As the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging of the Administration on Aging (AoA) within the Administration for Community Living, Mr. Edwin L. Walker serves as the chief career official for the federal agency responsible for advocating on behalf of older Americans.

In this capacity, he guides and promotes the development of home and community-based long-term care programs, policies, and services designed to afford older people and their caregivers the ability to age with dignity and independence and to have a broad array of options available for an enhanced quality of life. This includes the promotion and implementation of evidence-based prevention interventions proven effective in avoiding or delaying the onset of chronic disease and illness.

Prior to joining the Administration on Aging, Mr. Walker served as the Director of the Missouri Division of Aging, responsible for administering a comprehensive set of human service programs for older persons and adults with disabilities.

He received a Juris Doctor degree in law from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Media Arts from Hampton University. 

Dr. Trejo was appointed as Executive Director for Aging and Community Services, a branch of the Los Angeles County Department of Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services (WDACS) in 2021. In this capacity, she leads efforts to create a new department to proactively establish a coordinated strategy and service delivery system for older adults and adults with disabilities, while overseeing programs and operations, including Adult Protective Services, the Area Agency on Aging, and community service centers.  

Dr. Trejo has over 36 years of experience serving the residents of the Los Angeles region, including as General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging and as the first District Chief for countywide older adult mental health for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. Since 2016, Dr. Trejo has been leading Purposeful Aging L.A. an age-friendly initiative “to make the Los Angeles region the most age friendly in the world.” Among her other activities, she is co-lead for the Los Angeles Aging Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) and serves as a founding Co-Director/Investigator of the UCLA Los Angeles Community Academic Partnership for Research in Aging (LA CAPRA). 

Nationally, Dr. Trejo is active in the American Society on Aging, where she served as founding chair of the Mental Health and Aging Network and is currently on the Generations Journal Editorial Advisory Board; a member of the USAging National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC)’s National Advisory Committee on Transportation Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and on the board of directors of the Alzheimer’s Association, National Hispanic Council on Aging, and National Council on Aging; and founding member of the federal Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Services. She currently serves as vice-president of the California Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

Dr. Trejo holds a doctorate in Social Work, Master level degrees in Gerontology and Public Administration, and a Graduate Certificate in Long Term-Care Administration all from the University of Southern California.  She has consulted and trained extensively throughout the U.S. on the development of programs for older adults with an emphasis on cultural competence. She has worked with individual countries and international organizations to develop initiatives and programs in the areas of aging, mental health, health, Alzheimer’s, and rehabilitation. Her work has been published in professional journals, book chapters, and major reports.

Dr. Trejo’s commitment to excellence have earned recognition in program innovation and as an influential leader, among the most noteworthy are the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Community Health Leadership award, considered the nation’s highest honor in community health, and Excellence in Leadership awards from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (now USAging), American Society on Aging, and National Hispanic Council on Aging. Dr. Trejo’s efforts as an advocate elevating the needs of those most in need have been recognized by Justice in Aging, Los Angeles Aging Advocacy Coalition, Mexican American Opportunities Foundation, Fearless Caregiver.com, and the City of Hope. Los Angeles Magazine named her among the “50 Most Influential Women” and the United States Library of Congress has recognized Dr. Trejo’s accomplishments as a force for social change.

Manoj Pardasani, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., is the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Hunter College, City University of New York.  He was a Dean and Professor at the School of Social Work.  He has also served as an Associate Provost (Graduate and Professional Schools) and Professor of Social Work at Hunter College in New York, and a Faculty Research Scholar at the Ravazzin Center for Social Work Research in Aging and Senior Associate Dean at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service. He held the rank of Full Professor at Fordham University, Hunter College and Adelphi University.

He has a Master's of Social Work degree and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University. 

He started his social work career in senior centers and that sparked his lifelong passion for the study of senior centers and community-based services for older adults.   As one of the nation’s foremost researchers on senior centers, he has studied the designs, programs and services offered, participant profiles, and impact of senior centers across the US.  He has also served as a social worker, and then as an administrator, in a number of organizations serving the homeless, individuals living with HIV/AIDS and individuals diagnosed with serious and persistent mental illness. 

He is passionate about public policy reforms and his current research is utilized to inform his policy advocacy endeavors in the fields of aging and social welfare. He has published over 37 published articles in peer-reviewed journals, 7 book chapters and two additional manuscripts under review. His research has garnered over $1.3 million in grants and has resulted in significant increases in public funding for gerontological social services in New York City and program innovations in senior centers nationwide. He has also received an additional $4 million in training grants in order to promote a diverse social work workforce.

In addition to senior centers, Dr. Pardasani has documented the impact of diverse program models among immigrants, refugees and other oppressed groups with reference to HIV/AIDS, chronic mental illness and homelessness. His scholarship, teaching and service have always adopted the lens of social justice and human rights.

He is the recipient of several honors including the Mid-Career Exemplary Social Work Leader Award from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and Fulbright Specialist award.  He is a Fulbright Specialist and has taught as a Visiting Professor in China, Germany, Chile and the United Kingdom.  He has been invited across the US and to Chile, South Korea, Taiwan and India to share his research on social welfare policies and services for the rapidly aging population worldwide. He is the past chair of the Social Welfare Action Alliance, past president of the Southwestern Social Science Association and the New York State Society on Aging. Currently, he is a 1^st Vice President on the NYC Chapter of NASW, a board member of the NY State Society on Aging and the Chair of the National Nominating Committee of CSWE.

Kathy Greenlee, Chair-Elect of the NCOA Board of Directors, is an attorney with 25 years of public service experience. She has expertise in aging, long-term care, disability, elder rights, health care, community services, rural aging, and LGBT health.

In 2009, Greenlee was appointed U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging by President Obama, a position she held for seven years. During her time in Washington, Greenlee created the Administration for Community Living (ACL), an agency that administers a broad range of aging and disability programs. Greenlee provided national and international leadership on preventing and responding to elder abuse. She chaired the Elder Justice Coordinating Council, created a federal home for state adult protective services programs, and created the national elder maltreatment data collection system. Greenlee also co-chaired the HHS LGBT Issues Coordinating Committee, an endeavor that resulted in comprehensive program and policy improvements for LGBTQ individuals.

In fall 2018, Greenlee launched a consulting business, Greenlee Global, LLC, to pursue aging-related projects regionally, nationally, and internationally. In early 2018, the Sunflower Foundation announced a major grant to support her continued work in the areas of elder abuse and neglect. In May 2020, Greenlee began working with the State of Kansas, serving as the Kansas COVID-19 LTSS Liaison.

Greenlee spent 18 years in Kansas state government. She served in numerous high-level positions, such as Secretary of Aging for Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Kansas Long-Term Care Ombudsman, General Counsel for the Kansas Insurance Department, and Assistant Attorney General.

Jill Hall is Chief of the Senior Centers and Community Services Division for the Baltimore County Department of Aging. For the past 14 years, Jill has managed the operations of 21 senior centers, 36 nutrition sites, and the delivery of county-wide evidence-based health and wellness programs. Prior to Baltimore County, Jill was the supervisor of the Rockville Senior Center for 10 years and a senior recreation planning consultant for 15 years. Jill has twice served as the President of the Maryland Association of Senior Centers and been involved with the NCOA’s National Institute of Senior Centers in various capacities for 25 years. She takes on the role of NISC Chair in July.