Sharon R. Williams is the founder and CEO of Williams Jaxon, Consulting, LLC, a business development and training firm focused on support for community organizations, government agencies and health organizations serving Medicare/Medicare consumers. Sharon’s experience includes executive leadership in both the traditional health care and the Home and Community Based Services industries.  She is a seasoned and results oriented executive with a passion for the delivery of high quality, culturally competent, comprehensive and cost effective health care services for publicly funded consumers. Sharon was CEO at CareSource Michigan, a top 100 ranked health plan with Medicaid and Medicare product lines.  Additional leadership experiences include Vice President roles at Coventry, Amerigroup and OmniCare.  She has also served as COO for one of the nation’s leading Area Agencies on Aging.

Sue Lachenmayr, MPH, CHES, is the State Program Coordinator for Maryland Living Well Center of Excellence-MAC, Inc. She has 25 years of knowledge and expertise in training, implementing, evaluating and sustaining evidence-based healthy aging/self-management programs. She establishes partnerships between healthcare entities and community-based organizations to expand access and sustainability of these programs across the State of Maryland.  Previously, she served as Senior Director of the National Council on Aging (NCOA) Center for Healthy Aging Technical Assistance Center. Prior to that, Sue oversaw evidence-based program implementation across New Jersey for the Department of Health and Senior Services.

Simona Combi managed media relations for several nonprofit research and advocacy organizations, including the Center for Global Policy Solutions and the Urban Institute. Most recently, she worked for IQ Solutions—a NIH contractor—to support the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s press team. She brings experience generating national media coverage and preparing national level spokespeople for interviews.

Dianne Stone has more than 20 years of experience with senior centers and aging issues, primarily as the Director of the Newington Senior and Disabled Center in Newington, Connecticut. Stone has also worked, volunteered, and held leadership positions with a variety of organizations in Connecticut, including Connecticut AgeWell Collaborative, the ADA Coalition of Connecticut, Connecticut Medicaid Oversight Council, and the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity. She joined NCOA in January 2022, as a member of the Center for Healthy Aging, where she is primarily focused on supporting senior centers throughout the country through the ACL-funded Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center and NISC. 

Kathy Kinsner has led ZERO TO THREE’s grandparenting initiative for the last five years, focusing on the unique needs of grandparents caring for grandchildren under five. (zerotothree.org/grandparents) Most recently, Kathy co-created ZTT’s Grand Connections series of grandparent workshops with input from Generations United, the National Family Support Network, and the National Council on Aging, and supervised its pilot at seven US sites. Before her arrival at ZERO TO THREE, Kathy worked for more than forty years as an educator in a variety of settings—as an elementary reading specialist, an Emmy- and NAACP Award-winning producer on PBS series Reading Rainbow, the designer of a non-profit weekly college and careers curriculum for 7^th through 12^th-graders, and the creator of online graduate courses for educators, one of which won a Teacher’s Choice Award. Kathy holds Master’s Degrees in Education (Bowling Green State University) and Television, Radio, and Film (Syracuse) and was a teaching assistant at both institutions.

Rebecca Parlakian serves as senior director of programs at ZERO TO THREE, a national nonprofit focused on promoting the healthy development of children from birth to 3 years old, where she directs a portfolio of federally and privately funded projects related to healthy child development and high-quality teaching and caregiving for children from birth to 5. Rebecca has co-authored four parenting education curricula and developed parenting resources on various topics and in various formats (including an app, podcasts, and videos). Rebecca’s written work has appeared in a variety of publications, including the ZERO TO THREE Journal and the peer-reviewed Young Children, journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. She has also spoken widely, both within the U.S. and internationally, on topics including brain development, early literacy and language development, parent coaching, children and media, and more. Rebecca holds a master’s degree in education and human development, with a concentration in infant-toddler special education, from the George Washington University, where she is currently serving as adjunct faculty.

Daniel Puerto has been a passionate activist, community organizer and service provider servicing local New York City (NYC). His work for over 10 years has had a focus on grassroots community organizing, policy advocacy, service provision, popular education and entrepreneurship skills development focusing on LGBTQ+ and immigrant New Yorkers. Most recently, Daniel works with SAGE the nation’s largest and oldest LGBTQ+ organization focusing on programs, services and advocacy for and with LGBTQ+ older adults.

Shannon Skowronski is the Team Lead in the Office of Nutrition and Health Promotion Programs, within the U.S. Administration for Community Living’s (ACL), Administration on Aging (AoA).  For over a decade, she has provided subject-matter expertise for AoA senior leadership, as well as managed a portfolio of grants, focused on healthy aging.  Previously, Ms. Skowronski served as a health policy analyst with RTI International. A former McGregor Geriatric Fellow, Ms. Skowronski holds Masters in Public Health and Masters of Social work degrees from the University of Michigan.

Kathleen Zuke was privileged to grow up with eight loving grandparents and developed a passion for supportive services for older adults as a caregiver for her grandfather. She has been a Senior Program Manager with the Center for Healthy Aging since 2015. In this role, she works collaboratively with community-based partners across the country to identify, implement, and sustain evidence-based programs that support older adults in staying well and aging in the community, including chronic disease self-management education, falls prevention, and behavioral health. She has a Master’s degree in Public Health from Hunter College and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Dr. Jennifer L. Tripken is an Associate Director, Center for Healthy Aging at the National Council on Aging. In this role, Jennifer supports the expansion and sustainability of evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention programs in the community and online through collaboration with national, state, and community partners. Prior to joining NCOA, Jennifer worked for eight years as a university professor in Health Education and Promotion. Before that, Jennifer spent six years as a middle and high school Health Education teacher in New York. 

Jennifer earned her Ed.D. in Health Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, her M.Ed. in Health Education at Boston University, and her B.S. in Athletic Training at Pennsylvania State University.

Donna Bethge is an Aging Services Program Specialist in the Office of Nutrition and Health Promotion Programs at the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Administration on Aging.  She worked in the aging network in Maryland for 10 years with Area Agencies on Aging and an assisted living community, developing and implementing programs for older adults, as well as supporting and promoting evidence-based programs before joining the team at ACL as the lead for the Falls Prevention grant program.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management from Northern Kentucky University.

Dr. Gwen Bergen has worked in injury prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for almost 15 years focusing most recently on older adult falls prevention and ensuring optimal older adult mobility.  She currently serves as the team lead for the Safety Promotion team which includes the older adult falls work.  She received her MPH from the Emory Rollins School of Public Health and her PhD from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 

Daniel Thompson, MPH, is a Communication and Partnership Specialist at CDC Foundation detailed to CDC Division of Injury Prevention Safety Promotion Team to fulfill activities of a 5-year older adult falls prevention grant from Amgen. Daniel comes to CDC Foundation with more than 10 years’ experience in public health communication, health policy and partnership experience.  Previously, Daniel worked in advocacy and policy for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, North Georgia Heart Foundation, the Georgia OBGyn Society, and in a partnership development capacity with the Georgia Department of Public Health.  Most recently, Daniel served as a program manager with the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians for a statewide tobacco and vaping use prevention program. Originally from Atlanta, Daniel earned a bachelor of arts and masters of public health degree at Emory University.  Daniel and his wife, Misty, live in Gainesville, Georgia. 

Tracy Gariepy is a Certified Health Education Specialist (NCHEC CHES). She is currently on a fellowship with the CDC Foundation as the project coordinator for older adult falls prevention initiative under a grant from Amgen . Tracy is a Master Trainer for a Matter of Balance, an evidence-based fall prevention program for older adults. She holds an MS in Health Education and Behavior from the University of Florida, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Applied Health Research from Clemson University. Her most recent research with the university has focused on building capacity to prevent falls among older adults in rural South Carolina communities. Previously, Tracy was a Health and Wellness consultant in the athletic footwear industry for 12+ years. She is actively involved with her local YMCA as a personal trainer and competitive running coach, and resides in Easley, SC with her fiance Blair.