Building the Modern Senior Center & Aligning Social Care and Health Care
Plenary Session: Building the Modern Senior Center & Aligning Social Care and Health Care
Senior centers are on the frontlines serving the rapidly changing older adult population. From homelessness to health care, centers are addressing the daily challenges facing the people in their communities. Take a look into today's senior center--and get a peek into the future.
Discover emerging trends in home and community-based services, including efforts to align social care and health to provide individuals with holistic, equitable, community-focused, and person-centered care. Learn about system changes needed, third-party payment structures, and potential contracting opportunities. Leave better prepared for the future of community-based aging long-term services and supports sustainability.
June Simmons (Moderator)
President & CEO; NCOA Board Member
Partners in Care Foundation & NCOA Board Member
June Simmons is President and CEO of Partners in Care Foundation. Over the past two decades, June has pioneered the development and scaling of innovative, evidence-based interventions for management of medications at home, self-management of chronic conditions, coordinated care to improve health outcomes, and care transitions.
Throughout her distinguished career, she has been instrumental in envisioning, creating, funding, and operating forward-looking health and social service programs that meet the mutual needs of patient populations, health care delivery networks and health plans. Her priority is sustainable, cost-effective, patient-driven integration of care across settings, from primary care and hospital to home and community in the 21st century.
Elizabeth Cole (Moderator)
NCOA Board Member
National Council on Aging
Elizabeth Cole is senior vice president and chief human resources officer for Cambia Health Solutions. She provides leadership and strategic direction for all aspects of human resources and brings more than 25 years of experience to her role, with a focus on: strengthening the company's culture of growth and development; building a sense of belonging through diversity, equity, and inclusion; and supporting Camia's mission to do their best work for their customers.
Cole came to Cambia most recently from Marsh, an international global insurance broker company, where she was the chief HR officer for 38,000 employees. Earlier in her career, she was an HR executive vice president at Citizens Financial Group in Boston. She’s also held HR leadership roles at Genworth Financial and General Electric. Cole brings deep institutional knowledge of HR to her role, and a warm and strategic approach to leadership.
Cole graduated with an economics degree from Texas A&M University.
Manoj Pardasani PhD., L.C.S.W.
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Hunter College
Jill Hall
NISC Chair
State of Colorado
Jill Hall is the Senior Services Manager for the Highlands Ranch MetroDistrict, overseeing the development of a comprehensive array of programs foradults aged 55 and older and assisting with the construction of a new 22,000sq. ft. senior center slated to open this fall. Even without a building, Jillhas built a senior center membership of over 1,280 individuals. Prior to movingto Colorado, Jill spent 15 years as the Division Chief of Senior Centers andCommunity Services in Baltimore County, Maryland. In this position Jill managedthe operation of 21 senior centers with over 20,000 members, 35 nutritionsites, county-wide special events and marketing. Jill also has 10 years ofexperience supervising the Rockville Senior Center, a 36,000 sq. ft. multipurposesenior and community center with 3,000 members. Jill also spent a decade as aSenior Recreation Planner for a private consulting firm. Jill has a master’sdegree in Recreation and Leisure Studies, with a minor in public policy andadministration.
Debra Colorado
Social Services Manager
City of San Antonio Senior Services
Debra Colorado is a public service manager and licensed social worker with 20+ years of experience working with vulnerable populations and diverse communities. She is currently a Social Services Manager for the City of San Antonio's- Department of Human Services, Senior Services Division which operates the City’s senior centers and nutrition sites. She has been an active participant with Successful Aging and Living in San Antonio (SALSA) a collective impact initiative, City of San Antonio Domestic Violence Task Force, and a member of the VIA Metropolitan Accessible Transit Advisory Committee. Debra holds two degrees--Master of Social Work and Master of Public Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Joe Gavin
Chief Program and Community Engagement Officer
San Diego Senior Community Foundation
Joe Gavin joined the San Diego Seniors Community Foundation in December 2018. Previously, Joe worked for seven ½ years for Serving Seniors, a San Diego non-profit dedicated to helping seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives. His last role was Director of Integrated Services with the primary responsibility of oversight of all programs provided by the interdisciplinary team at the organization’s flagship community site, the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center.
At SDSCF, Joe brings a thorough knowledge of the San Diego older adult network and expertise on programs/services, older adult infrastructure and the biopsychosocial gerontological environment. Joe was the lead author of the 2019 SDSCF Senior Center Assessment and the 2022 SDSCF Senior Center Master Plan for San Diego Senior Centers. He leads the grantmaking efforts that have provided critical funding to over 40 San Diego senior centers, community centers, and nonprofit agencies. He is the facilitator of the San Diego Senior Center Coalition and is the foundation’s point person and driver in developing relationships with elected officials, government agencies, and the aging services network.
Joe holds a B.S. in psychology from Governors State University in University Park, Illinois, and a M.S.in gerontology from San Diego State University.
Tim McNeill
Founder
Freedmen's Health
Nikki Kmicinski
Executive Director
Western New York Integrated Care Collaborative, Inc.
Nikki Kmicinski is the Executive Director for the non-profit Western New York Integrated Care Collaborative (WNYICC) where she oversees this regional network of over 20 agencies working toward sustainability and integrated health care. Nikki has been a Registered Dietitian for 20+ years, was a licensed real estate agent for 10 years, and owns a property management company with her husband. She is a Master Trainer for the Self-Management Resource Center’s Self-Management Programs, and a Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Coach. Nikki has a Master’s degree from Rochester Institute of Technology in Service Management and throughout her professional career she has worked in numerous healthcare and business settings including: hospital, nursing home, restaurant, private practice, real estate, property management, business owner, school, amusement park, hotel, municipal Area Agency on Aging, and non-profit community-based organizations.