Katelyn Webster-Dekker is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. Her research focuses on physical activity behaviors, physical function, and care needs of older adults. She is particularly focused on those with chronic conditions or in long-term care settings such as assisted living facilities. Her overarching goal is to develop behavioral interventions focused on decreasing sedentary behavior and increasing physical activity of older adults in order to slow functional decline and frailty and delay the need for higher-level care such as a nursing home.

Dr. Alex J. Bishop is a professor in the Human Development and Family Science Department and the Bryan Close Professor of Adulthood & Aging in the College of Education and Human Sciences at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma. He is a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America and a recognized expert in the application of mix-methodologies involving the use of oral history methodology underlying developmental understanding and impact of human longevity. Of recent interest, Dr. Bishop has engaged in the use of smart and artificially intelligent technologies and digital applications to facilitate classroom learning, dialogue, and critical examination of long-lived adults.

Melinda Heinz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family, Aging, and Counseling at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). She teaches Families and End-of-Life Issues and Families and Aging. Her research interests include purpose and meaning in life in older adulthood. Recently her work has focused on Men’s Sheds, a grassroots organization where men connect with each other “shoulder to shoulder” while working on projects together. She also started hosting Death Cafes in the Cedar Valley and is currently co-facilitating an intergenerational book club at UNI among faculty, staff, students, and community members.