Jenifer Lewis is one of Hollywood's most familiar faces, with more than 300 appearances in film and television. Dubbed a "national treasure" by TV Guide.com, Jenifer stars on the hit show Black-ish (ABC), where her hilarious portrayal of "Ruby Johnson" earned her a nomination for the 2016 Critics Choice Award.

Jenifer's most recent movies include The Wedding Ringer, Think Like A Man, Think Like A Man Too and Baggage Claim. She delivered legendary performances as Tina Turner's mother in What's Love Got to Do With It and in The Preacher's Wife as the mother of Whitney Houston's character. Jenifer starred opposite Matt Damon in Clint Eastwood's Hereafter and for director Tyler Perry, Jenifer created unforgettable characters in Madea's Family Reunion and Meet the Browns. In the movie Castaway, Jenifer portrayed Tom Hanks' boss.
In animated films, Jenifer's uniquely recognizable voice is adored by Disney fans worldwide in roles such as "Flo" in Cars and Cars 2 and as "Mama Odie" in The Princess and the Frog.

Jenifer's TV roles have ranged from regular appearances as "Aunt Helen" on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to guest star roles on Friends, Boston Legal and Girlfriends. For six seasons, Jenifer portrayed "Lana Hawkins" on Lifetime's hit series Strong Medicine.

Although best known for her Hollywood success, Jenifer has enjoyed a wide-ranging and varied career in music and theater. Jenifer has performed in four Broadway shows, including Hairspray in the role of "Motormouth Mable." In 2014, she received an electrifying standing ovation at Carnegie Hall when she sang with the New York Pops orchestra. All told, Jenifer has presented more than 200 concerts, performing in 49 states and on four continents.

Jenifer was born and raised in Kinloch, Missouri. Her accomplishments as an entertainer and community activist have been recognized with an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, Webster University in St. Louis and by the American Black Film Festival's Career Achievement Award.

Andrea Palm is the DeputySecretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As DeputySecretary, she is the Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for overseeingthe day-to-day operations of the Department.

Palm most recently served as Secretary-designee of the Departmentof Health Services (DHS), overseeing one of the largest state agencies inWisconsin as a member of Governor Tony Evers' cabinet. In this role, she hadresponsibility for the state's Medicaid program, its Supplemental NutritionAssistance Program (SNAP), and behavioral health programs, among others. DHS isalso Wisconsin's public health agency, and as such, Palm led the state'sresponse to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previously, Palm held a number of policy and operational roles inthe Obama-Biden Administration at HHS, including Acting Assistant Secretary forLegislation, Counselor, Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor to the Secretary.During her eight-year tenure, she worked on a variety of Administrationpriorities, including the Affordable Care Act, as well as providing leadershipfor the Department's work to combat the opioid epidemic.

Palm was born and raised in rural, upstate New York. She holds aBachelor's degree from Cornell University and a Master's degree from WashingtonUniversity in St. Louis.

Alison Barkoff was sworn in as Principal Deputy Administrator on January 20, 2021 and is currently performing the duties of the ACL Administrator and the Assistant Secretary for Aging.  She provides executive leadership and coordination for ACL programs nationwide and advises the HHS Secretary on issues affecting people with disabilities and older adults.

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 (HCBS) that make community living 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 advance policies to ensure their access to health care, housing, employment, education, and all other facets of community 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.

Alison 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. 

Carole Johnson is the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Johnson joined HRSA from the White House COVID-19 Response Team. She previously served as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services, leading the state’s largest agency and providing health care and social services to one-in-five New Jerseyans. During her tenure as Commissioner, the Department expanded Medicaid coverage of mental health and substance use disorder services, created new Medicaid benefits to improve maternal health outcomes, and integrated Medicaid into the newly launched state-based Affordable Care Act marketplace. Under Johnson’s leadership, the Department also substantially increased child care rates for the first time in a decade, expanded food assistance benefits, and created an Office of New Americans to support the state’s diverse communities.

Johnson served for more than five years as the Domestic Policy Council public health lead in the Obama White House, working on the Ebola and Zika responses, implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and combatting the opioid epidemic. In addition, she served on Capitol Hill as health staff for the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging and for members of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee.

At the Department of Health and Human Services, Johnson previously managed health care workforce policy issues for HRSA. She also was policy director for the Alliance of Community Health Plans, program officer with the Pew Charitable Trusts health program, and senior government relations manager with the American Heart Association.

She holds a master’s degree in government from the University of Virginia.

As President and CEO of the National Council on Aging, Ramsey Alwin is leading a nationwide movement to ensure equitable aging for every American. 

Building on NCOA’s 70 years of service and advocacy for older adults, Alwin is renewing the organization’s commitment to improving the lives of millions, especially those who are struggling. She is sparking critical conversations about the resources every American deserves to age well—and what needs to change to ensure all have access.

A seasoned thought leader and policy advocate, Alwin has changed the way people think about older adult poverty and economic security. She designed a new measure of economic security for older adults that better accounts for out-of-pocket health costs and worked to introduce the Measuring American Poverty Act in Congress to redefine the federal poverty measure for the older population. Thanks to Alwin’s efforts, the U.S. Census Bureau formally implemented the Supplemental Poverty Measure nationwide, virtually doubling the elder poverty count and better demonstrating true needs among this population. 

Prior to leading NCOA, Alwin directed financial resilience global thought leadership at AARP and served as Director of National Economic Security Programs at Wider Opportunities for Women. Currently, she serves on the Executive Committee of the UN NGO Committee on Aging, the America250 Health and Wellness Advisory Council, and the National Academy of Social Insurance Finance Committee.

Highly professional Registered Dietitian with over 17 years of experience in the dietetics profession within consultation, administrative, organizational, and educational environments. Passionate about providing education and skills which enable individuals to feed their bodies for optimal health and well-being.

Nigel attended a group nutrition program through Apostle Group, LLC, and he will share his experience in the class and how it helped improve his diabetes and mental health. 

Kathy Wilson-Gold is a registered and licensed dietitian with over 30 years of experience in business and industry-leading executive teams to deliver innovative solutions for healthcare, education, and senior nutrition. She currently serves as a Nutrition Contractor specializing in business acumen for the Office of Nutrition and Health Promotion Programs in the Administration for Community Living.

Her career highlights include 18 years at the Campbell Soup Company and employment at Abbott Laboratories and US Foodservice. A familiar face in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, she has held numerous national and state offices. She is currently Chair of the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger Board of Directors and has served locally on the board of Edmond Mobile Meals.

Larry Cooper, MSW, LCSW, Executive Vice President of Innovation, has supervised programs at the Children’s Home Network since 2001 in Tampa, Florida. He has advocated and presented locally, statewide and nationally on his work with children and relative caregiver families. He was recognized in March 2023 Tampa Bay Lightning Community Hero, 2018 Child Welfare Champion Award from the Florida Department of Children and Families, the 2017 Social Worker of the Year by the Florida Coalition for Children and 2016 Social Worker of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers, Tampa Unit. He was the model developer of one of the first evidenced based Kinship Navigation programs in country on the California Evidenced Based Clearinghouse that is serving throughout Florida and he provides training and consultation for this model being utilized throughout Delaware. Additionally, Mr. Cooper serves as a Contributing Editor for GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy. Mr. Cooper has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of South Florida, School of Social Work. Mr. Cooper earned both his Masters of Social Work degree in 1993 and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 1990 at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Keith and Edie Lowhorne have been raising two grandchildren for over 7 years. Their Grandfamily started after courts gave custody of the children when the birth mother was arrested for child endangerment, along with 32 other felonies. Both grandchildren were born drug addicted and spent months in the hospital withdrawing from the illegal drugs in their systems.After months of trying to find help and being unsuccessful, the Lowhorne’s started Grandparents as Parents as a way to help Grandfamilies in Alabama. That led Lowhorne being named to the national organization, Generations United, where Keith represents Alabama as a Grand Voice. In 2023, Lowhorne was elected and is vice-chair of the Federal Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Washington DC. He was also appointed to the recently formed Alabama Joint Interim Study Commission on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.Lowhorne has made a commitment to help Grandparents who find themselves in the same situation as he and his wife Edie to make it easier to locate possible help and to be an advocate, supporter, and listener.

Karen has been working in community behavioral health services for 27 years, serving in varying roles including therapist for various populations. She has a master’s degree in psychology and has been with Indian Rivers Behavioral Health for over 24 years. From 2014 through 2022 she served as the Clinical Director of Indian Rivers and assumed the role of CEO in June of 2022.  As a Tuscaloosa native the mission of improving behavioral healthcare services for the West Alabama area has been a lifelong mission.  

Tony Sanchez is a dynamic and compassionate leader whose journey in recovery has transformed into a powerful force for change in the realm of addiction recovery and support. His career is marked by a series of notable achievements and roles, each contributing to his reputation as an influential advocate and expert in recovery-oriented practices. 

Tony's personal experience with long-term recovery has been a cornerstone in his professional path, fueling his passion and understanding of the challenges and triumphs in this field. 

As the Director of Statewide Partnerships at Faces and Voices of Recovery, Tony led the national recovery institute, playing a pivotal role in shaping recovery initiatives across the country. His tenure here highlighted his ability to influence and implement recovery programs at a national level strategically. 

His expertise further shone through during his tenure as the Director of the Office of Recovery Transformation at Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Here, he showcased his exceptional skills in implementing recovery-oriented practices and managing a network of addiction recovery support centers. This role underscored his capacity to effect change at a governmental level, influencing policies and practices for the betterment of those in recovery. 

With an array of skills including contract management, team building, and public speaking, Tony has established himself as a respected figure in the recovery community. His journey from personal recovery to professional advocacy encapsulates a story of resilience, dedication, and unwavering commitment to enhancing recovery opportunities for others. Tony Sanchez stands out as a beacon of hope and a leader in the recovery movement, inspiring many with his work and his story. 

Ms. Cadovius is the Director, Strategic Initiatives MHFA, for the National Council for Behavioral Health. She leads strategic initiatives for Mental Health First Aid USA expanding engagement opportunities and increasing awareness and implementation of the MFHA programs. She has led the mental health and substance use related projects as director and subject matter expert, including tasks elated to executing fiscal reports, training and technical assistance, grant and contract proposals, and supervision of staff. She also oversaw government, pharmacological, and State level grants, contracts, and subcontracts to ensure compliance, high quality relationship with funders, strategic oversight, and timely submission of deliverables.

Throughout Nicole’s career, her passion has been to create quality community-based programs and develop strong teams supporting older adults, individuals with substance use and mental health support needs throughout the life span and individuals with developmental disabilities. She is a national speaker on topics such as healthy aging and aging in place. Nicole serves as a member of several national boards, Steering Committee member, National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices, President of the Gerontology Division and Vice President of Region X, for the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Before joining the National Council, Ms. Cadovius, served as a Director of Programs & Services for community non-profit supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, Director of Communications and Strategy for a state agency, and a Regional Director and Executive Director of Skilled Nursing Facilities. Nicole began her career as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist.

She holds a Master of Business Administration and Master of Business Management both from Albertus Magnus College and a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Connecticut.

Dr. Kim Van Orden is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She is the Principal Investigator of the HOPE Lab (Helping Older People Engage) and Co-Director of the Rochester Roybal Center for Social Ties and Aging, which is funded by the National Institute on Aging. Her lab conducts clinical trials of programs to promote social engagement and healthy aging. Kim mentors students and fellows, co-directs a research fellowship in suicide prevention, and maintains an active clinical practice providing evidence-based psychotherapy to older adults. 

Tim Glascock, MPH, is the Statewide ASIST Coordinator at the Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs. Tim started his career working in youth mental health day-treatment programs after receiving a BS in Psychology from Oregon State University.  The associated work experiences combined with experiences volunteering on a local youth mental health coalition pulled him towards a community-level, systems perspective.  During the Master of Public Health program at Oregon State University, he worked for the university counseling department for their mental health promotion program, which included researching and updating their internal suicide prevention training program.  Prior to the current position, Tim acted as the Project Director for two federal grants at Western Oregon University, which included the Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention grant and a Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women Campus Program grant.  While Tim has focused primarily on prevention efforts focused on youth and young adults, recent older adult projects have expanded interest to focus on suicide prevention throughout the lifespan.  His current work focuses on supporting Oregon ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) trainers and addressing gaps in training capacity. 

Kera Magarill holds a Masters Degree in Human Service with acertificate in Gerontology and has completed specialized training in musictherapy and dementia care. For the past 20 years, Kera has worked across thelong term care continuum passionately educating family caregivers andprofessionals on quality of life issues for older adults, people withdisabilities and people with dementia with an aim to change the narrative ofaging in our selves, our communities and our systems of care. She has served asChair of the Older Adult Suicide Intervention and Prevent Plan, Chair ofWashington County’s Loneliness and Isolation CHIP Committee, and is currentlyco-leading a coordinated effort to reduce older adult suicides in the metroTri-county area. She is certified to teach Older Adult QPR, Older Adult MentalHealth First Aid, and CALM, and she has helped to bring new educationalopportunities to the Pacific Northwest including “Project Visibility for OlderAdult LGBTQ+ Service and Care” and “Death Café Facilitator Training”. Herapproach to older adult suicide prevention is strongly shaped by her personaland professional experiences supporting individuals through ideation, attemptsand after care with families.  She is honored to be serving her communityin her current role as an Older Adult Behavioral Health Specialist withWashington County Disability, Aging and Veteran Services.

KeliAnne Hara-Hubbard is a research and program coordinator at the University of Washington’s Health Promotion Research Center. KeliAnne’s research focuses on mental health and food equity projects, where she supports implementation, adaptation, and evaluation of evidence-based programs for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, immigrant, and refugee communities. She partners with community-based organizations like IDIC to create projects guided by what the community wants to see. KeliAnne is a fourth generation mixed Japanese and Chinese American and a loving cat mom.

Fred will share his story about how attending the PEARLS program at IDIC improved his life and mental wellbeing.

Lily Liu is a family caregiver for her mother who has had Parkinson's Disease for almost four decades and is now living with early-stage dementia.  Her parents were refugees escaping the civil war in China in the late 1940s and spent almost five years in a refugee camp in French Indochina (now Vietnam) in the early 1950s.  Lily immigrated from Taiwan as a child and grew up on the East Coast of the United States.  Her career was spent in the non-profit sector in the field of strategic communications and public outreach.  After the death of her father, Lily took a hiatus from the workplace to care for her mother.  She currently engages in consulting work, in particular, delivering speeches about empowering family caregivers at community-education events.  Lily is fluent in speaking Mandarin Chinese and highlights in her presentations the challenges experienced by immigrant family caregivers who face issues of generational trauma in addition to caregiving responsibilities.  Her hobby is literary translation and her translations of the essays of contemporary Chinese women writers have been published in the United States and Asia.

Cathy Spensley, LCSW is the Senior Division Director at the Felton Institute, a large nonprofit social service agency in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cathy develops and oversees programs in aging services, older adult mental health, workforce development, and advocacy. She oversees the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) in San Francisco, under NOCA, as well as the program in other SF Bay Area counties. Cathy is a founder member of the San Francisco Tech Council, a unique multi-stake collaboration to support digital inclusivity for all, as well as a founder of the Felton Tech Squad to inspire, connect, and train older adults in California being left out of the digital world. She continues to be dedicated to the field of aging and to support programs that empower older adults. Cathy has a BA in Communications from American University and a Masters in Social Work from UC Berkeley.

Born in 1956 in San Francisco's Western Addition/Fillmore district, I am a third-generation Japanese American. Raised in the vibrant cultural tapestry of the city, I witnessed firsthand the community's resilience and solidarity. However, our neighborhood was forever changed by redevelopment efforts, which prompted my family to relocate. As a Certificate of Preference holder, I've navigated the complexities of urban transformation while preserving our cultural heritage. Unfortunately, I faced adversity when I became homeless for two years, which took a toll on my health. I was declined chemotherapy for my cancer because I was homeless but fortunately am surviving this. During this time, I learned to navigate using resources to get meals at St. Anthony/Curry Senior Center and Living Room. I suffered from depression and PTSD, leading me to be very antisocial. However, I found support and regained self-empowerment at Felton Institute. Despite the challenges, I continued using health education services at Curry Senior Services. I was able at case management at both agencies. I even led Zoom classes in my senior vitality class on how to use My Social Security EBT and MyChart, demonstrating my commitment to helping others despite my own struggles. Today, I am dedicated to advocating for increased mental health accessibility and education for seniors, aiming to secure funding and resources to ensure all seniors have the support they need to thrive mentally and emotionally. 

Mr. del Vecchio is the Director of the Office of Recovery where he provides leadership for SAMHSA’s efforts to advance recovery across the nation. This includes expanding the availability of recovery support services – including peer services, housing, employment, and whole health care – to people with mental health and/or substance use conditions and their families.

Previously, Mr. del Vecchio served as SAMHSA’s Executive Officer and Director of the Office of Management, Technology and Operations and led improvements in the areas of human resources, information technology, ethics, and more. He also previously served as Director of SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services, providing executive leadership for Federal efforts to improve the nation's mental health service systems. This included management of the federal/state mental health block grant program and directing a range of programs and activities that address topics such as suicide prevention, children’s mental health, homelessness, disaster mental health, HIV/AIDS, and others.

Prior to joining SAMHSA, Mr. del Vecchio worked for the Philadelphia Office of Mental Health in the areas of policy formulation and the planning of a comprehensive system of trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, community-based mental health services.

A person in long-term recovery from mental health conditions and addictions as well as a trauma survivor, Mr. del Vecchio has over 40 years of behavioral health experience as a consumer, family member, provider, advocate, and policy maker. He graduated summa cum laude with a master’s degree in social work from Temple University, has published widely, and is a highly sought-after national leader and speaker.

Catherine Ayers, Ph.D., ABPP is a Section Chief at the VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS), Professor in the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Department of Psychiatry, and faculty member in the San Diego State University (SDSU)/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. She is the Chair of the San Diego County Older Adult Council. Her research is focused on the characterization, treatment development, and community intervention implementation for older adults with hoarding disorder. She has published over 85 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on late life hoarding. Her research has been funded by the International OCD Foundation, County of San Diego, and Department of Veterans Affairs. Recently, her research has focused on delivery of personalized treatments, digital delivery, loneliness, and functional interventions for hoarding. 

Tamar Cooper is the Director of Behavioral Health Services for the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging in Cleveland, Ohio. She has spent over 30 years working in the social work field in Ohio and Kentucky focusing her clinical and administrative skills on advocating for and addressing the mental health needs of those in underserved communities. Ms. Cooper has been with Benjamin Rose for 15 years. She serves on numerous committees throughout Cuyahoga County and is a recognized public speaker on mental health topics that provide training, education, and raise awareness about the needs and rights of people with mental health disorders.

Ms. Cooper holds a Master of Social Service Administration degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio.

Bobbi will share her personal experience with animal hoarding and how the services received through Benjamin Rose have helped her.

Dr. Robin Cooper is a psychiatrist who has had a private practice in San Francisco for 40 years. She is Associate Clinical Professor in Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California San Francisco Medical School  where she is actively involved in efforts to address climate change impacts on mental health and health, both within psychiatry and teaching to mental health trainees 

She is co-founder of Climate Psychiatry Alliance, (www.climatepsychiatry.org) a national group with current membership of over 1,000 psychiatrists and mental health professionals dedicated to understanding, educating, and advocating about the specific impact of climate change on mental health.  As she moves into semi-retirement in her clinical work, her work around climate change impacts on health and mental health have become a second career.

Dr. Cooper has spoken to many professional and public sector groups on mental health impacts of climate change, including addressing impacts on aging populations for the National Council on Mental Health and Aging and the Marin Council on Aging.  She is often called upon by journalists and media sources to discuss climate change impacts on mental health. 

Dr. Dawn Baldwin Gibson serves as the Pastor of Peletah Ministries, Executive Director of the Peletah Institute for Building Resilient Communities, and the Superintendent at Peletah Academic Center for Excellence (P.A.C.E.) in New Bern, North Carolina, a culturally competent trauma informed, grief-sensitive PK-12 private school. Dr. Dawn and her husband, Pastor Anthony Gibson founded Peletah in 2011, P.A.C.E. in 2017, the Peletah Institute for Building Resilient Communities and the Peletah Trauma Recovery Resource Center in 2020. 

She has been teaching professionally for more than 25 years and the majority of those have been at the collegiate level. She holds the BA in Liberal Studies from Shaw University, the MA in English with a concentration in Professional and Technical Communications from East Carolina University, and PhD in Christian Counseling from Christian Leadership University. She also completed doctoral hours at George Washington University in Higher Education Administration. She has completed the Certificate in Trauma and Resilience (Florida State University) 

Dr. Dawn currently serves as a member of the North Carolina Faith and Justice Alliance Steering Committee, NC Task Force to address Early Care and Education, Suspension, Expulsion, and Exclusion Practices, the NC Trauma Summit Steering Committee, and the NC Rural Health Association Steering Committee.   

She is the past Chairperson of the NC VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) Spiritual and Emotional Care Committee, the Founding Chairperson of the Pamlico County Disaster Recovery Coalition, and a Founding Member of the NC Inclusive Disaster Recovery Network. She served on the Board of Directors for Coastal Community Action, Inc. and as a board trustee at Pamlico Community College. 

Dr. Dawn co-founded with her husband the Eastern North Carolina Church and Community Resiliency Collaborative in 2022. The Collaborative has served nearly 6000 residents throughout Eastern North Carolina in the past 2 years. She has received numerous community honors for her work in education and community resiliency. 

Mr. Samra served nine years as Deputy Director on SAMHSA’s Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS) and is skilled at both virtual and onsite T/TA across a diverse cross-section of behavioral health and recovery services. Areas of expertise include but are not limited to expanding access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder (MAT/MOUD); stigma and bias reduction; urban/rural SUD, OUD, and homelessness support strategies; criminal justice involvement, re-entry, drug courts, and trauma informed corrections care; cultural proficiency and the impact of subcultures of addiction, homelessness, and incarceration on treatment and recovery. He also specializes in peer leadership and professionalism. Mr. Samra is a Dedicated Specialist for the SAMHSA Program to Advance Recovery Knowledge (SPARK), Recovery Consultant for SAMHSA’s Opioid Response Network (ORN) and regional T/TA provider for the Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) homelessness initiatives. He has a master’s degree in public administration and currently resides in Nashville, TN. He utilizes both his extensive personal experiences and professional knowledge when providing technical assistance. 

Elissa Epel, Ph.D, is a Professor, and Vice Chair, in the Department of Psychiatry, at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research aims to elucidate mechanisms of healthy aging and to apply this basic science to scalable interventions that can reach vulnerable populations. She is the Co-Director of the Aging, Metabolism, and Emotions Center, and the Consortium for Obesity Assessment, Study, & Treatment, (COAST), and a Co-Director of the Center for Health and Community. 

She is also focusing on climate wellness. She is the Director of the Mental Health Council for climate change, part of the UC wide Climate Change, Health and Equity Center. 

Epel is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, past President of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, and past co-chair of the Mind & Life Institute Steering Council.  Since 2022, she is named as a highly cited research across fields (top .1% globally). She has served as a consultant to NIH, CDC, Facebook, Apple, United Health, and UC campus-wide initiatives on stress and health.  Epel’s research has been featured in venues such as TEDMED, Wisdom 2.0, NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s Morning Show, 60 minutes, National Public Radio, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and science documentaries. She co-wrote the New York Times best-seller “The Telomere Effect: A revolutionary approach to living younger, longer” with Nobel Laureate Elizabeth Blackburn (translated into 30 languages) and the new “Stress Prescription,” an independent bookstore best seller and being translated into 15 languages. She enjoys leading science-based meditation retreats. Her personal website is www.elissaepel.com. 

As President and CEO of the National Council on Aging, Ramsey Alwin is leading a nationwide movement to ensure equitable aging for every American. 

Building on NCOA’s 70 years of service and advocacy for older adults, Alwin is renewing the organization’s commitment to improving the lives of millions, especially those who are struggling. She is sparking critical conversations about the resources every American deserves to age well—and what needs to change to ensure all have access.

A seasoned thought leader and policy advocate, Alwin has changed the way people think about older adult poverty and economic security. She designed a new measure of economic security for older adults that better accounts for out-of-pocket health costs and worked to introduce the Measuring American Poverty Act in Congress to redefine the federal poverty measure for the older population. Thanks to Alwin’s efforts, the U.S. Census Bureau formally implemented the Supplemental Poverty Measure nationwide, virtually doubling the elder poverty count and better demonstrating true needs among this population. 

Prior to leading NCOA, Alwin directed financial resilience global thought leadership at AARP and served as Director of National Economic Security Programs at Wider Opportunities for Women. Currently, she serves on the Executive Committee of the UN NGO Committee on Aging, the America250 Health and Wellness Advisory Council, and the National Academy of Social Insurance Finance Committee.