Speakers
2024 National Lifespan Respite Conference
WELCOME
Alison Barkoff
Performing the duties of the ACL Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging
Administration for Community Living
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(Video Welcome)
Alison Barkoff was sworn in as Principal Deputy Administrator on January 20, 2021, and is currently performing the duties of the ACL Administrator and the Assistant Secretary for Aging. She provides executive leadership and coordination for ACL programs nationwide and advises the HHS Secretary on issues affecting people with disabilities and older adults.
Under her leadership, ACL is working with partners across HHS and the federal government on initiatives and interagency approaches to issues that affect people with disabilities and older adults, such as expanding access to HCBS and affordable, accessible housing; strengthening the direct care workforce; increasing competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities; and advancing equity, to name just a few.Â
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Jason Resendez
President and CEO, National Alliance for Caregiving
Jason Resendez is a nationally recognized healthcare strategist and advocate. He currently serves as the President and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving, where he leads research, policy, and programmatic initiatives to build health, wealth, and equity for America’s 53 million family caregivers. In 2023, Jason was named one of the most consequential leaders in health, science, and medicine by STAT News.
Jason has advised federal agencies and organizations working to advance equity for communities of color, including the National Institute on Aging, the National Academies of Medicine, the Administration for Community Living, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). He has also served as a volunteer policy advisor for the presidential campaign of President Joe Biden.
Earlier in his career, Jason worked at the nation’s leading Latino civil rights organizations UnidosUS and the education arm of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
Prior to joining NAC, Jason was the founding executive director of the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Center for Brain Health Equity where he pioneered the concept of Brain Health Equity through peer-reviewed research, public health partnerships, and public policy. In 2020, Jason was named one of America’s top influencers in aging by PBS’s Next Avenue alongside Michael J. Fox and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. He has been quoted by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, STAT News, Time, Newsweek, and Univision on issues related to caregiving and health equity. Jason is from South Texas and graduated from Georgetown University.
Keynote: Meeting the Diverse Needs of Family Caregivers in Implementing the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers
Greg Link, MA
Director, Office of Supportive and Caregiver Services
Administration for Community Living, Administration on Aging
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Greg Link is the Director of the Office of Supportive and Caregiver Services with the Administration for Community Living/U.S. Administration on Aging, which oversees programs funded under the Older Americans Act (OAA), including Title III-B in-home supportive services, Title III-E National Family Caregiver Support Program as well as ACL’s Alzheimer’s disease programs. Most recently, Greg’s team, in collaboration with a range of stakeholders from across the public and private sectors developed and released the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. The Strategy is intended to serve as a roadmap for the nation for better recognizing and supporting family and kinship caregivers.
Greg and his team also provide general oversight and technical assistance to the aging network on a range of program areas, including the Lifespan Respite Care Program, Information and Referral, family caregiver support programs and policies, housing, employment, transportation, LGBT aging, and Holocaust Survivors.
Keynote: “RAISEing” The Respite Bar: The National Strategy as a Framework for Leadership
Alexandra Drane
Co-Founder and CEO, ARCHANGELS
Alexandra Drane is co-founder and CEO of ARCHANGELS. She co-founded Eliza Corporation (acquired by HMS Holdings Corp: HMSY), Engage with Grace, and three other companies (all boot-strapped). A serial entrepreneur, she is also a cashier-on-leave for Walmart. She believes communities are the front line of health, that caregivers are our country’s greatest asset, and that we need to expand the definition of health to include life.
Alexandra sits on the RAND Social and Economic Policy Advisory Board, the Leadership Council for the Rosalynn Carter Institute, the Entrepreneurs Council for The United States of Care, and Harvard Medical School’s Executive Council of the Division of Sleep Medicine. She is a member of the Board of Directors of C-TAC and has served as a vice chair of the Trustee Advisory Board at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center from 2012-2020 and returned to the role in 2021. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for Open Notes. She served for 7 years as a Governor appointed member of the Executive Committee for the Board of Directors for MassTech, until March 2022. Alex was named to the first ever Care100 list in 2020, a Top Women in Healthcare’s Entrepreneur of the Year by PR News, one of Disruptive Women in Health Care’s Women to Watch, one of Boston Globe’s Top 100 Women Leaders, and listed in Boston Business Journal’s “40 Under 40”, as well as an inventor on multiple patents. She joined Prudential Financial as a Wellness Expert for a film series called “The State of US” that was turned into a national ad campaign and generated close to two billion impressions. She has one hobby outside of her passion for revolutionizing health care, and her love of family and adventure…car racing.
Keynote: Any Care Counts to Your Top, Bottom, and Heart-Line
Atalaya Sergi
Director, AmeriCorps Seniors
Atalaya Sergi has 20 years of experience in service, community engagement, and education. She has worked in public school districts and the nonprofit sector, bringing private and public organizations together to ensure people of all ages, and those in underserved communities, thrive. Atalaya most recently served as the vice president of strategic partnerships and programming at Jumpstart for Young Children, Inc. There she managed AmeriCorps State and National and AmeriCorps Seniors programs as a federal grantee, launching her former organization’s only AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent program.
Atalaya has been a member of several advisory committees, councils, and coalitions, including as a co-founder of Los Angeles Generation to Generation, which focused on engaging older adults in volunteerism to support young children across Los Angeles County. She has been recognized as a PBS Next Avenue Influencer in Aging and was selected as an Encore Public Voices Fellow, using her time to write about the positive impact seniors can have in educational settings.
Keynote: Meeting the Diverse Needs of Family Caregivers in Implementing the National Strategy to Support Family CaregiversÂ
CLOSING PLENARY SESSION PANELISTS
Multisector Plans for Aging to Advance Respite and Family Caregiver Support
A Multisector Plan for Aging (MPA) (also known as Master Plan for Aging in some states) is a
10+ year blueprint that each state undertakes independently for restructuring state and local
policies and for convening a wide range of cross-sector collaborators to address the needs
of older-adult populations. At least half the states are developing or have completed an
MPA. The goal is for states to create a coordinated system of high-quality care and support
services that promote healthy aging, independent living, and social engagement.
MPAs can also serve as roadmaps for policies and programs that address the needs of family
caregivers and align with the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. This panel of
national and state leaders will highlight the significant ways several states are taking action
This session will be facilitated by:
Carrie Graham, PhD
Director of the Aging and Disability Policy
Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS)
In her role as director of Aging and Disability Policy at the CHCS, Dr. Graham oversees CHCS’ portfolio of work to improve care delivery for older adults and people with disabilities; with a special focus on those who need long-term services and supports (LTSS) and those dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. She provides direct technical assistance to 20 states that are developing Multisector Plans for Aging. Dr. Graham has been working in the field of aging research, health policy, and evaluation research for over 25 years, including working as a health policy evaluator in her role as Professor at the at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Institute for Health and Aging; and at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. She also worked on Medicare legislation in 2018 as a Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Health Subcommittee. In 2019 she acted as consultant to Governor Newsom’s Master Plan for Aging. Dr. Graham holds a doctorate in medical sociology from UCSF and a master’s degree in gerontological studies from the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from University of California, San Diego in sociology and African studies.
Donna Benton, PhD
Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion
Director of the USC Family Caregiver Support Center (FCSC)
USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
Donna Benton, Ph.D., is a research associate professor of gerontology and director of the Family Caregiver Support Center at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Dr. Benton played a key role in development and implementation of California’s Master Plan for Aging, and served on the Equity in Aging Advisory Committee for the Master Plan. She is a member of the CA Coalition on Family Caregiving, Work Family coalition and the Elder Justice Coalition and continues to work on the CA Master Plan of Aging.
She has worked in the field of aging for over 30 years. Her volunteer experience with the Gray Panthers in high school inspired her career as an advocate for improving how we all view the natural process of aging. She is committed to promoting collaborative partnerships that enhance service delivery for families caring for older adults with long-term memory and health problems. Â
Andrew Lebwohl
Director, Center for the Master Plan for Aging
Office of Aging and Long Term Care
New York State Department of Health
Andrew Lebwohl serves as the Director for the Center for the Master Plan for Aging in the New York State Department of Health. Prior to his current position, Andy worked as the Director of the Center for Aging and Long Term Care Finances and Supports. Before coming to the Department of Health, Andy worked in affordable housing financing at the Division of Homes and Community Renewal. Andy’s work has focused extensively on social determinants of health and the need for comprehensive systems to support wellness and aging. Before entering public service, Andy developed expertise as an attorney and financial advisor to distressed companies.
Mindy Ulstad
Chief of the Bureau of Senior Programs
Missouri Department of Health and Human Services
Ms. Ulstad has over ten years of experience working with older adult populations, and almost 30 years of experience working with vulnerable populations. The Bureau of Senior Programs oversees the Older Americans Act funding for the state and works closely with the ten Area Agencies on Aging to develop programs and services to help older Missourians remain safe, healthy, and independent in their environment of choice. The Bureau also oversees the Senior Community Service Employment Program, the MIPPA Program (Medicaid Improvements for Patients and Providers Act), and state-funded programs that help older Missourians age with dignity. These programs include Naturalization for Older Legal Immigrants and Refugees, five Senior Independent Living Programs across the state, the Customized Caregiver Training and Relief Program, the Alzheimer’s State Plan Taskforce, the Give 5 Program (a volunteer program), and the state’s Century Club. Ms. Ulstad is also the State of Missouri lead for the Master Plan on Aging, Missourians Aging with Dignity. Ms. Ulstad strives to collaborate with stakeholders and constituents across the state to ensure that services meet the current needs of older Missourians and help plan for their future needs.
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