Welcome and Keynote Speaker

Dan Harris is a fidgety, skeptical journalist who had a panic attack on live national television, which led him towards an investigative interest in mindful ambition and wellness. He went on to write the #1 New York Times bestseller, 10% Happier, followed by a chart-topping podcast, Ten Percent Happier, which ranks in the top 100. Harris, a seasoned reporter with over two decades of experience as an anchor and in the field, seamlessly weaves meditation into his narrative, highlighting its profound effects on stress reduction and clarity of thought, making it an integral part of his mission to promote well-being in the modern world. Renowned for his candid exploration of the interior, journalist Dan Harris inspires others with his personal journey, emphasizing the transformative impact of a mentally resilient approach to ambitious professional endeavors. His guests have included everyone from His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Brené Brown to Karamo from Queer Eye. Dan's approach is seemingly modest, but secretly radical: happiness is a skill you can train.

Sharing poignant examples from his own life, Harris lays out the (often winding) road to personal resilience. For his work, Harris has earned an Edward R. Murrow Award and four News & Documentary Emmy Awards. His TED Talk went viral, launching a new movement in mindfulness. He has spoken at Google and shared his mindfulness practice nationally on ABC News, NPR, Good Morning America, and more.

As President and CEO of the National Council on Aging, Ramsey Alwin is leading a nationwide movement to ensure equitable aging for every American. 

Building on NCOA’s 75 years of service and advocacy for older adults, Alwin is renewing the organization’s commitment to improving the lives of millions, especially those who are struggling. She is sparking critical conversations about the resources every American deserves to age well—and what needs to change to ensure all have access.

A seasoned thought leader and policy advocate, Alwin has changed the way people think about older adult poverty and economic security. She designed a new measure of economic security for older adults that better accounts for out-of-pocket health costs and worked to introduce the Measuring American Poverty Act in Congress to redefine the federal poverty measure for the older population. Thanks to Alwin’s efforts, the U.S. Census Bureau formally implemented the Supplemental Poverty Measure nationwide, virtually doubling the elder poverty count and better demonstrating true needs among this population. 

Prior to leading NCOA, Alwin directed financial resilience global thought leadership at AARP and served as Director of National Economic Security Programs at Wider Opportunities for Women. Currently, she serves on the Executive Committee of the UN NGO Committee on Aging, the America250 Health and Wellness Advisory Council, and the National Academy of Social Insurance Finance Committee.

Mary Lazare was sworn in as ACL’s principal deputy administrator on March 3, 2025, returning to the role she held from 2017-2021.

Throughout a career focused on improving the health and well-being of people with disabilities and older adults, Mary has led social services and health care systems in building partnerships across industries and all levels of government, modernizing system infrastructure and leveraging new technology, and creating opportunities for innovation in order to better meet the needs of the people they serve.

During her prior tenure at ACL, Mary led the agency’s overall day-to-day operations and spearheaded several key initiatives, including an interagency task force focused on expanding employment opportunities for people with disabilities; a public-private partnership to prevent social isolation; and cross-sector collaboration to align health care and aging and disability services to improve health outcomes and reduce costs.

Before joining ACL, she served as Vice President for Home and Community-Based Services for Lutheran Senior Services, overseeing the operations of home health, hospice, and private duty services to improve patient outcomes and developed partnerships among aging services, health care systems and providers to better meet the individual needs of older adults. In earlier roles, she served as Vice President of Senior Care Facilities and Community Health Ministries at Ascension Health, Vice-President of Senior Services and Home Care Services at BJC Health Care, and Executive Director for the Jewish Center for the Aged. She also has served on the board of the Mid-East Area Agency on Aging Foundation of St Louis, the Continuum of Care Committee of the Catholic Health Association, the American Hospital Association Governing Council for Post-Acute Care Services, and a number of other civic and professional organizations.
Mary received her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri, a master’s degree in gerontology from Lindenwood University, and a Master of Business Administration and Management from Maryville University of Saint Louis.

Art Kleinschmidt, Ph.D. was appointed as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In this capacity, Dr. Kleinschmidt will provide overall leadership of mental health and substance use disorder treatment, prevention, recovery services, intergovernmental and public affairs, agency operations, as well as budget, and financial management for the newly created Administration for a Healthy America.

Dr. Kleinschmidt has served in several leadership roles during his time in the federal government. He was appointed as a Senior Advisor for Substance Abuse at SAMHSA in 2017, and later served as a subject matter expert for mental health and addiction-related issues on the White House Domestic Policy Council. While on the Domestic Policy Council he co-authored the Executive Order #13954 Saving Lives Through Increased Support for Mental and Behavioral Health Needs during the COVID pandemic. He later received a Presidential Appointment from President Trump to assume the position of Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Policy. As the Deputy Director, Dr. Kleinschmidt received classified briefings on Drug Trafficking Organizations, border security, and was instrumental in crafting the President’s National Drug Control Strategy.

Dr. Kleinschmidt is a licensed mental professional and a licensed addiction counselor. He completed his clinical training at Hazelden Betty Ford. His work has focused on delivering direct treatment services for over two decades by providing individuals, families, and couples with substance use disorders, serious mental illness, and behavioral health complications with crucial and life-saving services. His experience working on multidisciplinary teams in both residential and outpatient and in private practice has resulted in being nationally recognized as a subject matter expert on the nexus between mental health, substance use disorders and criminal justice. Dr. Kleinschmidt has published articles for the Washington Times, Fox News, and the Washington Examiner.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Kleinschmidt earned an MBA and was a licensed Certified Public Accountant in his home state of Louisiana. He has business experience running a nonprofit organization in support of individuals in need of substance use treatment. This provided a strong foundation for his public health leadership.

Dr. Kleinschmidt has many personal connections to supporting individuals, families, and communities connect to treatment and move towards paths of recovery. As an individual living in active recovery since January 4, 2002, he has served as a volunteer peer worker assisting individuals in early recovery while living in the recovery community in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Thomas Engels is the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). HRSA is the primary federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responsible for improving access to health care for people who are geographically isolated and economically or medically vulnerable.
As the Administrator, Mr. Engels oversees HRSA’s efforts to expand access to quality health care through grants awarded to state and local governments, providers of health profession training programs.

Under Mr. Engels' leadership, HRSA serves more than 31 million people through 1,400 health centers - an essential component of America’s health care safety net– with 15,000 sites in underserved and rural communities that provide primary care services regardless of patients’ ability to pay. Health centers are providing substance use disorder services–behavioral health–in steadily increasing numbers.

Toward that end, the agency continues to grow the behavioral health workforce and recruit providers to underserved and rural communities by investing in growing the National Health Service Corps, which provides loan repayment and scholarships to providers in return for practicing in these high-need communities.
In keeping with its mission, HRSA programs reach more than 60 million pregnant women, infants, and children; more than 560,000 people with HIV; more than 1,900 rural counties and municipalities; and more than 21,000 clinicians in the National Health Service Corps and Nurse Corps and other programs who provide medical, dental and mental health services to over 22 million Americans.

Mr. Engels is the first person to be twice appointed HRSA Administrator by a U.S. President serving nonconsecutive terms.

Mr. Engels was HRSA Administrator from November 2019 until January 2021.

During his initial tenure as administrator, Mr. Engels oversaw programs to address the opioid epidemic through the integration of behavioral health into primary care and HIV care settings. He also directed the management of the historic $175 billion COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund, which provided relief and assistance to hospitals and other health care professionals on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, he completed the most significant reorganization of the agency in its 40-year history. Mr. Engels also served on the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

Prior to first joining HRSA, Mr. Engels was Deputy Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services from 2015 to 2019, managing a department with more than 6,000 employees and a $12 billion budget. In that role, he championed and oversaw the expansion of the state’s mental health services, the establishment of a statewide electronic health record system and an increase in staffing at long-term care facilities. He was also an active member of the Governor’s Task Force on Opioid Abuse.
Formerly Vice President of Public Affairs at the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, Mr. Engels also served as the Government Affairs Director for the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association, and previously held public service positions working as Governor Tommy Thompson’s Deputy Press Secretary and Communications Director for the Senate Republican Caucus.
More recently, he was elected as Sergeant-At-Arms by the Wisconsin State Senate in 2021 and re-elected in 2023 and 2025. The Wisconsin State Sergeant-At-Arms is a nonpartisan constitutional officer.

He also is a certified emergency medical technician, and for many years a volunteer firefighter.

Mr. Engels is a native of Wisconsin and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.