Joann M. Montepare, PhD (Brandeis University), is Emerita Professor of Psychology at Lasell University and Faculty Fellow in the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston. A lifespan social-developmental psychologist, her research focuses on social and personal perceptions of age. As former Director of the RoseMary B. Fuss Center for Research on Aging and Intergenerational Studies, she developed the Talk of Ages framework, an innovative approach to integrating intergenerational learning across the curriculum. A leader in advancing age-inclusive campuses, she chairs GSA’s Age Inclusivity in Higher Education (AIHE) Workgroup and edits the AIHE Newsletter, as well as co-developed the Age Inclusivity Domains of Higher Education (AIDHE) model and associated Age-Friendly Inventory and Campus Climate Survey (ICCS). Dr. Montepare is a Fellow of GSA, AGHE, APA, and SESP and is recipient of the AGHE Clark Tibbitts Award for outstanding contributions to gerontology and higher education.

Nancy Morrow-Howell, MSW, PhD, is the Bettie Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor at Washington University. Her scholarship focuses on productive engagement in later life, specifically program and policies to optimally engage older adults in paid and unpaid work, including working, volunteering, and caregiving. Dr. Morrow-Howell is past president and fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. She is a member of the advisory committee for GSA's National Center to Frame Aging as well as the Age-Inclusive University Workgroup. She received the Distinguished Career Achievement Award from the Society for Social Work and Research as well as the Distinguished Faculty Award at Washington University. She was awarded the Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Contributions to Health Aging and the Barbara Berkman Award for Outstanding Interdisciplinary Research, Practice or Policy, both from the Gerontological Society of America.

Tamara Baker, PhD, FGSA, is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is an appointed member of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Geriatrics and Gerontology Advisory Committee, the National Institutes of Health Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee, and Editor-in-Chief of Ethnicity & Health. Among Dr. Baker’s activities with the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), she is a former GSA Secretary, served as Chair of the GSA Committee on Minority Issues in Gerontology, founder and co-convener of GSA’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Collaborative Interest Group, former Chair of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Section, and is the GSA Board of Directors President. Her background in gerontology, psychology, and biobehavioral health has evolved into an active research agenda focusing on health disparities/equity as well as understanding the behavioral and psychosocial predictors and outcomes of chronic pain and pain among older Black adults.

Helene H. Fung is a Professor and former Associate Dean (Student Affairs) of Social Science, former chairperson at the Dept of Psychology, the Executive Director of the Centre for Positive Social Science and a Deputy Director of the Institute of Ageing, at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She examines socioemotional ageing across cultures. She is included on a list of the top 2% of working scientists world-wide and is ranked among Top Scientists in Psychology in China by Research.com. She is a senior associate editor for the Australian Journal of Psychology, and an associate editor for Cognition and Emotion.

Denis Gerstorf is Professor and Chair of Developmental Psychology at Humboldt University Berlin, Germany. As a lifespan developmental scholar, he is interested in better understanding how our everyday lives and the long-term developmental trajectories we are on are often closely intertwined with and co-regulated by the contexts in which we live. He is also a Research Fellow at the German Socio-Economic Panel, one of the longest-running national surveys worldwide. Dr. Gerstorf serves as Editor of the Behavioral Sciences section of Gerontology and has been in that role for many years for Psychology and Aging and the International Journal of Behavioral Development. He is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and chairperson of the interdisciplinary, multi-institutional consortium of the Berlin Aging Study-II (https://www.base2.mpg.de/en). His work has received numerous acknowledgments (e.g., Early Career Achievement Awards from APA and GSA, Innovative Publication Award of GSA).

Walter R. Boot, PhD, is the Irving Sherwood Wright Professor in Geriatrics II and Associate Director of the Center on Aging and Behavioral Research at Weill Cornell Medicine. He is a principal investigator of the National Institute on Aging-funded CREATE Center and Co-Director of the NIDILRR-funded ENHANCE Center. His research examines how existing and emerging technologies can support the health, well-being, quality of life, and social connectedness of older adults with and without cognitive impairment. His recent work focuses on using artificial intelligence, including large language models and natural language processing, to help older adults navigate complex health systems. His expertise includes human factors, user-centered design, cognitive aging, age-related cognitive impairment, clinical trial design, and technology adoption across the lifespan.

Debaleena Chattopadhyay is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Trained as a computer scientist, she transitioned into human-computer interaction to explore how technology can better serve diverse users. Her research focuses on enabling the continual digital inclusion of older adults by intersecting community-based participatory research methods with ongoing advances in artificial intelligence. She collaborates with local organizations to lead workshops and community events that both teach digital literacy and surface the barriers older adults encounter in their technology use. Dr. Chattopadhyay holds a Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction from Indiana University and an M.S. in Computer Science from Stony Brook University. She is committed to designing technologies that not only improve usability but also promote empowerment and long-term engagement through inclusive design.

Sean is a researcher examining how to mitigate the harmful effects of misinformation that have recently been exacerbated by the advent of generative AI. His background in cognitive psychology motivates him to examine misinformation from a mnemonic perspective, and he designs and tests interventions with a particular focus on memory. Recently, he has been riding the wave of large language models in social science by integrating them into the research process, from generating stimuli and coding qualitative responses to customizing chatbots and personalizing interventions.

Dr. Cacchione is the Ralston House Term Chair in Gerontological Nursing, Professor of Geropsychiatric Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and Nurse Scientist at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. She is a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner who has practiced for over 30 years across the care continuum. She is a nurse innovator. Her research focuses on social robotics for older adults. She is the CEO and Founder of AgingSense, a startup technology company to improve the lives of older adults. Dr Cacchione received her BSN from Villanova University, MSN from Marymount University, and PhD from Saint Louis University. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Iowa. Dr. Cacchione has over 100 publications and is the Past Editor in Chief of Clinical Nursing Research and International Journal. Dr. Cacchione is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the American Academy of Nursing.

Stephen John Fogle completed doctoral coursework and comprehensive examinations at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in the Spring of 2022. Stephen was recognized as Master of Gerontology by the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2020. Stephen taught for five years as part of the foreign faculty at Jiaxing University in Zhejiang, China. Stephen was in charge of sauce and soup preparations at the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park, following two years as front-of-house staff at Indie Cafe in Chicago, Illinois. Stephen was recognized as a Bachelor of History by Loyola University Chicago. Stephen was recognized as a delegate to the Anti-Defamation League Youth Leadership Mission to the National Holocaust Museum and recipient of the Archbishop John L. May Service Award from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri. Stephen discerned a vocation to the Roman Catholic priesthood at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Hannibal, Missouri.

Dr. Raven H. Weaver is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development at Washington State University. She is a faculty member in WSU’s interdisciplinary Prevention Science doctoral program and affiliate faculty in the School of Hospitality Business Management and the Department of Medical Education and Clinical Sciences at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. Her research focuses on lifespan prevention science, healthy aging, rural health, and end-of-life care, with an emphasis on improving access to advance care planning and supportive services for underserved populations. Using interdisciplinary and community-engaged approaches, Dr. Weaver examines factors that shape aging, caregiving, and end-of-life experiences across diverse settings. Her recent work has explored death literacy, advance care planning, healthcare professional education, and end-of-life experiences among older adults. She co-directs the GATHER Lab (Generating Aging & Translational Health Equity Research), where her scholarship advances well-being, informed decision-making, and health equity across the lifespan.

Tamara Baker, PhD, FGSA, is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is an appointed member of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Geriatrics and Gerontology Advisory Committee, the National Institutes of Health Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee, and Editor-in-Chief of Ethnicity & Health. Among Dr. Baker’s activities with the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), she is a former GSA Secretary, served as Chair of the GSA Committee on Minority Issues in Gerontology, founder and co-convener of GSA’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Collaborative Interest Group, former Chair of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Section, and is the GSA Board of Directors President. Her background in gerontology, psychology, and biobehavioral health has evolved into an active research agenda focusing on health disparities/equity as well as understanding the behavioral and psychosocial predictors and outcomes of chronic pain and pain among older Black adults.

James C. Appleby, BSPharm, MPH, ScD (Hon), is the Chief Executive Officer of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The Society works to advance innovation in aging and disseminate information among scientists, clinicians, policy makers, and the public. He is leading the Society’s current initiative to “reframe aging” in America by fostering accurate narratives of aging to replace the outdated “conventional wisdom” that dominates public understanding. The 5,500-member Society is advancing major initiatives related to improving adult immunization rates, earlier detection of cognitive impairment, improving oral health, and demonstrating the impact of the longevity economy. Appleby is also currently serving a four-year term on the National Advisory Council on Aging after being appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and he additionally serves on the National Alliance for Caregiving Board of Directors. Prior to joining GSA, he had a 17-year career with the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) where he served in a variety of roles before being appointed Chief Operating Officer. Before joining APhA, he was on faculty at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (PCPS). Appleby holds a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from PCPS and a master of Public Health degree from Temple University. He has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

Dr. MacKay-Brandt is a licensed neuropsychologist specializing in the measurement of cognitive functioning across the lifespan. She earned her PhD from Washington University in St. Louis, where her research focused on attentional control - a core component of complex processes including language and memory. She completed advanced clinical and research training at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Columbia University Medical Center, specializing in risk and protective factors for cognitive health. Dr. MacKay-Brandt is a Research Scientist at the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, where she collaborates with cognitive neuroscientists on data sharing resources that accelerate scientific discovery and translate innovations for clinical and public health applications. Her current work examines the role of the central autonomic nervous system in cognitive performance tuning. In her private practice, she integrates gold-standard clinical assessment with research advancements to help clients optimize cognitive performance and navigate cognitive challenges.

Dr. LeRoy's research broadly focuses on love and loss, including the complex dynamics of an individual's body, mind, and spirit while processing loss-related experiences, such as the death of a life partner, or loss in the form of "living bereavement," where an individual begins experiencing loss while their loved one is still in their physical, earthly form. In addition, Dr. LeRoy and her research team develop health interventions that may mitigate the impact of loss-related stress on health, across the lifespan.

Cal J. Halvorsen, PhD, MSW is gerontological social work researcher who focuses on the productive engagement of older adults, particularly through paid work, volunteering, and intergenerational initiatives. He is an associate professor at both the Brown School and Burksy School of Public Health, and the co-director of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging, at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also a project lead and investigator within the Center for Work, Health, & Well-being at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and a research affiliate within the Unit of Occupational Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Within GSA, Cal is the vice chair of the Social Research, Practice, and Policy section.

Patricia Oh directs Community Engaged Research at the UMaine Center on Aging and co-directs the Consortium for Aging Policy Research & Analysis (CAPRA). In practice, she coordinates Lifelong Maine's Age-Friendly Communities initiative, working with older adults to build communities where everyone can thrive. Her research is embedded in practice, examining how social, service, policy, and built environments shape well-being in rural communities, pointing to practical ways to strengthen social inclusion, civic engagement, and access to resources. Current interests include rural volunteerism, volunteer transportation, and volunteer peer navigation linking older adults to services and social opportunities. Her recent work examines how age-friendly principles spread beyond their original communities, reshaping institutions and practices in unplanned ways. She partners with community organizations, service providers, and researchers to translate findings into programs and policy that reflect the priorities of older Mainers themselves.

Dr. Ronit Elk, PhD., FAAHPM, is Professor in the Department of Medicine, Heersink School of Medicine, UAB. For the fifteen years she has been conducting NIH-funded studies using Community Based Participatory Research (CBRP) values. CBPR is a social justice approach, in which community members are equal partners in the entire research process. Using this approach, the first ever training program for clinicians in providing culturally and religiously concordant healthcare for older Southern African Americans with serious illness was developed by a southern African American community. Over 500 clinicians have been trained. With NIA funding, she is building a national program in which she and her team train and mentors professionals who focus on older adults, in CBPR, with the goal of increasing research and program development in which the voices of older adults are heard and their recommendations embraced.

Dr. Emily A. Greenfield is the Founding Director of the Rutgers University Hub for Aging Collaboration and a Professor of Social Work. Her research, teaching, and engagement seek to accelerate cross-sectoral collaboration for age-friendly social change, to scale up community-centered initiatives on aging, and to promote leadership development to improve society for long lives and aging equity.

Isabell C. May, PhD directs the Entrepreneurship and Science Communication for Aging and Aging-Related Research (ESCAAR) program and the Certificate in Science Communication at the University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies, and she leads the UMB Writing Center. She specializes in inclusive, interdisciplinary science communication across audiences and sectors and serves as Co-PI on an NIH Fogarty R25 focused on research ethics education in Morocco. A faculty fellow with Teach Access and the National Federation of the Blind, she advances accessibility in higher education and regularly publishes on science communication pedagogy.

Dr. Nikki O. Tyson is a seasoned credentialed gerontologist, educator, and advocate dedicated to transforming how society understands and values aging. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Master’s degree in Gerontology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dr. Tyson completed a Doctor of Education (EdD) in Curriculum Studies at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Tyson also holds a National Association for Professional Gerontologists (NAPG) certification as a Credentialed Professional Gerontologist (CPG). Dr. Tyson has managed many programs serving older adults, including transportation services, affordable housing, congregate and home-delivered meals, and corporate education initiatives. She has delivered professional training across the southeastern United States as well as presentations at several national conferences. Driven by a passion for advocacy and education, Dr. Tyson founded Advocating Anti-Ageism and Educating Against Ageism, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, to combat age-based bias.

Bernadette Wright, PhD, joined Meals on Wheels America in May 2020. There, she leads research and data analyses to inform and advance the organization’s strategic work. She has over 25 years of experience helping organizations use research to understand and solve complex issues, primarily in aging and health. Before joining Meals on Wheels America, she was an independent consultant leading research projects for national non-profit organizations and universities. Before that, she was a consultant at The Lewin Group, providing research on aging and disability issues for federal agencies. She earned her PhD in Public Policy/Program Evaluation from the University of Maryland. In her free time, she enjoys long hikes and bird- and wildlife-watching.

Yuanjin Zhou is an assistant professor at the School of Social Work. Yuanjin Zhou received her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of Washington School of Social Work. Zhou’s research program focuses on characterizing both precarious and positive aspects of the caregiving process of older people with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). Zhou’s work explores how these caregiving processes impact the health and well-being of both care partners and older people with ADRD. Furthermore, she explores how multilevel factors and mechanisms shape these caregiving processes. Through this formative research and the active involvement of community and clinical partners, Dr. Zhou’s work aims to develop and implement empowerment, health promotion, and preventive interventions for care partners and older people with ADRD in various care settings.

Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP is a Professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, the Associate Dean of Research, holds the Sonya Ziporkin Gershowitz Chair in Gerontology, and does clinical work in House Calls program, assisted living communities and senior housing clinics. Her research program is focused on optimizing function and physical activity among older adults, physical resilience, and testing dissemination and implementation of interventions in real world settings that optimize health and manage clinical problems such as pain. Dr. Resnick has over 350 published articles, numerous chapters in nursing and medical textbooks, and books on Restorative Care and Resilience. She was the editor of Geriatric Nursing for 17 years and is the co-editor of the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association and on editorial boards for numerous journals. She has held leadership positions in multiple organizations.