Summit Presentations

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Sandy Markwood, CEO, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging

Ms. Markwood has more than 30 years of experience in the development and delivery of aging, health, human services, housing and transportation programs in counties and cities across the United States. In her position as CEO of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), Ms. Markwood is responsible for n4a’s overall management. She sets strategic direction for the staff, oversees the implementation of all policy, grassroots advocacy, membership and program initiatives, She also leads n4a’s fund-raising efforts and works closely with corporate sponsors to support critical initiatives, including an aging awards best practices program, the Leadership Institute for Area Aging and the just announced Aging Network’s Volunteer Collaborative.  

Prior to coming to n4a in January, 2002, she served as Deputy Director of County Services at the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and as the Assistant to the County Executive in Albemarle County, Virginia. Ms. Markwood graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in urban and environmental planning.

PRESENTATION SLIDES:  Age-Friendly Communities:  What's in it for You?

PRESENTATION VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/QoTgolCN9ek

    Andrew Scharlach, PhD, Eugene & Rose Kleiner Professor of Aging at UC Berkeley 

Andrew E. Scharlach is Professor of Social Welfare at the University of California at Berkeley, where he holds the Eugene and Rose Kleiner Chair in Aging and directs the Gerontology specialization in the School of Social Welfare.  He also serves as Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Aging Services, where he conducts research designed to inform development of innovative and cost-effective services for older adults. 

Professor Scharlach has published extensively on issues pertaining to the well-being of older adults and their families, including aging-friendly communities, long-term care services, work and family responsi­bilities, bereavement, and gerontological social work education.  In addition to more than 75 articles, he is the author of Elder Care and the Work Force:  Blueprint for Action (with B. Lowe and E. Schneider; Lexington Books), Controversial Issues in Aging (with L. Kaye; Allyn & Bacon), and Families and Work:  New Directions in the Twenty-First Century (with K. Fredriksen-Goldsen; Oxford University Press), and Healthy Aging in Sociocultural Perspective (with Kazumi Hoshino; Routledge).

Professor Scharlach’s research examines the physical and social contexts that are conducive to constructive outcomes for elderly persons.  Under Professor Scharlach’s leadership, the Center for the Advanced Study of Aging Services is engaged in a multi-year program of research examining innovative initiatives for helping communities to become more “aging-friendly.” Particular attention is being given to the “Village” model and other initiatives that engage older adults in cooperative community-based efforts to promote aging-in-place. The Center produced the first-ever Compendium of Community Aging Initiatives, documenting the various efforts across the country to help communities become more aging friendly, as well as a web-based international conference on Creating Aging-Friendly Communities. 

Professor Scharlach also investigated the service needs of family caregivers and examined implementation of the National Family Caregiver Support Program in California.  This project included a statewide household survey of family caregivers, community-level needs assessment and resources, as well as a study of caregiver service utilization and its impact, with particular attention to cultural variations and vulnerable care situations.

Profesor Scharlach’s other scholarly activities have included a critical examination of case management as a mechanism for consumer protection and quality assurance in long-term care insurance and long-term care integration, an analysis of current and future needs of California’s elderly population which served as the basis for California’s Statewide Strategic Plan on Aging, and development and implementation of model training programs in gerontological social work. 

In addition, Professor Scharlach served for seven years as a gubernatorial appointee on the California Commission on Aging, and currently serves as Faculty Advisor to the Institute for Senior Living.

PRESENTATION SLIDES:  What's working? Age-Friendly Initiatives in the U.S.

VIDEO PRESENTATION:   https://youtu.be/HMeKa_--I2s

Elizabeth Garner, Colorado State Demographer, on the Demographics of Aging in Larimer County

Elizabeth Garner is the State Demographer and has been with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs since 2004. Her current responsibilities include management and oversight of the Population Estimates and Population Forecast Programs, Economic Information and Forecasting Program and the Geographic Information System Program. A primary focus of the office is to show the relationship between jobs, people, and community services like housing, education, and health care.

Elizabeth and her office have been leading the state's efforts for Census 2010 and in preparation for the release of its data and other Census data. Elizabeth coordinates special projects and research with other state and local agencies to improve the demographic and economic information available throughout Colorado for better understanding local decision making. Prior to working with the Department of Local Affairs, Elizabeth worked for 10 years with CSU Cooperative Extension as the coordinator of the County Information Service. She received her B.A. in Business from the University of San Diego, MA in Agricultural and Resource Economics at Colorado State University and is a PhD Candidate in the same program. 

PRESENTATION SLIDES:  Age Demographics and Forecasts

PRESENTATION VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/nLGTSVZEvJY

 Lynda Meyer, Program Manager, Larimer County Office on Aging

 Ms. Meyer has been with the Larimer County Office on Aging since September 2013 as the program manager.  She received a Bachelor’s in Social Work from CSU and a master’s degree from University of Alaska, Anchorage.  She re-located from Alaska where she was the Senior Services Coordinator for the Municipality of Anchorage.  Ms. Meyer has spent her career in senior services working in a variety of settings  as a case manager and discharge planner, hospice social worker, mental health therapist and program manager.  Just prior to leaving Alaska she received the Alaska Public Health Association President’s award for excellence and ingenuity in leadership.  She has recently completed the Office on Aging  4 year plan and is excited to be part of  such a vibrant community that is committed to pushing forward an agenda to create age friendly communities.  

 Bonnie Shetler,  Chair, PAFC Steering Committee

Dr. Shetler is a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice in Fort  Collins. After earning her M.S. degree in Mathematics from Ohio State University in 1971, she moved to Colorado and entered the graduate psychology program at Colorado State University where she received her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees . Prior to entering private practice in 1980, she worked as a therapist at Larimer County Mental Health Center (currently Touchstone Health Partners).  There her experience working with seniors led her to open her own clinical practice where she has specialized  in issues that arise during the middle and later stages of life.  Throughout her professional life in Fort Collins she has been active in helping develop and supporting community projects  that address concerns of seniors and their families. She is a current member and past president of the Foundation on Aging board and the current chair of the Partnership for Age-Friendly Communities steering committee.

VIDEO: Shetler and Meyer Discuss the Partnership for Age-Friendly Communities

Martin Shields, Professor of Economics at Colorado State University

Dr. Martin Shields is Professor of Economics at Colorado State University. His research program focuses on the factors that influence regional economic growth, emphasizing policy options that will enhance economic opportunities and quality of life for Colorado residents. Professor Shields develops economic models to identify regional competitive advantages and manners by which these advantages are reinforced and strengthened through public-private partnerships. Dr. Shields has published more than 25 scholarly articles and book chapters, and has presented his findings in hundreds of public presentations. He joined Colorado State University after working for 8 years at The Pennsylvania State University.

PRESENTATION SLIDES: Economics of Aging in Larimer County

PRESENTATION VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/9GGyKx5rCEg

 Elisabeth Borden, Principal, The Highland Group

Elisabeth Borden has been working with seniors since she arrived in Fort Collins in 1977 as the Assistant Administrator at Spring Creek Health Care Facility. She was still in her 20s, with a fresh M.A. in Long-Term Care Administration from the Center for Studies in Aging at University of North Texas. The company transferred her to Boulder shortly thereafter, where she has lived since. In the intervening years, it seems that she has somehow become a 60+ person herself, and now speaks both as a professional in seniors housing and care, as well as a pending baby boomer housing consumer.  

Elisabeth worked for Boulder County government for 12 years, including the formation of the Boulder County Area Agency on Aging 25 years ago. After helping to develop six assisted living facilities in the 1990s, Elisabeth founded The Highland Group in 2000. For the past 15 years, The Highland Group has provided market research, feasibility studies, development planning, and strategic consulting for over 200 non-profit and for-profit developers and operators for all types of housing and care targeted to older Coloradoans. Elisabeth publishes the monthly newsletter, “Market Watch”, and is a frequent contributing writer to industry publications and a retreat and conference speaker.

PRESENTATION SLIDES:  The Next 25 Years:  The importance of housing to an age-friendly Larimer County

PRESENTATION VIDEO:  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8lSiY791f4s