Programs of Excellence: Raising the Visibility of Your Senior Center through 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. 

Christina Crain is the Executive Director of the Stamford Senior Center, serving in that role since 2014. The Stamford Senior Center's mission is to provide affordable opportunities for older adults to be active and healthy in both mind and body and remain connected to their community in a safe, diverse and welcoming environment. Prior to becoming the Executive Director of the Stamford Senior Center, Chris served as Director of Programs for the Southwestern CT Agency on Aging, implementing programs to keep older adults in the community with home and community based services. Chris has 25 years of experience in aging services and over 23 years of experience working in non-profit management, developing programs that enhance the quality of life for older adults. Chris holds a Master of Science degree in Social Work from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Major in Psychology from the University of Connecticut Chris is a passionate advocate for older adults, raising their visibility and the value they provide to their communities. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Mayor's Advisory Council on Older Adults in Stamford, CT.

As the Team Lead for Digital Content Strategy at NCOA, Jackie Thomas plans, executes, and oversees a multi-channel content strategy, empowering the organization's audiences by connecting them to relevant, life-changing resources and tools on NCOA’s websites, including ncoa.org and benefitscheckup.org. Passionate about making an impact and helping people find the right information to help them age well, Thomas brings the organization's mission of improving the lives of millions of older adults to life through a proactive story-telling approach. Interested in contributing as a guest writer? Let her know!

Jessica Migneault is the Assistant Director of Senior Services for the Town of Hopkinton, MA.  Joining the department in July of 2021, she has worked to create and rebuild programs and opportunities for seniors in a post-pandemic world.   She coordinates a broad range of programs to meet the social, recreational, emotional, physical, mental health, cultural, and educational needs of seniors. Prior to working with Hopkinton Senior Services, Jessica spent over a decade working for a federally subsidized housing authority that provides housing to low income seniors and disabled adults.  She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Rhode Island in Human Development and Family Studies with additional focus on  Community Settings and Grief Counseling as well as a Masters of Public Administration from Anna Maria College in Worcester, MA.