Jeffrey B. Klein, FACHE, President/CEO, Nevada Senior Services has extensive experience in health care management, consulting, and strategic planning for hospitals, community-based services and aging networks.  He is currently the President/CEO of Nevada Senior Services Inc. operating adult day health care centers, caregiver support services, in home respite, home modifications and geriatric assessment clinic and wellness programs. A trusted not-for-profit organization, Nevada Senior Services partners nationally with the Rosalynn Carter Institute (caregiver support), Stanford University (chronic disease management), National Council on Aging (NCOA) and Rush University Medical Center (Bridge). Nevada Senior Services is the Aging and Disability Resource Center serving southern Nevada’s 2 million residents.  Nevada Senior Services was recognized by the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Leadership in Caregiving (2016).  As a consultant, Mr. Klein has been a founder and Principal of Altila Associates conducting and supervising extensive engagements for hospitals, medical groups and academic centers.  Specialty areas of consultation included strategic planning, feasibility analysis, financial structuring, project financing, and implementation of innovative inpatient and programs in geriatrics, rehabilitation, neurosciences, chronic disease care and disease state management.  While President and CEO of Premier Hospitals Alliance of New York, he structured cost containment, purchasing and revenue enhancement programs for a consortium of six teaching hospitals with over 5,500 beds.  He was CEO of CRCA, an international consulting and management firm.  CRCA conducted over 180 engagements.  An innovative health care executive, Mr. Klein was responsible for the development of the Center for Diagnostic and Rehabilitation Medicine at Daniel Freeman Medical Center, a 606 bed UCLA teaching affiliate.  This facility was twice recognized as the “Outstanding Rehabilitation Facility in the Nation” by the National Association of Rehabilitation Facilities.  As Corporate Vice President at Daniel Freeman Medical Center, he was responsible for clinical operating divisions, marketing, planning, diversification and business development.

Mr. Klein holds an MBA from Temple University, Philadelphia. He is Board Certified in Healthcare Management as a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives. Mr. Klein is the recipient of Professional Achievement Awards from the National Association of Medical Directors and Coordinators and the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. He Chairs the Nevada Commission on aging Legislative Subcommittee and is an active member of the public policy committees of the American Society on Aging and the National Adult Day Services Association.

Patricia M. "Trish" D'Antonio, BSPharm, MS, MBA, BCGP, is GSA’s vice president of policy professional affairs. In this role, she is responsible for managing the Society’s relationships with other organizations in the aging arena, leading major Society programs and projects, and developing a strategy for future growth of the National Academy on an Aging Society (GSA’s nonpartisan public policy institute). She is also the project director for the Reframing Aging Initiative, a long-term social change endeavor designed to improve the public’s understanding of what aging means and the many ways that older people contribute to our society. She previously served as the executive director of the DC Board of Pharmacy and program manager for the Pharmaceutical Control Division, where she was responsible for the regulatory and policy development for the practice of pharmacy in the District, inspection and investigation of regulated facilities, and served as liaison to the FDA, DEA, and other federal and state organizations that promote safe handling of medications. She served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of State Controlled Substance Authorities, a non-profit organization that works to provide a continuing mechanism through which state and federal agencies and stakeholders can work to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of state and national efforts to prevent and control drug diversion and abuse. Prior to working with the DC Department of Health, D'Antonio served as director of professional and educational affairs with the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, a professional membership association representing pharmacists who practice in geriatrics. While there she was responsible for advancing initiatives to educate pharmacists and other healthcare professionals in geriatric pharmacotherapy and the unique medication-related needs of the older adult. D'Antonio received her Bachelor of Science in pharmacy from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, and received her Master of Science in health finance and Master in Business Administration with a concentration in health care from Temple University in Philadelphia. She completed a residency in administration and finance at The Philadelphia Geriatric Center and is a board certified geriatric pharmacist.

Lauren Shaham is a senior communications advisor at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In this role, she coordinates strategic communications for COVID-19, influenza vaccination and the Medicare program. She has previously held communications positions in CMS’ press office and FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Lauren earned a Bachelors degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from Georgetown University.

Dr. Carolyn B Bridges is a board-certified internal medicine physician and adult immunization subject matter expert.  After retiring from CDC in 2017 as the Associate Director of Adult Immunizations, she has done consulting on adult immunizations.  After COVID-19 started, Dr. Bridges returned to CDC in 2020 as a contractor to help with COVID-19 vaccine implementation.   She is currently serving as the CDC Vaccine Task Force Vaccine Implementation and Evaluation Team’s Associate Director for Science. 

Elizabeth Mothershed serves as the Deputy Associate Director of the State Strategy and Evaluation Team, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) at CDC. Ms. Mothershed works to advance policies, programs, and partnerships in support of DHQP’s mission to promote safety, quality, and value in public health and healthcare delivery systems. Her team’s work focuses on promoting partner networks with state and local health agencies, sharing best practices for healthcare associated infections prevention, and supporting sustainable systems for maximum prevention impact. Since March 2020, she has served in a variety of roles on CDC’s COVID-19 Emergency Response, supporting healthcare and nursing home response and prevention activities. Most recently she supported the Vaccine Task Force, working to ensure that patients and residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other long-term care facilities have access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Robin Cooper, MD is a private practice psychiatrist in San Francisco, California.

She has an appointment as Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at University of California, San Francisco. Since completing her residency at UCSF in 1972, she has worn many different hats as educator, supervisor and mentor with psychiatric residents and medical students.

Since learning about the threats of climate disruption over a decade ago, she has focused most of her efforts on climate change with attention to both education and advocacy about the impacts on health and specifically mental health. She is co-founder and President of Climate Psychiatry Alliance, a national group dedicated to understanding, education and advocacy about the specific impacts of climate change on mental health. She has served as consultant to the Task Force on Climate Change and Mental Health within the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and wider UCSF climate projects, has contributed to activities on climate change within the American Psychiatric Association and other groups addressing this issue.

Dr. Cooper is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

Andreea Seritan, MD is a geriatric psychiatrist and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Seritan completed her psychiatry residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, followed by a geriatric psychiatry fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to joining UCSF, Dr. Seritan was at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, where she also served as associate dean for student wellness. 

Dr. Seritan’s clinical and research work focuses on understanding and managing the psychiatric manifestations of neurodegenerative diseases. She is a member of the UCSF Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the Association for Academic Psychiatry. She is the author or co-author of 97 articles and book chapters. Dr. Seritan was the co-founder of the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Climate Change and Mental Health Task Force.

Ann is the Senior Program Manager, for Medicare at NCOA where she helps local, state and regional organizations develop and implement strategies to find, counsel and assist Medicare beneficiaries apply and enroll in benefits for which they may be eligible.

Over the past 25 years Ann has had the opportunity to work in many parts of the health care industry including managed care, patient assistance programs, and provider and sales force relations.  Prior to joining NCOA, Ann managed the operations for the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) in Montgomery County, Maryland helping the most vulnerable populations gain access to the health care benefits and services.  

Ann received her B.S. in Health Care Management from Kings College in Wilke-Barre, PA and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN.

Brandy Bauer is Associate Director of the Center for Benefits Access at the National Council on Aging (NCOA), where she coordinates all communications for the MIPPA Resource Center, identifies and promotes promising strategies to increase benefits access for older adults, and educates consumers about scams targeting older adults. Previously, she spent a decade in the international health and human service sectors, working on improving access to services for vulnerable and marginalized populations, including refugee and war trauma survivors in Europe, and as a humanitarian aid worker in Afghanistan.

As Director of the Statewide Oklahoma Mental Health and Aging Coalition for 10+ years, Karen provides older adult behavioral health education and advocacy.  

She is immediate Past Chair and current Vice Chair of the Planning and Advisory Council to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS)HSAS and serves on the Oklahoma Behavioral Health Advisory Council, National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging Executive Committee, New View Advisory Council and Telligen’s Beneficiary and Family Advisory Council and Governing Board.  

She developed the Oklahoma Older Adult Behavioral Health State Plan, the Reducing Depression initiative and the Older Adult Peer Support Specialty for ODMHSAS. She is a certified trainer for QPR, Talk Saves Lives, Healthy IDEAS, Mental Health First Aid and Mental Health First Aid for Older Adults. 

Karen has a Sociology degree with a Psychology minor from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois and has completed sociology graduate level course requirements at Chicago’s Loyola University.            

Congresswoman Susan Wild has been a member of the Lehigh Valley community for more than 30 years. Her two adult children were born and raised in the Valley, where they attended public schools. Susan built a successful legal practice while raising her two children and became the first woman to be appointed as Allentown City Solicitor. In November 2018, Congresswoman Wild was elected as the first woman to represent Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congresswoman Wild has been appointed to the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is committed to fighting for quality, affordable health care for all, an economy that benefits every member of our community, and reforming our political system to return government to the American people.

Laura Shannonhouse is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services at Georgia State University. She is a National Certified Counselor (NCC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Trainer (ASIST), and a Suicide to Hope (s2H) Facilitator. Her clinical experiences (e.g. college counseling center, cancer center, crisis center, etc.) have included working with disaster impacted populations both domestically and internationally (e.g. illness-related trauma in South Africa; prolonged grief from daycare center fire in Mexico, post-Katrina charter school teachers; both southeast Asian and post-earthquake Haitian refugees, and urban homeless, etc.). Therefore, her research interests focus on crisis intervention and disaster response; she is curious about how people make sense of suffering through their faith. Specifically, she conducts community-based research in kindergarten through 16 systems and with the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) to prevent suicide (suicide first aid), and with disaster impacted populations in fostering meaning-making through one’s faith tradition (spiritual first aid).

Kimberly A. Williams is the President and CEO of the Vibrant Emotional Health, a nonprofit organization which reaches over 2.5 million people each year to help them achieve emotional well-being through high quality, innovative programs. She began as a public policy intern in 2003, rising to President and CEO in 2017. She has served the mental health industry through various positions, including mental health advocate, administrator, educator, and consultant. As CEO, Williams has overseen the expansion of Vibrant’s premier programs they administer, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the Disaster Distress Helpline, and NYC Well, New York City’s leading edge, multi-lingual, multi-modal contact center program that responds around the clock to the mental health needs of over 300,000 New Yorkers every year. Williams serves on a number of advisory committees and boards including the New York State Interagency Geriatric Mental Health and Chemical Dependence Planning Council, the New York State Health Foundation Community Advisory Committee, Mental Health News Education Inc., United Community Schools, and the National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging, for whom she is immediate past chair. Her leadership in the field has been recognized by City and State New York, New York Nonprofit Media, Mental Health Association in New York State, and the National Association of Social Workers NYC Chapter. Williams has been an adjunct lecturer at Columbia University School of Social Work and NYU Silver School of Social Work. Her voice has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CBS Evening News, The Today Show and more.

Amy Miller is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Arvada, CO, with a broad range of experience in the field of aging.  Amy is the Director of Adult Outpatient Services at Jefferson Center for Mental Health, the Community Mental Health Center serving the suburbs and mountains west of Denver, Colorado.  Amy oversees the day to day operations of the community-based Senior Reach program, and as the Senior Reach National Consultant was closely involved with the training, implementation, and ongoing support for the Senior Reach sites in Colorado, Michigan, and New Jersey.   

As Director of Adult Outpatient Services Amy provides programmatic oversight of the Senior Services Outpatient, Adult Outpatient, Mountain Services, and Vocational Services programs. During her time at Jefferson Center she has also developed a new program to provide individual and group therapy to individuals with Hoarding Disorder. Amy earned her BA degree in Psychology from the University of South Dakota and her Master of Social Work from the University of Denver; she is also a Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor.

Brian Altman serves as the Deputy Director for the Administration on Aging (AoA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living (ACL).  In this role, Altman provides expert advice, guidance and support to the agency and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging on key mission critical issues, initiatives and agency functions. Altman also builds and enhances AoA’s work with aging organizations to foster exchange of information and strengthen support for the agency’s vision, policies and programs including working closely with stakeholders.  

Altman most recently served as the Director of Federal and Political Affairs at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) where he oversaw ASHA’s Capitol Hill office.  Altman advocated for increased access to audiology and speech-language pathology services in programs such as Medicare, newborn hearing screening and those funded by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 

Prior to joining ASHA, Altman served in federal government at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and completed a detail at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.  At SAMHSA, Brian served at various times as both the Director of the Division of Policy Innovation and the Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs. Altman also helped lead SAMHSA’s policy efforts on behalf of LGBT and aging populations, including co-leading the SAMHSA/ACL Behavioral Health Work Group.  
 
Before joining SAMHSA, Altman was a senior government relations manager at Drinker Biddle & Reath where he represented a broad range of health care clients. Altman also has served as the Director of Public Policy and Program Development at the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA (SPAN USA) where his work included advocating for the Stop Senior Suicide Act. Prior to joining SPAN USA, he worked at the American Counseling Association and served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Claire V. Eagan, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. 
 
Altman graduated from Duke University, cum laude, with a B.A. in public policy studies and received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.