Speakers
Becky Adams, DrPH, RD, CDCES
Dr. Becky Adams is the Partnership and Policy Support Director for the Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Branch and Nutrition and Physical Activity Section Chief (which includes the BOLD Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias program) at the Arkansas Department of Health. She has a DrPH in Public Health Leadership from the UAMS Faye Boozman College of Public Health and an MPH from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Dr. Adams is a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes care and education specialist. She has held various leadership positions in state and national associations.
She received the Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors’ 2013 Excellence in Advocacy Award, 2017 Excellence in Association Work Award and 2019 Outstanding Leadership for the Obesity Prevention Nutrition Council. In 2018, she received the Arkansas Public Health Association’s Tom T. Ross Award. Interests include primary prevention of chronic disease and lifestyle change through policy and environmental change to improve quality of life.
Raven is the Program Director for the Utah Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist. She obtained her BS in Community Health from Utah Valley University and her MA in Mass Communications from BYU, with a focus on health communications and filmmaking. She also minored in Social Innovation and has a special interest in solving social problems and advocating for the marginalized. In addition to mobilizing and empowering Utah communities with relation to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, she enjoys teaching and mentoring college students, playing in the outdoors and adventuring in any way possible.
Raven Albertson, CHES®
Donna Barret, MSW LSW
Donna Barrett MSW, LSW, is Program Manager, Senior Services, for Summit County Public Health. Barrett has been with the Summit County Public Health Department since 2015 managing the Health Department’s community health programs. She has more than 20 years of program development, implementation and management experience, with a focus on geriatric health and chronic disease. Her clinical experience includes Hospice, Home Care, Geriatric Assessment and Case Management. She earned her Bachelors and Master’s Degree in Social Work from Cleveland State University.
Dr. David Bass is Senior Vice President, Senior Research Scientist and Director of the Center for Research and Education at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. He has led over 80 funded research projects on topics such as: coping with chronic illness; family caregiving; quality of care and services; dementia and dementia care; and use and impact of formal services and informal support. Results of these investigations have been widely published in scientific and clinical journals, such as the Journal of the American Geriatric Society and The Gerontologist. Results also have been used to develop innovative programs for older adults and their family members, such as BRI Care Consultation™, which has been delivered by over 60 licensed service organizations across the US.
David Bass, PhD
Kalisha Bonds, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC
Dr. Kalisha Bonds Johnson is an Assistant Professor at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from The University of Tennessee at Martin with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2007. She graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing in 2012 from Vanderbilt University, specializing as a Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Most recently, Dr. Bonds Johnson graduated with a PhD from Oregon Health & Science University in 2019. During her career trajectory, she was funded through several mechanisms, including the National Institutes of Health, SAMHSA at American Nurses Association Minority Fellowship Program, and the Jonas Foundation as a Veterans Healthcare Scholar.
Dr. Bonds Johnson hopes to improve health outcomes for African American persons living with dementia and their families through the development of culturally tailored interventions to help with navigating health care decisions for the person living with dementia.
Rachel Cannon, MPH, is a research analyst for the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, Center for Research and Education. Her role as a senior research analyst has included work on several research projects focused on dementia caregiving and evidence-based programs, and caregiving in diverse communities.
Rachel Cannon, MPH
Jane Carmody, DNP, MBA, RN, FAAN
Jane Carmody, DNP, MBA, RN, FAAN is a Senior Program Officer at The John A. Hartford Foundation, a national private foundation dedicated to improving the care of older adults. As Senior Program Officer, Dr. Carmody works with Foundation leadership and staff to guide and support grant-funded initiatives in the United States in three priority areas: Age-Friendly Health Systems, Family Caregiving, and Serious Illness and End of Life. Her portfolio of grants include programs to create age-friendly public health systems, strengthen community-based services for older adults, disseminate dementia care programs and resources, and further develop and promote standards and best practices in emergency, surgical, and home-based hospital care of older adults.
Dr. Carmody has held significant leadership positions with health care systems prior to joining the Foundation, including executive director of a large regional health system’s home health care and hospice services, hospital chief nursing officer (CNO), system CNO for a health care system and chief clinical leader for a large national home health care and hospice company. She has a doctorate in nursing practice (DNP) from Rush University, an MBA from Creighton University, a social work degree from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and a diploma in nursing from Mercy College in Des Moines.
She has national certification in executive nursing practice (CENP) from the American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL) and a board certification in nurse executive-advanced from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) inducted Dr. Carmody as a Fellow in 2021 for her significant contributions to health care and the profession.
Sara Dombrowski received her Bachelor of Science at the University of Nevada, Reno in Human Development and Family Studies. She works for the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public and Behavioral Health in Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, as the BOLD Program Coordinator. Through her current position she works with community partners to help the community understand messages about dementia in order to make a difference for individuals living with dementia. Sara has over six years of public service in the State of Nevada.
Sara Dombrowski, BS
Mary Ek
Mary Ek is the Program Director for Dementia Friendly America, a national initiative administered by USAging. Through her work, Mary supports dementia-friendly communities and Dementia Friends administrators by providing technical assistance, facilitating learning collaboratives and webinars, and managing the development and sharing of resources.
Dr. Fayron Epps is the Principal Investigator of the Faith Village Research Lab and an Assistant Professor at Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. Dr. Epps has been a nurse for over 20 years and served in many clinical and leadership roles in the hospital setting. Dr. Epps has devoted her career as a nurse leader to reducing health disparities for underserved populations through innovative, culturally relevant programs for the African American community. She works closely with an interdisciplinary team to promote quality of life for African Americans living with dementia and their family caregivers/care partners through self-care and meaningful activities.
Dr. Epps is also the founder of Alter, the only nurse-led dementia-friendly initiative to support African American congregations. Dr. Epps oversees several faith-based research related projects and is an active member in several local, regional, and national organizations. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Southern Gerontological Society, the Alzheimer’s Association Georgia Chapter, and Meals on Wheels Atlanta.
Fayron Epps, PhD, RN, FAAN
Kristen Felten, MSW, APSW
Kristen Felten began working in the field of dementia care in 1996 as a front line staff member in an assisted living facility. In 2001, she became director of a 16-bed CBRF facility and was there for five years. In 2006 she began working at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, with a focus on aging and disability resource center development, while obtaining a Master’s degree in social work from UW-Madison and graduating in 2007. In October of 2010, Kristen shifted from resource center development to the Office on Aging with a new focus on policy regarding Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and she is now the Department’s Dementia Specialist. In her role Kristen created the Dementia Care Specialist program, is directing a BOLD public health grant award from the CDC, and provides leadership for the Wisconsin state plan for dementia.
Kristen has a BA from Ripon College, a Certificate in Gerontology from the Wisconsin Institute on Aging, and a Master’s degree in social work from UW Wisconsin-Madison.
Joseph Gaugler, PhD, is a Professor and Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging, Director at the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation in the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, and the Director of the BOLD Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving. Dr. Gaugler’s research examines the sources and effectiveness of long-term care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic conditions. An applied gerontologist, Dr. Gaugler’s interests include Alzheimer’s disease and long-term care, the longitudinal ramifications of family care for persons with dementia and other chronic conditions, and the effectiveness of community-based and psychosocial services for older adults with dementia and their caregiving families. Underpinning these substantive areas, Dr. Gaugler also has interests in mixed methods and implementation science.
Joseph Gaugler, PhD
Sharon Hall, dementia caregiver
Sharon Hall is a care partner to her husband, who has frontotemporal degeneration (FTD). She serves as a support group facilitator and educator for The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration. She conducts an FTD chat for care partners and hosts a monthly podcast called “Talking FTD”. Sharon has provided thought leadership on Medicare webinars, spoke about FTD at the NIH Research Summit on Dementia Care and Services, is active in Georgia’s Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias State Plan, serves on many boards and is a member of The Milken Alliance to Improve Dementia Care.
Dr. Henderson is Professor Emeritus of Medical Anthropology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth campus, and former Executive Director of the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team. He is Oklahoma Choctaw.
Dr. Henderson’s research areas focus on aging issues of American Indian people. Specifically, his work is on biological and cultural influences regarding recognition and treatment of dementia and diabetes, dementia caregiving, cultural constructions of disease, and community health interventions and education in the context of cultural diversity.
Dr. Henderson was honored by the award of the Leadership in Prevention for Native Americans, 2006, by the Loma Linda University School of Public Health and the Award of Achievement as well as being named a Presidential Professor by the University of Oklahoma, College of Public Health.
Dr. Henderson is the former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology and past-President of the Association for Anthropology and Gerontology. He has authored many articles in the scientific press and is a contributor to the Alzheimer’s Association and CDC’s new Healthy Brain Initiative’s Road Map for Indian Country (2019), principal author of The Savvy Caregiver for Indian Country (2013), co-author of the text, Social and Behavioral Foundations of Public Health (2001) and is senior editor of The Culture of Long Term Care (1995).
J. Neil Henderson, PhD
Heidi Holt, MPA
Heidi Holt is a Public Health Advisor in CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Healthy Aging Branch. Ms. Holt coordinates support to state, local and tribal public health efforts in implementing brain health, dementia public health and dementia caregiving strategies. Ms. Holt has a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Southern California, and a Certificate in Gerontology from the University of Georgia. She has expertise in Alzheimer’s disease, public health policy and strategic planning. Ms. Holt’s expertise in program development and consensus building has been a key part of the growth of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia efforts at the CDC. Heidi joined the CDC in 1992 and has a unique perspective spanning almost 3 decades in international and domestic Public Health.
Amanda Mosier, CDP, CDCM, SSD, is a Community Health Coordinator at Indiana University Health Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Service (ADRS). With a background in social work, program planning, and medical administration, Amanda has over 20 years of experience in Dementia Care. She led the first movement in Bloomington for Dementia Friendly America, where she became the Dementia Friendly Indiana Liaison. Amanda has been Positive Approach to Care (PAC) certified since 2017 and is a Certified Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Trainer through the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners.Through her work with ADRS, she organizes educational and outreach events and facilitates support groups in south-central Indiana. She continuously develops networks and programs to create Dementia Friendly Communities in Indiana.
Amanda Mosier, CDP, CDCM, SSD
Sara Motts
I am a current Master of Public Health (MPH) student at the University of Nevada Reno and I am completing my graduate internship with the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH).
More than fifteen years of primary caregiving for a parent with dementia/Alzheimer’s disease fuels Linda’s passion for storytelling and advocacy. As a faculty member, researcher and communications professional, she worked collaboratively with the executive branch of government, United States Congress, academic institutions, medical centers, associations and community-based organizations to protect the most vulnerable. Years of daily, hands-on caregiving experiences enrich her understanding of dementia’s and Alzheimer’s challenges. Linda is a member of the Lived Experience Advisory Group Member for the Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving.
Linda Quander, PhD, Caregiver
Dale Rivard, person living with mild cognitive impairment
Dale Rivard was diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment in 2017 at the age of 59. He was a former prosecutor in the State of North Dakota for over 20 years prior to his diagnosis. He was a member of the 2018-2019 Alzheimer’s Association National Early Stage Advisory Group and a current Stakeholder Engagement Advisory Group Member for the Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving.
Tiffany Robb is the Health Program Manager for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias for the State of Idaho’s Division of Public Health. Living on farms and ranches in rural Nebraska and remote Idaho, she knows how to get her hands dirty and the value of working collaboratively. Most recently, Tiffany co-developed, launched, and worked as a Lead Navigator and Program Manager for the Family Caregiver Navigator pilot project funded by Medicaid.; providing her an opportunity to learn directly from Idaho caregivers.
Previous other works, alongside some great teams, covered topics such as fall reduction, Sexual Violence and Prevention, food insecurity amongst Idaho’s Cystic Fibrosis patients and families, Age-friendly communities, vaccination requirements for Idaho, and Idahoans as family caregivers. Tiffany spends time with her family and teaching public health courses at Boise State University in her spare time.
Tiffany Robb, MHS
Andrea Robert, person living with Mild Cognitive Impairment
Andrea Robert was formally diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in 2019. In 2021 she was also diagnosed with brain irritability by another Neurologist. She is currently 56 years old. Andrea hopes to elevate dementia-related issues and their impact on the African American community, particularly the lack of participation in research studies, clinical trials, and the sharing information on resources available and accessibility to them.
Kristy Russell is a Health Program Specialist III for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services focusing on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). In this role, she coordinates the ADRD State Plan, Coordinating Council, leads the state’s collaborative efforts on addressing dementia, provides statewide education and assists individuals in accessing resources available to those with dementia, their caregivers and loved ones. Kristy has 15+ years of experience in endoscopy, long-term care and was a personal caregiver for a loved one with dementia. Kristy has a bachelor’s degree in Health Education from Utah Valley University, a master’s degree in Health Leadership from Western Governors University and is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).
Kristy Russell, CHES
Tisamarie Sherry, M.D., Ph.D.
Tisamarie Sherry, M.D., Ph.D. was appointed the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation on May 10, 2021. Her experience includes working as a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, and as a primary care physician. Dr. Sherry is a health economist and general internist whose research investigates health care delivery, financing, and policy strategies to improve the health and economic status of adults with chronic medical conditions – in particular, mental illness, substance use disorders and disabilities. Her research has been published in leading medical, health services research and health economics journals, shared with policymakers and practitioners, and covered in national media outlets.
Dr. Sherry has previously worked in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has served as a fellow with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Global AIDS Program, and has served on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Committee on Identifying Disabling Medical Conditions Likely to Improve with Treatment. She received her A.B. in molecular biology and public policy from Princeton University, her M.D. and Ph.D. in health policy (concentrating in economics) from Harvard University, and completed residency training in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Dawn Simonson is the President and CEO of Trellis. Dawn champions organizational vision and provides strategic leadership resulting in services and programs that benefit older adults and their families in the Twin Cities region and throughout Minnesota. With deep experience in the field of aging, healthcare, and advocacy, Dawn is recognized for her leadership as an innovator and collaborator. Her priorities are to develop networks and other partnerships that support older adults to live healthy and secure lives at home.
Dawn is a respected voice in the aging policies and practices arena through her voluntary lead roles with the Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging, Minnesota Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Minnesota’s ACT on Alzheimer’s initiative, and Dementia Friendly America. She is a past president of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and of the Minnesota Network of Hospice and Palliative Care.
She was named one of 2020’s 100 most influential people in healthcare by Minnesota Physician magazine. Dawn has a Master of Public Affairs degree from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota.
Dawn Simonson, MPA
Alan Stevens, PhD
Alan B. Stevens, PhD, holds the Vernon D. Holleman-Lewis M. Rampy Centennial Chair in Gerontology at Baylor Scott & White Health and serves as the Director of the Center for Applied Health Research (CAHR), a BSWH system level center that facilitates investigator-initiated, multidisciplinary efforts to impact population health management with health care delivery and implementation science research. He is also a Professor of Medicine and Public Health at the Texas A&M Health Science Center. Dr. Stevens has dedicated his research career to investigate the clinical and organization issues related to care delivery of older adults and their caregivers.
With over 25 years’ experience in academic medical schools and a leading integrated healthcare organization, Dr. Stevens is nationally recognized for his contributions to the fields of dementia caregiving, care transitions, and management of chronic diseases.
Alan B. Stevens, PhD, holds the Vernon D. Holleman-Lewis M. Rampy Centennial Chair in Gerontology at Baylor Scott & White Health and serves as the Director of the Center for Applied Health Research (CAHR), a BSWH system level center that facilitates investigator-initiated, multidisciplinary efforts to impact population health management with health care delivery and implementation science research. He is also a Professor of Medicine and Public Health at the Texas A&M Health Science Center. Dr. Stevens has dedicated his research career to investigate the clinical and organization issues related to care delivery of older adults and their caregivers. With over 25 years’ experience in academic medical schools and a leading integrated healthcare organization, Dr. Stevens is nationally recognized for his contributions to the fields of dementia caregiving, care transitions, and management of chronic diseases.
Robyn I. Stone, DrPH, Senior Vice President for Research at LeadingAge and Co-Director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston, is a noted researcher and internationally recognized authority on long-term care, aging services and workforce policy. She has been engaged in policy development, program evaluation, large-scale demonstrations and other applied research activities in these areas for over 40 years. Dr. Stone has held senior research and policy positions in both the federal government and the private sector, including serving in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Disability, Aging and Long-term Care Policy and Assistant Secretary for Aging in the Clinton administration.
Her work bridges the worlds of research, policy and practice to improve the care delivered to older adults–particularly lower-income populations—and to ensure the best quality of life for these individuals and their families.
Robyn I. Stone, DrPH
Fei Sun, PhD, MSW
Fei Sun, Ph.D., M.S.W, is a professor and coordinates the Health and Aging Social Work Certificate program at the School of Social Work (SSW) at Michigan State University (MSU). He received his doctoral degree from the University of Alabama in 2008. He is a fellow of The Gerontological Society of America, and was a Hartford Geriatric Social Work Scholar (2009 to 2011). Awarded as a Health and Aging Policy Fellow (2017 to 2018), he worked with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse of World Health Organization (WHO) on developing a global toolkit for dementia friendly communities.
His overall research area is aging and mental health with a focus on addressing the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders in Chinese American community, and he has generated over 90 peer-reviewed publications. His research received funding support including National Institute of Justice, Michigan Health Endowment Fund, Michigan Department of Health and Human Service, and John Hartford Foundation. He has published over 80 peer reviewed articles and book chapters. His practice interest focuses on psychosocial interventions for individuals with dementia and their family caregivers from ethnic minority backgrounds. Statistical expertise includes mediation and moderation analyses, longitudinal analyses, and SEM, and HLM.
Kina L. White is the Director for the Office of Community Health Improvement at the Mississippi State Department of Health. In her role, she oversees the Community and School Health Bureau, Community Health and Prevention Teams, Injury and Violence Prevention Bureau, Healthy Aging Bureau, and the Personal Responsibility Education Program. Dr. White serves as the Principal Investigator for multiple federal grant programs and serves on the board of advisors for the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Center for Brain Health Equity. She is a board-certified Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and currently serves as President for the state chapter of Mississippi Healthcare Executives. Dr. White is a graduate of the Mississippi Economic Council’s Leadership Mississippi program. She is also an Adjunct Faculty at Belhaven University.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University of Southern Mississippi, a Master of Health Services Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a Doctor of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Jackson State University. In addition, Dr. White has completed a two-year NIH-R25 Clinical and Community-Based HIV/AIDS Research Training (CCRT) Fellowship at Brown University. Dr. White has a sincere passion for working with vulnerable populations and improving their access to quality care.
Kina L. White, DrPH, MHSA, FACHE
Beth Wiggins, MSW, LISW
Beth Wiggins is the Director of Caregiving and Aging Services at Family Means in MN. Beth has more than 30 years of experience in developing and administering community-based supportive services for older adults and their families. With a broad understanding of gerontology, family caregiving, community involvement issues and nonprofit management, she has provided leadership in a number of collaborative entities and multi-sector partnerships to champion aging as a positive and integral part of family and community life. Beth serves on the board of directors of the Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging. She holds a BA in Psychology from Carleton College, a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Minnesota and was a Minnesota Area Geriatric Education Center Fellow.
Rhonda Williams has worked in public health and chronic disease prevention for twenty years. She is professionally dedicated to increasing awareness of and implementation of strategies that improve brain health and the quality of lives of those who have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease or Related Dementias. Rhonda is a distant caregiver to her mom who has Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, and co-leads a new team, All In To End Alzheimer’s, with Ed DeMott, VT BOLD Program Manager, together raising funds to support the Alzheimer’s Association research and caregiver support.
Rhonda Williams
Mike Wittke, BSW, MPA
Michael Reese Wittke joined the National Alliance for Caregiving in 2016. He serves as the Vice President for Research & Advocacy and is a senior member of NAC’s Executive Leadership team. He supported the organization’s growth during a leadership transition and has expanded capacity within NAC’s Research and Advocacy departments—focusing on bridging gaps between data and policy to address challenges facing family caregivers of older adults, people with disabilities, and those with serious or chronic conditions across the lifespan.
Mike came to Washington D.C. through an internship with the Hinckley Institute of Politics. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work, with honors, from the University of Utah and a master’s degree in Public Administration, with a concentration in non-profit management, from American University. Mike has previously served as Chair of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Political Action for Candidate Election Committee and as a member of the NASW Metro Chapter Board of Directors. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Friends of Theodore Roosevelt Island.
Megan Wolfe is a Senior Policy Development Manager at Trust for America’s Health, where she leads the national Age-Friendly Public Health Systems initiative, working with state and local health agencies to expand their roles in healthy aging. Megan has 20 years of experience in advocacy, including working to support a whole child approach to education, educator professional development, and raising the federal education investment. She has represented both Fortune 500 firms and non-profits and has Capitol Hill experience. Megan received her undergraduate degree in Government from the University of Texas at Austin and earned a J.D. from the Antonin Scalia Law School.
Megan Wolfe, JD
Greg Woods, MPH
Greg Woods is the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Program Coordinator for the Iowa Department of Public Health. Woods, a native of Newton, Iowa, has worked with IDPH since March 2021. Prior to that he spent five years as a Program Specialist and Research Champion for the Iowa Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Woods has a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Drake University, a master’s in Public Health from the University of Iowa College of Public Health and has three years’ experience in medical school. He currently lives in Des Moines, Iowa.