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Veteran Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile is an adjunct professor, author, syndicated columnist, television political commentator, Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation at the Democratic National Committee, and former chair of the DNC's Voting Rights Institute. Last, but never least, she is a native of New Orleans.
Aside from working for the full recovery of her beloved New Orleans, Ms. Brazile's passion is encouraging young people to vote, to work within the system to strengthen it, and to run for public office.
A New Orleans native, Ms. Brazile began her political career at the age of nine when she worked to elect a City Council candidate who had promised to build a playground in her neighborhood; the candidate won, the swing sets was installed, and a lifelong passion for political progress was ignited. Four decades and innumerable state and local campaigns later, Ms. Brazile has worked on every presidential campaign from 1976 through 2000, when she served as campaign manager for former Vice President Al Gore, becoming the first African-American woman to manage a presidential campaign.
Author of the best-selling memoir Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics, Ms. Brazile is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, a syndicated newspaper columnist for United Media, a columnist for Ms. Magazine and O Magazine, and an on-air contributor to CNN, NPR, and ABC, where she regularly appears on This Week.
In August 2009, O, The Oprah Magazine chose Ms. Brazile as one of its 20 "remarkable visionaries" for the magazine's first-ever O Power List. In addition, she was named among the 100 Most Powerful Women by Washingtonian magazine, Top 50 Women in America by Essence magazine, and received the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's highest award for political achievement. A former member of the board of directors of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, responsible for leading the state's rebuilding process in the aftermath of two catastrophic hurricanes, Ms. Brazile is the proud recipient of honorary doctorate degrees from Louisiana State University and Xavier University of Louisiana, the only historically Black, Catholic institution of higher education in the United States.
Ms. Brazile is founder and managing director of Brazile & Associates LLC, a general consulting, grassroots advocacy, and training firm based in Washington, DC.
Jody Holtzman, Senior Vice President, Thought Leadership at AARP, has more than two decades of experience helping companies develop and implement competitive strategies and achieve their strategic market goals. At AARP he leads AARP's new Thought Leadership efforts which support the organization's new brand positioning around a focus on living not just aging and for people 50+ to live their best life. Previously, Jody led AARP's research, competitive intelligence and strategic analysis functions. A central focus of this research is to understand the needs, wants and preferences of AARP members and prospective members, their intent to join and renew their memberships, as well as their views regarding AARP's social mission and policy goals. Prior to that, Jody was AARP's first Director of Strategic Analysis and Intelligence where his team provided forward looking and actionable insight about AARP's external environment in support of senior management decision-making. Jody is a member of AARP's Leadership Team and Brand Council.
Top Analysts Will Provide an Overview of the Business Landscape
Sharon Dworkin Bell - Senior Vice President, NAHB
Candace Corlett - President, WSL Strategic Retail
Steve French - Managing Director, Natural Marketing Institute
Jeff Hasen - Chief Marketing Officer, Hipcricket
Gail Hunt - President & Chief Executive Officer, National Alliance for Caregiving
Jodi Olshevski - Assistant Vice President, The Hartford
Laurie Orlov - Founder, Aging in Place Technology Watch
Lee Rainie - Director, Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project
Bob Stephen - Vice President, My Home & Family Portfolio, IVS-Portfolio Management, AARP
Sandra Timmermann - Vice President, MetLife and the Director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute
Featured Speakers
Lori Bitter - President, Crew Media
Myrna Blyth - Editor in Chief, ThirdAge.com
Jessie Brumbach - Vice President, Marketing, HomeInstead, Inc.
Ramesh Bulusu - Vice President, Technology & Strategy, AARP
Beth Carpenter - Digital Distribution, Blogger, AARP.org
Winter Casey - Senior Policy Analyst, Global Public Policy, Google
Stephen Chen - Chief Executive Officer, New Retirement
Andy Cohen - Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Caring.com
Scott Collins - President and Chief Executive Officer, Linkage
Kevin Dando - Director, Digital Marketing & Communications, PBS
Corrie Davidson - DC Community Manager, Google
Judy Diaz - President, Next Avenue
Jim Emerman - Executive Vice President, Civic Ventures
Mary Furlong - President and Chief Executive Officer, Mary Furlong & Associates
Joe Gerardi - Chief Information Officer, ABHOW
Jeremy Gin - Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sitejabber.com
Alex Go - Chief Executive Officer, Virtual Health
Tammy Gordon - Director, Social Communications & Strategy, AARP
Ravishankar Gundlapalli - Founder and Chief Executive Officer, MentorCloud
Alicia Heazlitt - Market Research Manager, Innovate LTC
Link Hoewing - Assistant Vice President of Internet and Technology Issues, Verizon
Hanna Gryncwajg SVP, Advertising Sales, RLTV
Karen Hofmann Retirement and Wealth Consultant, The Hartford
Deborah Jacobs - Author and Journalist, Forbes Magazine
Stephen Johnston - Chief Executive Officer, Fordcastle, LLC
Olga Khazan - Web Producer and Reporter, Small Business, Washington Post
Steve King - Partner, Emergent Research
Dr. Gail Kirby - Professor, Santa Clara University
Quyen Le - Senior Technical Sales Productivity Specialist, Salesforce.com
Mike Lee - Senior Advisor, Digital Strategy, AARP
Howard Levine - Chief Information Officer, SeniorBridge
Carilyn Long - Director of Sales, Silverado At Home, Silverado Senior Living
Jeff Makowka - Senior Strategic Advisor, Thought Leadership, AARP
Jeff Maltz - Co-Founder, SilverRide
Mike Martoccia - Chief Operating Officer, Dopamine
Todd Mason - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, FaceTime Strategy
Lynn Mento - Senior Vice President, Member Experience, AARP
Gary Moulton - Product Manager, Trustworthy Computing Group, Microsoft
Laura Mitchell - Vice President, Marketing, GrandCare Systems
Jacob Nelson - Director, Traffic Safety Advocacy & Research, AAA National
Mike Nicholson - Chief Executive Officer, LivHOME
Margit Novack - President, Moving Solutions
Greg O'Neill - Director, National Academy on an Aging Society
Ilya Oshman - Senior Vice President, FP&A, Weight Watchers
Madeline Pantalone - Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, GreatCall, Inc.
Alex Priest - DC Community Manager,Uber
Peter Radsliff - President and Chief Executive Officer, Presto Services, LLC
John Reinhart - President and Chief Executive Officer, InnovateLTC
Candice Rose - Chairman Arlington Commission on Aging
Stuart Rosenthal - Founder, Publisher and Editor of the Beacon newspapers
Jason Rozenblat - General Manager DC, Living Social
Francine Russo - Bestselling Author
Kian Saneii - Chief Information Officer, Independa, Inc.
Gail Sheehy - Bestselling Author and Columnist, USAToday.com
Jeff Shoemate - VP of Innovation and Business Development, United Healthcare - Medicare & Retirement
Sherri Snelling - Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Caregiving Club
Bob Stephen - Vice President, Home & Family Portfolio, AARP
Missy Sullivan - Senior Editor, Smart Money, The Wall Street Journal
Eric Taub - Writer, New York Times
Assaf Wand - Chief Executive Officer, Sabi
Renee Werbin - Publisher, travelgirl Magazine
Charlotte Yeh - Chief Medical Officer, AARP Services, Inc.
Gene Zaino - Chief Executive Officer, MBO Partners
Jeff Zimman - Chairman, Posit Science
More About Our Speakers & Analysts
Lori Bitter - President, Crew Media
Lori Bitter is President of Crew Media, a firm focused on high quality engagement with mature consumers. Lori has more than 25 years of advertising, public relations and strategic planning experience and is the author of numerous white papers on topics relevant to the senior and Boomer population. She serves as publisher for Eons. com and GRAND, the digital magazine for grandparents and their families.
Jessie Brumbach - Vice President, Marketing, HomeInstead, Inc.
Jessie Brumbach, vice president of marketing at Home Instead, Inc., oversees the marketing division and its efforts to build brand awareness; generate media attention for the organization and senior care related issues; and generate prospective franchise owner leads.
Jessie joined the Home Instead Senior Care staff in 2007 as marketing director. She was previously employed by Cox Communications, where she worked for 15 years in various roles including consumer and business-to-business marketing and advertising; product management; and media sales management. Jessie also worked in film marketing and publicity at Universal Pictures and MGM and lead marketing and sales efforts at the Hollywood Bowl and Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Ramesh Bulusu - Vice President, Technology & Strategy, AARP
Ramesh Bulusu is Vice President of Technology Strategy & Innovation at AARP, where he leads the IT Strategy, Enterprise Architecture and Solution Architecture domains. In this capacity, he is responsible for developing and implementing the multi-year technology transformation roadmaps - enabling new business capabilities, incorporating new innovative technologies, implementing reusable technology solutions, while optimizing the cost structure of the organization and reducing operating costs by 15% in 3 years. Mr. Bulusu is also leading the implementation of multiple strategic technology initiatives including Mobility, Collaboration and Social Engagement, CRM/Marketing integration, Contact Center transformation, Cloud Computing, Application Portfolio Consolidation and IT Infrastructure Modernization.
Myrna Blyth - Editor in Chief, ThirdAge.com
Myrna Blyth, Editor in Chief at ThirdAge, was the longtime editor of the Ladies' Home Journal and the founding editor of More magazine. She has written for many magazines and newspapers including The New Yorker, New York, National Review, Redbook and Cosmopolitan. She is also the author of the New York Times bestseller "Spin Sisters" and "How to Raise an American."
Beth Carpenter - Digital Distribution, Blogger, AARP.org
Beth Shanna Carpenter is AARP's Manager of Social Communications and Strategy. Starting in January 2008, she launched the AARP YouTube channel, began Twitter accounts on behalf of the organization, and trained staffers to incorporate digital strategies into video production. Today, she manages social strategy for the Personal Time portfolio within AARP, incorporating social into entertainment, travel, dining, and technology campaigns and content across the organization. She has grown the AARP's branded presence on YouTube to more than 2,000 original videos, watched an average of 400,000 times a week. She leverages social advertising across Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and is responsible for training AARP volunteers and staff in its 53 state offices to use social media effectively.
Winter Casey - Senior Policy Analyst, Global Public Policy, Google
Winter Casey focuses on global trade and open Internet issues for Google. Prior to joining Google, Casey was a journalist in Washington, D.C. for nearly a decade. She spent five and a half years with the National Journal Group largely covering international technology policy issues. Her National Journal magazine story, "Why They Lobby," was featured in the 2009-2010 McGraw-Hill textbook on American government. As a journalist, Casey also worked for USA Today and The Washington Times. Her international experience includes working for The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, the U.S. State Department International Visitors Program, and Universidad Jose Cecilio Del Valle in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Casey, who hails from Maine, graduated cum laude from Simon's Rock College of Bard in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. She currently studies at Georgetown Law.
Stephen Chen - CEO, New Retirement
Stephen Chen is an entrepreneur who specializes in consumer internet solutions. His domain experience spans financial services, education, software as service and on-line performance marketing. Most recently he founded NewRetirement.com, which is working on delivering holistic retirement planning to the mass market and has 250,000 to 400,000 unique users per month.
Andy Cohen - Founder and CEO, Caring.com
Andy Cohen is the founder and CEO of Caring.com, a website to help adult children care for their aging parents. Andy has over 20 years of marketing experience at companies including SC Johnson Wax, Peapod and Intuit. Andy is a graduate of Stanford University and Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.
Scott Collins - President and CEO, Linkage
As President/CEO, Scott Collins is responsible for the strategic direction & growth of the company which connects its more than 460 member locations to a broad range of resources to ensure their ongoing success. Linkage collaborates with senior living providers & thought leaders throughout the country to explore new market opportunities beyond the campus as well as innovative ways of generating revenue and containing costs. Before joining Linkage, Mr. Collins was a Vice President & Senior Account Executive with GE Capital Commercial Asset Funding. Mr. Collins has also held senior management positions in the commercial real estate and textile industries.
Candace Corlett - President, WSL Strategic Retail
Candace Corlett is president at WSL Strategic Retail. Established in 1986,WSL/SR is a retail strategy firm that helps manufacturers and retailers bring more shoppers to stores to buy brands.
The firm is well known for its How America Shops® trend research, which predicts changes in shopping "life", and how those changes will impact your business.
Candace has a proven track record in corporate marketing at companies both large and small. She has held management positions in brand marketing and market research at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Revlon, and DEL Laboratories. She joined WSL Strategic Retail as a principal in 1995. Her professional background combines the best of classic package goods marketing with an entrepreneur's spirit.
Kevin Dando - Director, Digital Marketing & Communications, PBS
Kevin Dando is PBS' director of digital marketing and communications and oversees the public broadcaster's social media initiatives and strategies for both its broadcast and online programming, including, for example, its Twitter and Facebook pages, which together have 2M followers, and are growing rapidly. Dando also coordinates overall social media efforts for PBS prime time programs, including the recent hit from MASTERPIECE, "Downton Abbey," which broke on-air, online and social media records for PBS. Dando oversees PBS's YouTube channel, which recently had its 140-millionth video view and generates more than 1 million views/week. He was recently featured in the book "Get Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business" (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) and has been a speaker at Digital East, the Internet Summit and South by Southwest (SXSW).
Corrie Davidson - DC Community Manager, Google
Corrie Davidson is Google's DC Community Manager and has a successful and diverse track record in assisting organizations with improving their presence online. From small local businesses to international brands, Corrie has created executable strategies and diverse content, empowering businesses to break into new markets while strengthening their existing relationships. As a member of the Google team in DC, Corrie seeks to assist businesses in better utilizing Google's products and connecting with their local community.
Judy Diaz - President, Next Avenue
Judy Diaz is the president of Next Avenue, a national public television initiative that informs, inspires and engages America's booming 50+ population as they plan for and live a second adult life stage. At the core is a new Website launching in May 2012. Judy began her work on Next Avenue while she was managing director of audience and brand strategy at PBS and PBS KIDS. In that position she led the launches of many brands including series such as History Detectives and Curious George, specials such as Ken Burns THE WAR, and brands such as PBS KIDS GO!. She was also a member of PBS's planning and strategy team that determines the organization's direction. Judy has worked in the strategy, business development, and branding field for more than 20 years including eight years leading the advertising and communication department at Northwest Airlines' leisure division.
Sharon Dworkin Bell - SVP, Multifamily and 50+ Housing, National Association of Home Builders
Sharon Dworkin Bell is senior vice president for Multifamily and 50+ Housing at the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, DC. She represents developers of affordable and market-rate rental apartments, condominiums and homes and communities specifically targeted to the 50+ market. Ms. Bell marshals the considerable resources of NAHB on behalf of these two important segments of the housing industry, including the organization's lobbying prowess, economic forecasts, analytical research, and activities related to construction codes, land use, and legal action. Ms. Bell has been repeatedly named by prominent industry trade publications as one of the most influential members of the multifamily industry.
Jim Emerman - Executive Vice President, Civic Ventures
Jim Emerman is Executive Vice President of Civic Ventures, a think tank on boomers, work and social purpose. As Executive Vice President, Emerman is a member of the organization's executive management team and serves as chief program officer, responsible for management and implementation of all Civic Ventures' programs. Prior to assuming his current position as EVP, Emerman developed and directed The Purpose Prize, a $17 million program designed to recognize and invest in social entrepreneurs who are working after the age of 60 to solve important problems in their communities, the country and the world. At the time he joined Civic Ventures in 2005, Emerman was Chief Operating Officer of the American Society on Aging, the largest association of professionals working with and on behalf of older adults.
Steve French - Managing Director, Natural Marketing Institute (NMI)
Steve French has over 26 years of marketing, strategic consulting, and management experience across numerous industries. With his focus on healthy aging, wellness, and social sustainability, he works with many global clients on developing new business opportunities, strategic planning, and market research projects. He has pioneered a range of NMI consumer databases that analyze consumer attitudes and behavior, including NMI's Healthy Aging/Boomer Database. As a recognized industry expert, his expertise is also utilized on a regular basis by global media, is an author of numerous reports and articles, and is a regular speaker at many industry events worldwide.
Mary Furlong - President and CEO, Mary Furlong & Associates
Mary Furlong, Ed.D., MFA's president and CEO, is a leading authority on the baby boom generation as it moves toward and beyond age 50. Through her three companies she has raised over 130 million in venture financing and corporate sponsorships for companies with products and services to serve the needs of the boomer/senior marketplace. In March 2011 Mary received an award as one of the top 100 Women of Influence by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and is also the author of "Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace".
Joe Gerardi - CIO of American Baptist Homes of the West (ABHOW)
Joe Gerardi is the Vice President and CIO of American Baptist Homes of the West (ABHOW). ABHOW is one of the largest providers of continuing care in California, and operates in several other western states as well. The company has been recognized for continuing contributions inthe areas of diversity, strategic planning and innovative resident care planning. Joe gets his technology experience from 26 years with Hewlett-Packard and applies that learning to the health, safety and well being of ABHOW's residents. Joe is on the advisory board of AGETECH California and is a Commissioner for CAST, a LeadingAge group focused on aging services.
Jeremy Gin, Co-founder and CEO
Jeremy Gin is the CEO and co-founder of SiteJabber.com, a leading consumer protection and online business review service. SiteJabber was named a Top 100 Website of 2010 by PC Magazine and is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Jeremy has been recognized as an online fraud prevention expert in interviews with the Daily Telegraph, Fox News, ABC, CBS & the LA Times.
Alex Go defines the strategic direction of Virtual Health and provides leadership with the goal of establishing the company as the premier solutions integrator, bridging consumers with health and wellness service providers. Prior to joining Virtual Health, Alex was the global director of new markets for Intel's healthcare business, driving new product introductions such as the Mobile Clinical Assistant, the first purpose-built healthcare tablet now used in more than 1,000 hospitals worldwide. He brings 20 years of experience working for Tyco Electronics and Intel Corp., in a variety of strategic planning, sales and market development positions.
Tammy Gordon - Director of Social Communications, AARP
Tammy Gordon is AARP's Director of Social Communications. She launched AARP's social media guidelines, established branded social platforms, trained hundreds of staffers growing the organization's engaged social presence into a nationally recognized leader. Today, she manages a six person team of community managers and bloggers, as well as serving a network of nearly 300 staffers across the country use social media on a regular basis.
Dr. Ravishankar Gundlapalli - Founder and CEO, MentorCloud
Dr. Ravishankar Gundlapalli ("Ravi") is the Founder and CEO of MentorCloud, the online platform to promote entrepreneurship and professional growth of aspiring individuals globally, through wisdomsharing and mentoring. Ravi launched MentorCloud to harvest the untapped wisdom of millions of boomers towards developing the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs. His work and vision have appeared in the HBR Blog Network and Arab Knowledge@Wharton. He was also a stakeholder and technology consultant for a 2010 report on "Collaborative Workforce Developmentin Silicon Valley" by Silicon Valley Joint Venture Network. Ravi has been an invited speaker at leadership conferences in Silicon Valley and India.
Hanna Gryncwajg, SVP, Advertising Sales, RLTV
Hanna Gryncwajg is responsible for all advertising sales, content creation and strategic sales opportunities for RLTV and RL.TV as well as related sales operations. Prior to joining RLTV, Ms. Gryncwajg, a media veteran, served as Chief Revenue Officer at Plum TV, where she led revenue strategies for the business, built the national sales infrastructure and developed multiplatform sales solutions for blue chip advertisers.
Jeff Hasen builds, strengthens and protects brands. Companies benefiting from his talents have landed on Wired's list of most innovative entities on Earth and been named pioneers and the early leader in the burgeoning mobile marketing category.
Named a top CMO on Twitter, Jeff is the author of the upcoming book, Mobilized Marketing: Driving Sales, Engagement, and Loyalty Through Mobile Devices, due in Spring 2012 from Wiley Publishing.
He co-created the certification program for the Mobile Marketing Association. He is one of only two individuals certified by the MMA to train professionals and students on mobile marketing definitions, techniques, and benefits. At Hipcricket, he conceived and led the execution of an accelerated rebranding effort in advance of the mobile marketing software and services company being named "the early leader in the mobile marketing space in the U.S." by Frost and Sullivan. Hipcricket also won consecutive annual pioneer awards from CTIA - The Wireless Association.
Jeff's emphasis on integrity in business has made him a frequent speaker and writer on what he calls "Moments of Trust," the points that make or break brands and dramatically impact loyalty and sales.-
Alicia Heazlitt, Market Research Manager, Innovate LTC
Alicia Heazlitt, Market Research Manager, Innovate LTC, has eight years of experience in marketing and business development, specifically in biotechnology, higher education and government. Her expertise includes client relations, market research and strategic planning. She previously was the marketing manager for a leading biotechnology company focusing on vaccine research. She also worked with a full service marketing firm in Maryland to launch the firm's business development department.
Link Hoewing, VP, Internet & Technology Policy, Verizon
C. Lincoln (Link) Hoewing is Vice President of Internet and Technology Policy for Verizon, one of America's largest telecommunications providers providing wireless voice and data services, Internet backbone and businesses services, and local phone, television and broadband services. Verizon also provides services, primarily to large enterprises, throughout Europe where it has approximately 4,700 employees. Mr. Hoewing is responsible for identifying and assessing emerging issues, developing corporate positions on Internet and Technology industry issues, and assessing key technology and communications industry trends.
Karen Hofmann - Retirement and Wealth Consultant, The Hartford
Karen Hofmann is an advanced markets consultant in the West for the Wealth Management division of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. In her current position, Karen is responsible for speaking with clients and financial services professionals about ways to effectively accumulate, protect, and distribute wealth.
Gail Hunt - President & CEO, National Alliance for Caregiving
Gail Hunt is President and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving, a non-profit coalition dedicated to conducting research and developing national programs for family caregivers and the professionals who serve them. Prior to heading NAC, Ms. Hunt was President of her own aging services consulting firm for 14 years. She conducted corporate eldercare research for the National Institute on Aging and the Social Security Administration, developed training for caregivers with AARP and the American Occupational Therapy Association, and designed a corporate eldercare program for EAPs with the Employee Assistance Professional Association.
Deborah Jacobs - Author and Journalist, Forbes Magazine
An award winning journalist specializing in legal topics, Deborah L. Jacobs is a graduate of Barnard and Columbia's Law School and Graduate School of Journalism. She has been a syndicated newspaper columnist, newsletter editor and freelancer for many national publications, including The New York Times, Bloomberg Wealth Manager and BusinessWeek.
In her latest entrepreneurial venture, Deborah self-published her bestselling book for consumers, Estate Planning Smarts. Now a senior editor at Forbes, Deborah writes for Forbes magazine and blogs at www.forbes.com/deborahjacobs/blog covering the broad range of topics that affect baby boomers as they approach retirement.
Stephen Johnston - CEO, Fordcastle LLC
Stephen D. Johnston, MBA has over fifteen years of experience working in strategy and business development for global companies in the technology, new media mobile and health care space.As Founder and CEO of Fordcastle LLC, an innovation company, Stephen helps clients build new growth businesses. Recent clients include Vodafone, Roche Diagnostics, Intercontinental Hotels Group and the Tau Consortium - a personalized medicine research group. Stephen has worked for Nokia, Bertelsmann, Daimler, BASF during his time in London, Brussels, Helsinki and New York. He is editor of Aging2.0, a blog covering innovations and thought leaders in the aging space. He has an MA in Economics from Cambridge University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He speaks conversational French, German and Spanish and lives in New York.
Olga Khazan - Web Producer and Reporter, Small Business, Washington Post
Olga Khazan is a small business reporter for the Washington Post. Previously, she was a freelance health writer for the LA Times and Forbes, among other publications. She received her M.A. in online journalism from the University of Southern California in 2011.
Steve King - Partner, Emergent Research
Steve King is a Partner at Emergent Research. Steve's current research and consulting is focused on economic decentralization, the growth of small business and the future of work and workplaces.
Steve has extensive consulting, marketing and general management experience with both large and small companies. Steve has served as vice president of Corporate Marketing for Macromedia, vice president and general manager of Asia Pacific for Lotus Development Corporation and vice president of marketing for Isys Corporation. He has also been the interim CEO, CMO or head of business development for 6 start-up technology companies and has served on the fiduciary or advisory boards of over a dozen companies.
Dr. Gail Kirby - Professor and Mentor, Santa Clara University and Retail Management Institute (respectively)
Dr. Gail Kirby has taught Marketing, Retail Management, and Sustainability Marketing at Santa Clara University for twenty years. She mentors students in the in the Retail Management Institute. Her professional experience includes retail management and buying for a major department store in Washington, D.C. Recently, she led MBA students to Brazil and undergraduate students to China to study global business perspectives.
Quyen Le - Senior Technical Sales Productivity Specialist, Salesforce.com
Quyen Le joined Salesforce.com shortly after completing her bachelor's degree in commerce and retail studies at Santa Clara University in 2007, starting as an associate consultant and working her way up to consultant, program manager and, currently as a technical sales senior productivity specialist. While attending the MBA program, Quyen is leading the onboarding and sales programs for the global Sales Engineering organization at Salesforce.com. Her experience in leadership, along with the motivation and commitment are great assets from which the attendees can benefit from. Her goal for this year is to enhance and deliver the many opportunities SCU and Salesforce.com provides to future leaders.
Mike Lee - Senior Advisor, Digital Strategy, AARP
Mike Lee is Senior Strategy Advisor in AARP's Digital Strategy & Operations unit, and is developing the roadmap for AARP's digital presence outside of its web site on mobile phones, tablets and internet-enabled appliances. Working since 2009, AARP's has launched flagship mobile apps for the Apple iPhone, iPad and Android phones. A mobile version of the AARP.org site to support any mobile web browser is also available. Apps and content for the major ereaders as well as intergenerational games are in development. Mike is also AARP's liaison to the MIT Media Lab and Age Lab.
Howard Levine - CIO, SeniorBridge
Howard Levine has over 25 years of experience in various Information Technology roles. Prior to joining SeniorBridge, Howard was the Director of Information Technology for Loews Cineplex Entertainment in New York where he was responsible for application development and operation support activities. Prior to Loews, he was a Consulting Manager with Ernst & Young, LLP, and Senior Manager with International Systems Services.
Carilyn Long - Director of Sales, Silverado At Home, Silverado Senior Living
Carilyn Long is the Director of Sales for Silverado At Home, a subsidiary service line of Silverado Senior Living. She has been with Silverado since 2003, serving in various leadership roles to promote education and awareness on the benefits of care management and home care services.
With over 20 years in healthcare, countless hours of volunteer work, and personal experience as a primary caregiver, Ms. Long brings a unique passion and perspective to the compassionate care of underserved populations.
Jeff Makowka - Senior Strategic Advisor, Thought Leadership, AARP
Jeff Makowka has over a decade of experience in strategic analysis, management consulting and market research. For over 5 years, Jeff has been focused on the wants and needs of the 50+ both domestically and internationally. As Senior Strategic Advisor in AARP's Thought Leadership group, he supports the organization's new brand positioning around a focus on living not just aging and for people 50+ to live their best life.
Prior to this role, Jeff held the position of Senior Manager, Global Member Value in AARP's Membership Development group. Before his work at AARP, Jeff was a Project Manager and Senior Business Analyst in the Monetizing Knowledge Practice at Edgewater Strategy Services. Before working at Edgewater, Jeff held positions as a Research Associate and Web Business Analyst with Jupiter Media Metrix.
Jeff Maltz - Founder and CEO, SilverRide
Jeff Maltz is the CEO and Founder of SilverRide. SilverRide is the award-winning pioneer of senior transportation services targeted towards improving the lifestyles and life enjoyment of seniors. Since the Company's launch in 2007, SilverRide has provided over 70,000 outings to over 2,000 seniors. Jeff serves on the Board of the San Francisco Village, a key part of the national Village movement, and the Marin Mobility Consortium, one of the leading mobility management centers in the U.S.
Mike Martoccia - COO, Dopamine
Mike Martoccia, Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer, Dopamine Inc., is the Crowdsourcing Commando. He manages the accounts of several fortune 100 clients and coordinates the crowd's efforts to successfully design and execute projects. A big believer in viral sourcing and creative injection, Mike also consults with some of today's leading startups to drive engagement with playful game mechanics.
Todd Mason - Chairman and CEO, FaceTime Strategy
The founder of FaceTime Strategy, Todd Mason has been building national brands for more than 20 years. In a career highlighted by successful turnarounds, mergers and acquisitions, he has gained substantial expertise in marketing, business development and strategy, and developed a specialty in leveraging technology to build top-performing organizations. Todd created FaceTime Strategy to change the way advertising, marketing and PR is done, with a full-service, technology-enabled firm that focuses on delivering measurable returns. Leveraging his extensive business experience.
Lynn Mento - SVP, Membership Development & Member Experience, AARP
Lynn Mento joined AARP in December 2006 as Director of Membership Development. She was promoted to Vice President in early 2008, and then to Senior VP/Membership Development and Member Experience shortly after. Lynn manages a team today responsible for the acquisition, engagement and renewal of the 37 million member base, the 'customer experience' for our members, the development of strategic initiatives to help drive the 'health' of the association, and the association-wide segmentation and 50+ insights work.
- Laura Mitchell - VP, Marketing, GrandCare Systems
Laura Mitchell is a founding member of the GrandCare team. A significant part of her role was to bring the product to market through the development of a nation-wide GC-Partner/Distributor network. Laura has spoken in various venues and educational forums including ASA, Silicon Valley Boomer Summit, AHIMA, LSN Tech Conference, CEDIA and EHX about enabling technologies for the aging population, the importance of social media in the aging industry, industry disruptive demographics and technology-enabled medication management. She is What's Next Boomer Summit Flame Award Winner for Innovation & Leadership, is a co-founder and serves as a Director on the AgeTek Alliance board (www.agetek.org), is the creator and host of the bi-weekly AGING/TECH industry-wide aging & technology webinars, and is a key organizer for the EHX CE PRO SHOW and CEDIA Future Home Pavilion and Educational Tracks.
Jacob Nelson - Director, Traffic Safety Advocacy & Research, AAA National
Jacob Nelson is the Director of Traffic Safety Advocacy & Research for the American Automobile Association (AAA). In this role he directs the analysis and application of traffic safety research to AAA's outreach activities, including programmatic resources and advocacy at the national and state levels. In other words, Jake helps translate research findings into easy-to-understand language and aids in the development of materials to better educate the public and policy makers on traffic safety issues. His ability to do so makes him a natural for media interviews and he's been interviewed by major media outlets from USA Today to the New York Times and appeared on the Dr. Oz Show.
Mike Nicholson co-founded LivHOME in 1999 with a vision of delivering professionally led at-home caregiving services to seniors nationwide. Adding caregiver supervision to care management's core competencies of understanding, planning and managing enables one professional point of contact to ensure older loved ones can live safely and securely in their own homes for as long as possible. Today, we continue to seek and implement new service lines and technologies with the goal of lowering costs and keeping seniors out of the hospital, emergency rooms and facilities.
Margit Novack - President, Moving Solutions
Margit Novack is President of Moving Solutions, an organization that helps older adults relocate. The American Society on Aging (ASA) recognized the importance and growth opportunity in filling this unmet need, by naming Moving Solutions Business of the Year in 1999. Moving Solutions was a finalist in the 2006 Boomer Business Plan Competition and was one of the company's interviews for Mary Furlong's book, Turning Silver into Gold. Today, Moving Solutions is a leader in its field, with 40 employees who provide services to clients in three states (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware).
Gary Moulton - Product Manager, Trustworthy Computing Group, Microsoft
Gary Moulton is an aging coordinator/product manager in Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing Group. He works within industry and actively partners with external parties on the use of Microsoft technology by individuals 50+.
Jodi Olshevski - Assistant Vice President, The Hartford
Jodi Olshevski, Assistant Vice President, heads The Hartford Advance 50 Team, a nationally-recognized team of corporate gerontologists who deliver expert services across The Hartford Financial Services Group. Olshevski is a frequent lecturer on business and aging at professional conferences and on industry panels, and has held an adjunct faculty position at Pennsylvania State University, Lehigh Valley campus. An expert in caregiving and eldercare issues, she is co-author of the book Stress Reduction for Caregivers, published by Taylor & Francis.
Greg O'Neill - Director, National Academy on an Aging Society
Greg O'Neill is director of the National Academy on an Aging Society, a Washington, DC, think tank on population and aging issues and the policy institute of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). Dr. O'Neill specializes in the demographics of aging and civic engagement. His publications include "The State of Aging and Health in America," a national and state-by-state report card on healthy aging and the recent article, "The Baby Boom Age Wave: Success or Tsunami?" that appears in Boomer Bust? Economic and Political Issues of the Graying Society (Praeger, 2008). Dr. O'Neill is the co-editor of Public Policy & Aging Report, the Academy's signature publication. For the past five years, he has directed GSA's Civic Engagement in an Older America project, an initiative funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies to advance the issue of older adult civic engagement in the research and public policy arena.
Laurie Orlov - Founder, Aging in Place Technology Watch
Laurie M. Orlov, a tech industry veteran, writer, speaker and elder care advocate, is the founder of Aging in Place Technology Watch, a market research firm that provides thought leadership, analysis and guidance about technologies and related services that enable boomers and seniors to remain longer in their home of choice.
Ilya Oshman - Senior Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis, Weight Watchers International (WWI)
Ilya Oshman is a Senior Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis at Weight Watchers International (WWI). Prior to WWI he served as the Managing Director with Roberts Mitani LLC, a boutique investment bank in New York that provides investment banking, strategic advisory and management support to companies in healthcare, consumer/retail and industrial/clean technology sectors. He was also a Senior Advisor and acting CFO of Follica Inc., a startup that is developing treatments for hair loss and skin disorders and is backed by InterWest and Polaris. Until May of 2009 Ilya served as the CFO of Natura International, a global division of the largest Brazilian cosmetics company Natura Cosmeticos (public in Brazil). Prior to joining Natura Ilya spent 15 years at Pfizer. His was the founder, Vice President and General Manager of Pfizer's Strategic Investments Group (PSIG) where he was responsible for Pfizer's investments in promising new expansion areas of molecular and other types of diagnostics, healthcare IT, systems biology and others. Under Ilya's leadership the group was named among the Top 5 Corporate Investors in 2006 by Dow Jones Venture Analyst and generated a 41% IRR since its inception.
Madeline Pantalone - Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, GreatCall, Inc.
Madeline Pantalone is Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at GreatCall, Inc., creator of the Jitterbug cell phone and a leading provider of mobile applications that support active lifestyles for aging Americans. Madeline has more than 26 years of experience spanning strategic business planning, business development, marketing, technology, and product design and management. Prior to joining GreatCall, Madeline was a consultant to small and mid-sized companies, an executive in the financial service industry, and a director with two major healthcare institutions where her responsibilities included the evaluation and implementation of targeted technologies. Madeline has a B.A. in Mathematics and a M.B.A. from U.C.L.A.
Alex Priest - DC Community Manager, Uber
Alex Priest is the DC Community Manager for @Uber_DC. He's been called "hilariously driven" and is a lover of social media, politics, transportation, technology, design, bicycling, and more. Alex loves living, learning, and collaborating in what he considers one of the best cities in the world: DC. His goal in life? To simply tell good stories when he's old.
Peter Radsliff, President and CEO, Presto Services, LLC
Peter Radsliff is CEO of Presto Services Inc. (Presto.com), the leading provider of computerless email solutions for the 52% of Americans 65 years and older who don't use computers or the Internet. Peter is also co-founder and board chairman of the Aging Technology Alliance (AgeTek.org), a non-profit trade organization supporting businesses in the 50+ space.
Lee Rainie - Director, Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project
Lee Rainie is the Director of the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, a non-profit, non-partisan "fact tank" that studies the social impact of the internet. Since December 1999, the Washington D.C. research center has examined how people's internet use affects their families, communities, health care, education, civic and political life, and work places. The Project has issued more than 300 reports based on its surveys that examine people's online activities and the internet's role in their lives. All of its reports and datasets are available online for free at: http://www.pewinternet.org.
Lee is a co-author of Up for Grabs, Hopes and Fears, Ubiquity, Mobility, Security, and Challenges and Opportunities. All are based on Project surveys about the future of the internet. He is also writing a book entitled Networked: The new social operating system with sociologist Barry Wellman about the social impact of the internet and cell phones for MIT Press.
John Reinhart - President & CEO, InnovateLTC
John Reinhart formed a partnership with Signature Healthcare and the University of Louisville to launch the International Center for Long Term Care (InnovateLTC) in February, 2010. In 2009, John directed the Intrapreneurship efforts for Signature Healthcare LLC and is a serial entrepreneur himself since 1992.
John and his team have created a very unique business accelerator focusing on disruptive products, service models and technologies aimed at the enhancing both the quality of care and the quality of life for the global aging population. The center partnered with UL to launch a regional Kauffman Fast Trac Entrepreneurial Program, created a monthly Idea Hour featuring key leaders on aging innovation and is actively raising a $10 million fund for emerging ventures as part of the regional Lifelong Wellness and Aging Care Initiative with many of the other leaders in the aging-care sector, among other achievements.
Candice Rose - Chairman, Arlington Commission on Aging
Candice Rose is a business and advocacy professional experienced in grassroots strategy development, volunteer management and outreach tactics. She is VP, Account Manager, with AlumniFidelity, an online fundraising platform, which enables universities, educational and nonprofit institutions to engage in peer-to-peer fundraising using innovative online fundraising strategies.
Candice is Chairman of the Arlington Commission on Aging (ACoA) which advises the County Board and the Agency on Aging on matters critical to older adults. She was instrumental in developing the Vertical Village, a collaborative program which allows older adults to age-in-place in high-rise buildings. She also developed a comprehensive social media program for the ACoA, including a Facebook page, Twitter feed, and blog. Candice's Twitter feed has more than 3500 followers and a top-ten ranking in Arlington. She recently founded the National Forum for Aging Advisory Groups on Facebook inviting 600 advisory groups nationwide to share their expertise with all Americans.
Stuart Rosenthal - Founder, Publisher and Editor of the Beacon newspapers
Stuart Rosenthal is the founder, publisher and editor of the Beacon newspapers, free monthlies serving the 50+ populations of Greater Washington, Greater Baltimore and Howard County, Md. The award-winning monthlies have a readership exceeding 350,000 and may be read online at www.theBeaconNewspapers.com.
Rosenthal also chairs the Maryland Commission on Aging, serves on state and local advisory boards, and is immediate past president of the North American Mature Publishers Association (NAMPA), the trade association representing publications for boomers and older adults.
Jason Rozenblat - General Manager DC, Living Social
Jason Rozenblat is the General Manager of LivingSocial's DC metro market, responsible for managing all sales efforts as well as testing out new products in the region. Prior to his role as GM, Jason was LivingSocial's Regional Sales Director for the Mid-Atlantic and was recognized for opening 14 new markets for the company in the first year. Previously, Jason held sales and business development roles at NY-based start-up companies including TheLadders.com and Yodle, in addition to starting his own company in 2006 called Confabb.com, a social networking site for conferences/tradeshows.
Francine Russo - Bestselling Author
Francine Russo, author of the notable book, They're Your Parents, Too! How Siblings Can Survive Their Parents' Aging Without Driving Each Other Crazy, is a writer, keynote speaker and consultant on multi-generational communication and decision-making in the aging family. For clients targeting the Boomer market, she crafts newsletters, articles and various online communications. For select private clients, she authors family histories and biographies. Russo, a widely recognized journalist, covered the boomer and aging beat for Time magazine for more than a decade, and wrote for other national media. Dr. Russo (Ph.D., English) is a New York Times Fellow at the International Longevity Center and a 'Who's Who' expert at the Sloan Work-Family Network.
Kian Saneii - CEO, Independa, Inc.
Kian Saneii is CEO of Independa, Inc., a funded San Diego startup delivering disruptive, next-generation technology solutions to help caregivers help their loved ones stay at home longer, safer and more comfortably.
Prior to Independa, Saneii was GM of Websense Wireless from 2005-2008. From 2001-2005 Saneii held roles as VP Marketing and VP Business Development at Websense, responsible for all aspects of global marketing, strategy, mergers and acquisitions, OEM sales, and business development through new strategic channels.
Before joining Websense, Saneii served as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Marketing and Business Development for IMA, Inc and IPNet Solutions, 1997-2001. From 1985 - 1997, Saneii served in management positions at AT&T Bell Laboratories, DIS Research and FileNet Corporation (acquired by IBM).
Gail Sheehy - Bestselling Author and Columnist, USAToday.com
As a cultural observer and bestselling author of 15 books, including Passages, Gail Sheehy has changed the way millions of people look at their lives. In her history-making books and introspective commentary, Ms. Sheehy has addressed fundamental questions that apply to women and men as they move through the stages of adult life from adolescence into their seasoned years. As the bestselling author of 15 books, including Passages, Gail Sheehy has rocked the culture and changed the way millions of women and men around the world look at the stages of their lives. In 2010 she takes on the most challenging and personal issue in her latest book: Passages in Caregiving.
Jeff Shoemate - Vice President of Innovation and Business Development, United Healthcare - Medicare & Retirement
Jeff Shoemate is Vice President of Innovation and Business Development for the senior markets segment of United Health Group, known as United Healthcare - Medicare & Retirement. In this role, Jeff leads a team responsible for development of new product and service offerings, for UHC Medicare & Retirement and the introduction of new value-added innovations to AARP, a long-term marketing partner of UHC - Medicare & Retirement.
In the role immediately prior to United Health Group, Jeff was one of several leaders who built the consumer marketing function at Best Buy from 1999 until 2009. At Best Buy, Jeff held various marketing leadership roles including new business development, brand strategy & marketing, innovation and customer centricity.
From 1993 to 1999, he held roles in consumer marketing, product development, branding and research with Nielsen Marketing Research, James River Co and Jostens. Jeff attended undergrad (BA- History) at Union College in Schenectady, NY and earned is Marketing MBA from the University of Minnesota.
Sherri Snelling - Founder and CEO, Caregiving Club
Sherri Snelling, CEO and founder of the Caregiving Club is a nationally recognized expert on America's 65 million family caregivers with special emphasis on helping caregivers balance self-care while caring for a loved one.
Sherri's blog reaches more than eight million Boomers monthly as a contributor to the Alzheimer's Association, Huffington Post, ThirdAge, wowOwow, VibrantNation and others. She is also the executive producer and host of Handle With Care, a caregiver cable TV program and creator of the Me Time Monday? weekly videos in support of the non-profit Healthy Mondays. Sherri's book on celebrities who have been caregivers will be published in 2012.
Bob Stephen - Vice President, Home & Family Portfolio, AARP
Bob Stephen has over two decades in strategy development and management consulting where he has helped organizations develop strategies to focus on new market opportunities. Bob developed and leads AARP's Home and Family portfolio. In this role, he sets strategy and works across the organization to help the 50+ as they care for and enjoy their families. Relevant AARP offerings to the 50+ revolve around caregiving, grandparents, livable communities, and consumer technology.
Missy Sullivan - Senior Editor, Smart Money, The Wall Street Journal
Like many baby boomers, Missy Sullivan is easily enthralled by her own generation-its chest-thumping energy... its "What? Me worry?" optimism... and the way the ground seems to shake, T-Rex-style, every time the massive, 78-million-headed monster takes a single lumbering step. So last year, after taking on the "boomer beat" at SmartMoney, the personal finance magazine of The Wall Street Journal, Missy immediately dove in, covering topics ranging from empty nester spending trends to the difficult market for downsizing to the things other publications failed to tell you about retiring abroad.
As senior editor at SmartMoney since 2007, she has also led the magazine's consumer spending coverage of topics including travel, cars, tech, health, education, real estate, green living, collecting and wine, editing numerous award-winning stories and columns. The common thread? Trying to help drive readers to that elusive intersection of quality and value, while reducing the marketing glare.
Eric Taub - Writer, New York Times
Eric Taub has been writing about the intersection of technology and society for over 20 years. For the past 17, he has been a regular contributor to The New York Times. He was one of the founding writers for the newspaper's famed Circuits technology section, and later became a contributor to a New York Times book of the same name. He writes and also does corporate consulting about the technologies behind digital health, lifestyle, entertainment, travel, and science.
Sandra Timmermann - Vice President, MetLife and the Director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute
Dr. Sandra Timmermann is a Vice President with MetLife and the Director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute in Westport, Connecticut.
In this role, Dr. Timmermann is responsible for MetLife's information and policy resource center for issues concerning aging, retirement, long-term care and the mature market. The Institute provides research, training and education, consultation and information to support MetLife and its business partners.
She is a nationally recognized gerontologist with over 25 years of experience in the field of aging. Prior to joining MetLife in April 1997, she held senior staff positions with several national aging organizations including the American Society on Aging, AARP, and SeniorNet. Earlier in her career, Dr. Timmermann worked with corporate clients as an account supervisor in public relations and marketing agencies.
Assaf Wand is founder and CEO of Palo Alto-based health and wellness company Sabi, a consumer products retailer that redesigns everyday items better, to make the experience of day-to-day life easier and more enjoyable. Prior to founding Sabi in 2009, Wand worked as Senior VP at Fore-Group, a private holding and Investment Company. Wand also worked as Strategic Investment Associate at Intel Capital, Intel's strategic investment arm; and at McKinsey & Co. in New York.
Renee Werbin - Publisher, travelergirl Magazine
Founder of SRI Travel and Werbin LTI Tours, Werbin successfully navigated the travel industry for over 25 years. Werbin's travel expertise has influenced network news organizations, multi-million dollar corporations, politicians and foreign dignitaries. She has been a guest many times on CNN, FOX and CBS. Her traveling companions have included celebrities, television crews, and publishers and editors from some of the most distinguished publications in the country. She is requested often as a keynote speaker at women's events, journalism schools, news organizations and company events, lending her expertise on travel to people across the United States. In 2002 Werbin co-founded Travelgirl Magazine. Serving as publisher She is passionate about travel, flying weekly for business in search of a story or a new take on a previously visited destination. From Cher to Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler, Rod Stewart, and Tony Bennett Renee interviews the famous faces that grace the travelgirl covers.
Charlotte Yeh - Chief Medical Officer, AARP Services, Inc.
In August 2008, Dr. Charlotte Yeh joined AARP Services Incorporated (ASI) as its first Chief Medical Officer. ASI is a wholly owned, taxable subsidiary of AARP, managing a wide range of products and services that are offered as benefits to AARP's 39+ million members. The offers span health products, travel & leisure products, and life event services. In addition to managing products and services, AARP Services also develops new products, oversees marketing, conducts publications and web advertising sales, creates and maintains alliance and sponsorship relationships. Dr. Yeh will be responsible for implementing dramatic changes in healthcare delivery. She will partner with medical officers at ASI's providers to identify programs and initiatives that will lead to enhanced care for older adults. She'll also build an ASI Health Initiatives team to meet expanding member expectations, and will lead new process improvement programs focused on quality, safety and efficiency.
Gene Zaino - CEO, MBO Partners
Gene Zaino is a nationally recognized expert on the contract talent workforce. He serves as CEO and President of MBO Partners, a leader in the $250-billion-and-growing independent consulting category. He launched MBO Partners to re-invent the way independent consultants and organizations work together. He is a passionate thought leader for the new, project-based economy and the independent experts who drive it. Gene is a frequent workforce commentator in the national news media including the financial press, network television and radio.
Jeff Zimman - Chairman, Posit Science
Jeff Zimman is the co-founder and Chairman of Posit Science, the leading provider of brain fitness software. More than 60 articles in peer-reviewed science and medical journals have shown that the company's patented technologies significantly increase processing speed, improve memory and attention, and enhance quality of life (including improvements in mood and every day activities, such as driving). The company's distribution partners include health, long term care and auto insurers, retirement communities, adult education programs, hospitals, clinics, senior centers, national retailers and AAA auto clubs.