2024 Programs of Excellence Series - Marketing and Public Relations

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. 

Donya Currie is a journalist, writer, editor, and content strategist who brings a passion for social justice and equity to her work at NCOA. She has decades of experience covering health and public health as well as expertise in helping other tell their powerful personal stories. She is a National Center to Reframe Aging facilitator and would love to talk to you about changing the way we think about aging.

Jennifer has 16 years working in municipal government, and was a recent presenter at the NCOA conference in May 2024 for Expanding Digital Literacy for Older Adults in Massachusetts. 

Patty Watts has worked with an Older Adult population for her entire career, beginning as a TRD in a skilled nursing setting, after having received her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Houghton College.  Patty has worked across the entire spectrum of senior living and services, in Assisted Living and Senior Housing Management, and eventually moving into the wonderful world of senior centers. Patty believes in the importance of what senior centers can offer to the communities in which they serve.  At their best, senior centers are resource hubs for healthy aging—and reflective of her start in therapeutic recreation, she has observed that innovative programs are what tends to bring new members through the doors.  Patty has served as the Director of Senior Services at the Colchester Senior Center in Colchester, Connecticut since 2013, and is proud to be leading the charge of the new senior center building project with an opening planned this coming fall.

Jodi Savage has been in the role of Program Coordinator for the Colchester Senior Center for the las 2 years. She is a 1996 graduate of the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Adulthood and Aging. She has worked in many fields over the years, including volunteer management, mental health, and youth and family services. Before accepting her current position, she spent 16 years managing a community outreach and leadership program for students at the Norwich Free Academy.  Jodi finds inspiration in her love of art, travel and learning new things and enjoys using her creative talents to design programs and foster community collaborations that provide a fun and welcoming experience for all of the members at the Colchester Senior Center.