Senior Center Summit: Mental Wellness Session 3

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. 

Marina Keers is a committed advocate for individual self-sufficiency. Marina was hired as the Executive Director of Hendricks County Senior Services in February 2012. Marina is a champion for the needs and desires of vulnerable people and aging adults in her community. She has a degree in Advertising and Public Relations from Franklin College and a Master’s in Public Affairs from Indiana University. Marina serves on the board of Leadership Hendricks County and the Senior Center Coalition of Indiana.  

Melanie Lachman is the Program Coordinator for the award-winning UPSLIDE program at the Tallahassee Senior Center where she helps connect older adults with activities and programs with the goal of enhancing mental, emotional and physical health to provide a gateway for people to become socially engaged within the community and connected to other people.

Melanie, a licensed clinical social worker who holds a level II certification in trauma and resilience, has 24 years of experience doing individual and group counseling and community outreach. She has a special interest in trauma and is trained in EMDR. She came to the Senior Center from Big Bend Hospice where she worked for 14 years as a grief counselor in rural Wakulla and Franklin counties. Prior to that, Melanie worked as a substance abuse counselor in a women’s program and with at-risk youth at DISC Village.

In addition to her strong clinical counseling background, Melanie’s project development and public speaking skills make her an excellent fit to administer the UPSLIDE program and interface with local agencies to help identify at-risk adults in the community who might benefit from participation. Melanie is passionate about helping people realize their worth and reach their full potential regardless of age