Healthy Living Roundtable

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.

Melissa Donegan is the Director of the Healthy Living Center of Excellence (HLCE) at AgeSpan. Melissa assists in the overall management and dissemination of healthy living evidence-based programs in clinical and community settings across the state of Massachusetts. Melissa is responsible for managing aspects of multiple federal and private grants and managing staff to ensure successful planning and implementation. Melissa develops and directs initiatives related to building community partnerships and capacity and to engage others in promoting self-management education programs. Melissa is also the National Director of the Healthy IDEAS Program and a ReFraming Aging Facilitator.  Melissa began her career at AgeSpan in 2004 and has been involved with evidence-based programs since 2011. Healthy living is a passion for Melissa both personally and professionally

J Kele Murdin, PT, MPT, GCS, GTCCS, owner/clinician of Murdin Therapy LLC. Ms. Murdin is founder and chair of a geriatric special interest group for the Physical Therapy Association of Washington State. In 2019 she received “Physical Therapist of the Year Award” and was selected as the Centennial Scholar from the Washington State Chapter of the APTA. Ms. Murdin has dedicated her time also to creating and participating in innovative implementation models for the evidence-based fall prevention program Otago. She has been the recipient of several grant to expand the access of this evidence-based fall prevention program. In 2018 she participated in an ACL grant and created a training for caregivers to deliver the Otago home program. In 2020 she was involved in NIH Type IIB grant with Health in Motion: A pragmatic Clinical Trial related to app-based Otago delivery and in person Otago programs. In 2021 and 2022 she was recipient of Central Region EMS and Trauma Care Council to deliver group Otago at a local senior center. This program expanded in 2022 to include West Region EMS and Trauma Care Council.  Ms. Murdin’s passion for her profession is mirrored by a passion for cycling, laughter, and her family.

Michelle leads the CTI Coach and CTI+ Software trainings, program development, and on-going engagement and support of Transitions Coaches in the international network of CTI Program Providers. She also guides new partners through a readiness process to ensure intentional CTI implementation. 

In her 12+ years serving adults in evidence-based health promotion programs, Michelle has assisted a countless number of organizations and professionals in program adoption at the local, county, and state levels. Michelle served as an advocate, instructor, community-workshop leader, and a county program manager in Northern California for multiple Self-Management Resource Center Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs (CDSMP). More recently, Michelle was a statewide Director of Development for evidence-based health prevention programs in Wisconsin. In this work, Michelle played a key role in directing training curricula, developing toolkits, and providing proactive mentorship to community liaisons in their local efforts. Michelle is proud of her purpose to help people help others in the most effective and fun way possible.

Jill Renken has a bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion & Wellness and Master of Public Health degree.  She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist. Jill has done health education work in the university, healthcare, and worksite employee wellness setting, with most experience in community wellness programs. She currently works within Wisconsin’s Aging Network and Partner Organizations to oversee statewide implementation of Evidence-Based Healthy Aging Programs.  Over the past 15 years, Jill has provided technical assistance and training around evidence-based health promotion programs throughout the state. Currently, as the Director of Program Implementation for the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging (WIHA), she works to develop and support strategic organizational partnerships that assist in expanding and sustaining the dissemination of evidence-based community health promotion programs to prevent disease, reduce emergency department visits, hospitalizations and falls, and improve health and quality of life of older adults in Wisconsin and Nationwide.