the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging. In this role, Nora provides strategic direction for the three primary focus areas of the Center: Healthy Longevity, Financial Wellness, and Improving Dementia Care. She oversees data-driven research, meaningful policy initiatives, and impactful convenings in the United States and internationally. Launched in 2020, Nora leads the Alliance to Improve Dementia Care, which includes 100+ organizations, and seeks to transform and improve the complex health and long-term care systems that people at risk for and living with dementia must navigate. Nora is a respected thought leader, frequent speaker, and prolific writer on healthy longevity and the economic and social impact of global population aging. From 2014-2016, Nora served as the Executive Director of the White House Conference on Aging, where she received wide recognition for her nationwide efforts to improve the lives of older Americans. She has also held leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, AARP, Kaiser Permanente, and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. Nora serves on several advisory boards, including the Board of Directors of the Long-Term Quality Alliance, Columbia University’s Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program National Advisory Board, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative Champions Circle, the Gerontological Society of America’s Policy and Aging Report Editorial Board and Reframing Aging Initiative Advisory Board, HerMoney Council, Leadership Circle for Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill, Retirement Income Institute’s Scholars Advisory Group, Stability Network Leaders, Tivity Health’s Healthy Aging Coalition, and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Brain Health Partnership Steering Committee. Nora studied political science at Tulane University and completed her master’s work in public administration with a concentration in health policy at George Washington University.

Rani Snyder is Vice President, Program at The John A. Hartford Foundation, a private philanthropy with the vision of a nation where all older adults receive high-value, evidence-based health care, are treated with respect and dignity, and have their goals and preferences honored. With more than 25 years of experience in working with pre-eminent health care institutions across the nation, Rani has demonstrated experience in identifying and guiding health care programs that have set the standard for medical best practices, increasing medical education opportunities, and maximizing resources to improve health care broadly. Prior to joining The John A. Hartford Foundation, Rani served with the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation for 14 years, starting as a program officer with a promotion to director for the Foundation’s Health Care Programs. In that capacity, she managed more than $278 million in Health Care Grants to major medical facilities throughout the country, focusing on Aging and Quality of Life Programs as well as the Foundation’s $159 million investment in its Cardiovascular Clinical Research Program. During her tenure, Rani worked alongside the country’s most forward-thinking educators and pioneering health care providers to create educational and clinical programs that have significantly advanced how patient care is delivered. These include collaborative and groundbreaking programming at prestigious medical institutions such as Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, New York’s Mount Sinai Medical School, and UCLA’s academic health centers. Currently, Rani serves as a board member for the American Society on Aging, a nonprofit leading the largest, most diverse community of professionals working in aging in America; as a board member and past board chair for Grantmakers in Aging, a membership organization comprised of all types of philanthropies with a common dedication to improving the experience of aging, as a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and on the board of managers for the Delmonico Plaza, a business high rise condominium complex at 55 East 59th Street in New York City. Previously she served as a Volunteer Long-Term Care Ombudsman for the State of Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division from 2014-2016. She earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration in Health Care Policy from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, followed by a doctoral program in Health Services Research at the UCLA School of Public Health. She began her professional career with The John A. Hartford Foundation’s Health Care Cost and Quality (HCCQ) program before transitioning to supporting health policy initiatives at the Commonwealth Fund in New York City. Rani’s career has been directed toward creating opportunities to improve the health of older adults through increased access to quality health care, enhanced health care delivery, improved medical education, collaborative partnerships, and expanded nursing and caregiver training. She brings that experience to The John A. Hartford Foundation to coordinate initiatives that will foster collaboration among academic institutions, health systems and health care providers to improve care for all older adults.

As the chief medical officer for Aetna Medicaid, Dr. Edith (Edie) Calamia develops, implements and promotes population health and health equity strategies, policies and programs that drive the delivery of high-value health care for Aetna’s Medicaid business. She is currently working closely with the Alzheimer’s association’s Innovation Roundtable to support early detection of Alzheimer's disease and innovative models of care. Dr. Calamia has over 20 years of health care experience in Geriatrics and Eldercare with a commitment to public health and serving our most vulnerable populations. Her areas of expertise include state and government programs, Federally Qualified Health Centers, nursing and adult home medical direction and large medical practice management with both IPA and ACO integration. Dr. Calamia served as the CMO of Magellan Complete Care, which merged with Molina Healthcare. Before that she spent nine years with UnitedHealth Group leading local teams in New Jersey before becoming National Medical Director of the Community and State book of business. She has worked tirelessly with large hospital systems to establish emergency room divergence and progressive disease management programs. She has additionally been a well-respected mentor to students, residents and colleagues during a diverse career in a variety of medical models. She received a Bachelor of Arts degrees in business administration and biology from Florida Atlantic University, a Master of Science degree in public health and microbiology from the University of South Florida and her Doctor of Medicine degree from Nova Southeastern University.

As president and chief executive officer of CICOA, Tauhric Brown is a leader with a driving personality and strategic vision for expanding services and collaborative partnerships to better meet the needs of older adults, people with disabilities and family caregivers. Brown joined CICOA in 2020 from Senior Services, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Mich., where he served as the chief operating officer with P&L responsibilities for a $16.5 million annual budget and oversaw finance, human resources, clinical staff, organizational development, and change management. He also previously held the position of division director of business development, where he created a new customer service culture and infused LEAN system thinking to increase revenue and decrease program expenses. Prior to his experience in the elderly and disability service industry, Brown owned and operated a multi-carrier wireless retail company, where he managed sales and operations teams in telecommunications and financial payment processing systems. Additionally, he served in the U.S. Army in administrative and human resource roles. Brown holds a master’s degree in management and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs, Colo.

J. Lamont Harris is one of the most talented and gifted Business Coach, Personal Transformation Coach, Motivational Teacher, DEIB Educator, and speaker in the United States today. With more than 30 years of experience as a trainer, educator and speaker, J. has hands-on experience working at all levels of an organization to create, promote and deliver solutions. He is a self-proclaimed “Hope Dealer,” as he knows that, with the trainings he provides, he can help change the way we think about things, feel about things, and to make positive changes for all. J. is a decorated military service member serving our country in the United States Army. And today he is a committed youth development advocate, adult educator, mentor, individual and group coach and facilitator who, is passionate and driven to provide the best quality training and education to make a positive mark on children, youth, families and communities.

Camica Credle is CEO of Credle Consulting, LLC and Executive Director with The John Maxwell Team, the largest global leadership and training organization in the world. She currently works with Fortune 500 businesses, nonprofit organizations, government departments, school districts and small businesses. She is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader, Educational Consultant, and Executive Coach. She is an advocate, community leader, facilitator, and committed supporter for children, youth, families, and older adults as she has also served as a trainer and consultant for programs serving older adults throughout the country.

Dawn Simonson is the President and CEO of Trellis. Dawn champions organizational vision and provides strategic leadership resulting in services and programs that benefit older adults and their families in the Twin Cities region and throughout Minnesota. With deep experience in the field of aging, healthcare, and advocacy, Dawn is recognized for her leadership as an innovator and collaborator. Her priorities are to develop networks and other partnerships that support older adults to live healthy and secure lives at home.

Diane Slezak is the President and CEO of AgeOptions. Diane has over 40 years of leadership experience with AgeOptions. Diane is an advocate for a wide range of aging issues including elder justice, meals programs, caregiver support and strategies to address social isolation. She is recognized for leading the AgeOptions team in creating innovative and collaborative programing so people thrive as they age.

As President & CEO of Detroit Area Agency on Aging (DAAA), Ronald S. Taylor has built key coalitions, partnerships, and community networks to empower older adults to age independently in their own homes. Taylor is a servant-leader who believes in meeting and exceeding the highest priority needs of others. All while leading 150 staff members.

Quincy Dunlap has spent the last twenty plus years working tirelessly for the advancement of underserved, underrepresented and under resourced communities. Through various leadership roles at renowned non-profits, developing and implementing strategic programming, serving on boards and committees, and partnering with entities in the public and private sectors, Quincy has solidified himself as a dynamic and inspirational leader, with an unwavering commitment and passion for service and impact. Quincy earned his B.A. in Political Science from Lincoln University of Missouri and his Master of Education degree from William Woods University. He has also completed Executive Training Certificate Programs with the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, Boston College Carrol Scholl of Management-Center for Corporate Citizenship, Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business and the NUL/Duke University’s Corporate Education -Emerging Leaders Program.