Patty Watts has served as the Director of Senior Services for the Town of Colchester since 2013.  Having worked in every sector of senior housing and services in her career, Patty feels most at home in the wonderful world of senior centers.  She is a passionate advocate for the community-based programs and services one can find at their local senior center, and believes that engaging with senior centers can help older adults remain socially engaged, physically active, and intellectually challenged all while being able to access information and services which can help them remain independent and connected within their community.  Patty serves as the President of the Connecticut Association of Senior Center Personnel (CASCP), the only professional organization specifically for senior center professionals in the State of Connecticut.

Katie Migliazzo (she/her) is the Marketing and Communications Director at MiGen, Michigan's only community-based organization serving LGBTQ+ older adults and their caregivers. Since joining MiGen in 2023, she has led the organization's marketing and communications efforts, helping increase awareness of programs, services, and issues impacting LGBTQ+ older adults across the state. Katie brings nearly a decade of experience in nonprofit communications and community engagement and is passionate about creating communications that are authentic, accessible, and reflective of the communities they serve. 

Lydia Gadd is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with Supervisory Endorsement.  She earned her Master’s Degree in Counseling from Ball State University in 1990 and for about 20 years provided direct clinical behavioral health services in both inpatient and outpatient settings, including hospitals, community mental health centers and private practice.  She transitioned from direct clinical work to program administration as she became the Director of Community Outreach for UH St. John Medical Center for 8 years before being appointed as the Director of Community Services for the City of Westlake where she has been serving since 2014.   The Westlake Community Service department’s mission is to engage, enrich and empower older adults and Westlake residents of all ages in need.  Services include but are not limited to:  Plus-Fifty Programming, Senior Transportation, Food Pantry, Social Service Outreach and Referrals, Volunteer program,  and youth diversion.  On a broader note, Lydia is a 2024 Fellow of Leadership Ohio.  She also served for over 10 years as the chair-person of the Cuyahoga County Senior Services Network where she remains active as a steering committee member.  She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Association of Senior Centers, and the (local) non-profit, Carolyn F. Farrell Foundation for Brain Health.  Born and raised in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood, she is the daughter of Slovenian immigrants and is still very involved in the Slovenian community.

Amanda Di Dio is the Director of Social Services for the City of Katy, Texas. She has the privilege of working from the Fussell Senior Citizen Center, where she collaborates with staff to ensure the city provides exceptional care and resources for its older residents. With more than 20 years of experience serving the aging population in various capacities, Amanda is committed to the overall well-being of Katy’s golden agers and to providing opportunities for continued growth, education, and fulfillment. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and two dogs, as well as trying new restaurants, working out, playing guitar, and reading.

Jodi Savage has been in the role of Program Coordinator for the Colchester Senior Center for the last 4 years. She is a 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 a high school in Norwich, CT.  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 the members at the Colchester Senior Center. 

With nearly two decades of dedicated service to Cobb County Senior Services, April Anderson is a compassionate leader, advocate, and the current Center Manager for West Cobb Senior Center. She is a fierce advocate in the fight against ageism, dedicating her daily work to dismantling stereotypes surrounding aging.

April is passionate about empowering seniors, promoting active aging, and ensuring that every individual who walks through the doors of the West Cobb Senior Center is treated with the dignity, respect, and enthusiasm they deserve.

Diane is a former teacher and school administrator who has been with Cobb County Senior Services for more than three years. She is dedicated to offering engaging programs at West Cobb Senior Center that support the physical, cognitive, and social well-being of older adults while meeting the diverse abilities, interests, and needs of the senior community.

Jessica Mancini is a marketing and communications professional with apassion for storytelling, community engagement, and challenging outdatedperceptions of aging. As Communications Manager at Founders Hall in Ridgefield,Connecticut, she led the organization’s 2025 brand refresh, helping repositionthe nonprofit as a modern aging center that reflects the interests,aspirations, and experiences of today’s adults 60+.

As part of this work, Jessica established a strategic messaging frameworkbuilt around four pillars: Learn. Live Well. Create. Connect. These pillarsbrought a cohesive identity to existing programs and provided a foundation forconsistent communications, marketing, and community outreach. The frameworksupports the vision of Founders Hall as a vibrant educational campus whereadults 60+ explore academic pursuits, wellness programs, artistic expression,and meaningful connections.

Jessica brings a creative, community-centered perspective shaped by 20 yearsas a performing arts studio owner and 11 years in women’s fitness leadership.Her approach extends beyond traditional marketing to include local partnershipsand community engagement initiatives that introduce Founders Hall to newaudiences and encourage broader conversations about aging.

Through her work, Jessica is helping demonstrate how intentional branding,strategic communications, and meaningful community engagement can helporganizations evolve, challenge age-related stereotypes, and create a morevibrant and inclusive vision of life after 60.

LaTasha J. DeLoach, LMSW, is the Senior Center Coordinator for the City of Iowa City, an adjunct instructor at the University of Iowa School of Social Work and St. Ambrose University, and the founder of The Sound of LaLa Land. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in social work from the University of Iowa and brings more than fifteen years of practice across juvenile justice, community health, maternal health advocacy, and older adult services. In 2026, she created Parables of the Future: Black Future Fest, a month-long Afrofuturist civic initiative that drew 550-plus participants across nine events and six venues — recognized by the National Council on Aging as a 2026 National Program of Excellence, one of six senior centers nationally to receive that distinction.

DeLoach's work is grounded in a framework she calls Belonging Infrastructure — the systems, relationships, spaces, and cultural practices that allow people to feel genuinely held by their communities over time. She serves as a community lead on a PCORI-funded research initiative at the University of Iowa examining social isolation and belonging in older adults. Her scholarship and practice sit at the intersection of aging equity, community health, and the structural conditions that produce disconnection across the lifespan. She is currently developing peer-reviewed contributions to the field and writes at latashadelo.substack.com.