Alima Anderson is a dedicated public servant who has spent nearly 25 years serving some of the region’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations.

As Manager of the Quality Team with Atlanta Regional Commission’s Aging & Independence Services group, she is responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) programs provided by partner agencies under Aging Services grants. She is also responsible for program evaluation and quality improvement services for ARC’s own internal programs.

Alima previously served as a Program Evaluation Specialist for the Fulton County Department of Senior Services, where she performed quality monitoring and program evaluation services for multiple programs. In earlier roles, she provided information and referral services for older individuals and those with disabilities and helped to provide temporary shelter services to individuals experiencing homelessness.

Alima holds Doctor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration degrees from Baker College, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Georgia State University.

Aisha Adkins, MPA, CNP is the Constituency Engagement Manager for Caring Across Generations, residing on unceded Cherokee Nation land in Atlanta, GA. She is passionate about building an equitable, inclusive, and comprehensive public health and care infrastructure using media, storytelling, and culture and policy change. Her versatility has enabled her to publish works both in academic journals and popular publications.

When she’s not trying to affect positive systemic change, she enjoys classic films, live music, and the great outdoors. She is also an aspiring tea connoisseur.

Pat Baker’s career in the field of health and human services, particularly aging services, began in 1973. She retired from Gwinnett County Government in June of 2018 as Director of Health and Human Services, which included Gwinnett Senior Services. She has worked with the Older American’s Act Senior Programs for most of her career but has also done consulting with AARP and the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving. She served two church in Older Adult Ministry in the 1980’s and is now the Director of Older Adult and Caregiver Ministries at St. Andrews Presbyterian church in Tucker.

Pat discovered her special gift of working with family caregivers in the early 80’s when she started her first Caregiver Support Group. She currently facilitates three caregiver support groups in the Atlanta area. She is on three Board of Directors- at the national, state and local level. 

She is proud to have received her Masters of Science Degree at the age of 65 in the field of Organizational Development and Leadership.  

Mary is a gerontologist with a foundation in social work. As a graduate of Eastern Illinois University’s Aging Studies program and a student at Simmons University School of Social Work in Boston for two years, Mary is passionate about combining her hands with her heart in service to the aging population in Georgia.         

Her current position is Director of TownSquare Sandy Springs, a new concept adult day health program. Her professional experience includes a clinical social work internship in Hospice, Aging and Disability Resource Counselor, Adult Day Health Program Manager (Mercy Rome and ACCA), Community Care Service Care Manager (Legacy Link), and most recently, Helpline and Early-Stage Program Manager at The Alzheimer’s Association. She currently serves on the GARD Research Committee and is a past community partner through her role at The Alzheimer’s Association with the Georgia Memory Network clinics across the state.

 She is a mother of 3, grandmother of four, and best friend to Scruffy and Daisy, a dynamic dog duo, and Picasso, the cat. 

Abby is the Vice President of Business Solutions at WellSky where she helps lead their human services solutions to reimagine the ways in which WellSky and their clients can optimize care and performance, achieve better outcomes, and lower costs across the care continuum.

She previously served in Georgia as the Assistant Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Aging Services where she directed all Older Americans Act programs as well as Adult Protective Services, Public Guardianship Office, and four state plans.  Abby received her MSW and Gerontology Certificate from the University of Georgia and her B.A. from Sewanee University. 

Jeannette David is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia’s Institute for Disaster Management.

Ms. David has worked in the field of disaster management since 1993, beginning with the American Red Cross followed by 17 years managing Georgia’s disaster mental health program. At IDM she teaches Disaster Mental Health Overview and is responsible for managing the resilience-building program of the Georgia CNC career Pathway Initiative.

She is the founder of the Georgia Crisis Consortium and co-founder and past chairman of the Georgia Emergency Preparedness Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities and Older Adults. She is a certified trainer in Psychological First Aid and a master trainer for the FEMA Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program. Ms. David is also a Cadre Consultant with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, where she provides training and consultation in disaster mental health throughout the United States. She serves on the board of Directors of the Georgia Gerontology Society and is a member of the Coastal Alliance of Centers for Independent Living Active in Disasters.

Ms. David is an avid baseball fan, practices yoga and enjoys traveling to visit life-long friends and her two grandsons.

Libby Dunahoo is the Manager of the Advance Care Planning Department for Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS). NGHS serves 19 counties through 4 hospitals, a 70+ multispecialty provider network, and a GME program. She has a BA in Sociology from GSU with 20+ years of work in advocacy , development and affiliations at Emory as well as a statewide adoption agency. She started her work at NGHS in 2017 to implement the community initiative of Respecting Choices®. She is passionate about empowering people to have a voice in their healthcare through their Advance Directives. She advocates that advance care planning is a wonderful gift to give loved ones. Libby is a local member of the Beyond Dementia Coalition, North Georgia Senior Resources, and Commerce Club of Gainesville. She actively participates in the Northeast Georgia Health System Ethics Committee and the Emory Ethics Consortium. In 2019 she was a Community Wellness Award finalist for Gwinnett Chamber’s 2019 Healthcare Awards.

A fellow of the American Geriatrics Society, Carole Gardner, MD is a board-certified internist and geriatrician with The Southeast Permanente Medical Group (TSPMG). She is Physician Lead for SNP and Elder Care Quality and Physician Program Director, Pharmacy and Therapeutics/Medication Safety at Kaiser Permanente of Georgia (KPGA).   She helps create and implement initiatives and programs to serve the needs of KPGA’s members, with a special focus on the older population.   She co-leads programs and initiatives regarding safer use of opioids and benzodiazepines as well as reducing use of medications considered high risk in older adults. She sees patients in consultation and is the geriatrician on an interdisciplinary team that coordinates care for a subset of KPGA’s Medicare population. She represents TSPMG/KPGA on several national Kaiser Permanente committees and groups.

Prior to joining TSPMG she was a member of the faculty of the University of Kentucky, where she directed programs in clinical Geriatrics and trained health professionals.  At KPGA, she has served in various administrative roles including developing and implementing evidence based clinical practice guidelines and disease management programs.  She has published articles in various medical journals and presented at several national meetings, including annual meetings of the American Geriatrics Society.

Throughout her 29 years as an occupational therapist, Kay Graham has gravitated towards opportunities to mentor and teach across program areas and disciplines whether as a rehab specialist, workshop presenter, faculty curriculum coordinator, or most recently as Department Chair for the Gainesville Day Occupational Therapy Program at Brenau. She received her Certificate in Gerontology and her PhD in Health Promotion and Behavior in the College of Public Health from the University of Georgia. She works actively to bring the areas of public health and medical care together in more effective partnerships and coordinated services in order to promote healthy aging in older adults. Towards this end, she serves on the Georgia Gerontology Society board, as a member of Injury Prevention Research Center at Emory Fall Task Force, the Gainesville-based Beyond Dementia Coalition, a founding member of the Northeast Georgia Fall Prevention Coalition, and as the current chair of Interprofessional Education Committee for the Ivester College of Health Sciences at Brenau University.

Bryan Hay is the Deputy Director with the Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Aging Services (DAS). In this capacity, he is responsible for oversight of Adult Protective Services (APS), the Public Guardianship Office (PGO), and the Forensic Special Initiatives Unit (FSIU).  He works closely with other State agencies and community partners in developing strategies to address abuse, neglect, and exploitation of the disabled adult and elder citizens of Georgia. 

Prior to working in state government, he served as a manager for the largest private mental health and substance abuse treatment facility in Alabama. Bryan has 25 years of experience in the disabled adult and elder abuse and prevention field.   

Victoria Helmly is a second-year Ph.D. student of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia State University. She currently works as a graduate research assistant. Victoria earned a B.A. in Sociology in 2013 and an MSW and graduate certificate in Gerontology from Georgia State University in 2016. She held the position of the Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias State Plan Coordinator for the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services from 2016-2019. Her research interests include aging in the prison system, specifically dementia and end-of-life care for incarcerated older adults.

Carol has over 27 years of corporate experience from IBM Corporation in business development, marketing, and sales on a global scale. She transitioned into aging after becoming a caregiver for her mother who had Dementia and Leukemia. Carol has a bachelor’s degree in education from Saint Paul’s College.

 At the age of 63, Carol returned to school at Georgia State University to pursue a master’s degree in Gerontology because of the desire to help caregivers of loved ones with dementia and the aging population. Carol has collaborated with the Alumni association at Georgia State University in developing workshops for caregivers of loved ones with dementia. She continues to work with caregivers and the aging population as an employee at the Atlanta Regional Commission since 2019. Carol also teaches undergraduate classes at Georgia State University classes on aging, inspiring the students to focus, understand, and care about the needs of the older population no matter what career path they decide to pursue. Carol is a strong advocate for the Gerontology Institute through engagement with students and the Atlanta Regional Commission.

 She recently joined the advisory council of the Alter program whose mission is to inspire and equip faith-based organizations anchored in African American communities to better support families affected by dementia and transform churches into Alter Champions by creating dementia-friendly and inclusive environments.

Dr. Bonnie Kin is trained as a clinical geropsychologist. She received her B.A. in psychology and Master’s in community psychology from California State University Dominguez Hills. Dr. Kin completed her Ph.D. at Alliant University, Los Angeles with specializations in health psychology and geropsychology. She is Director of the M.S. in Applied Gerontology program and Professor of Psychology at Brenau University.

Dr. Kin has over 40 years experience practicing and teaching in the field of geropsychology, gerontology and geriatrics in both Georgia and California. Her specialization is the research and psychosocial treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Dr. is honored to serve on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Gerontology Society. She is a member of the American Psychological Association , the Georgia Psychological Association, the American Society on Aging, the Gerontological Society of America, and the Georgia Gerontology Society.

A home care veteran for nearly twelve years, Doug Lueder is the owner of one of the largest independent home care agencies in the Atlanta area. A passionate supporter of the rights of individuals to live at home and age in place, he is the Atlanta Chapter Advocacy Chair of National Aging In Place Council (NAIPC). Earlier this year Doug’s proposed legislative issue of creating an Elderly and Disabled Abuser database was selected by the “Georgia Coalition on Aging” and is now helping in the efforts to bring this badly needed resource to fruition.

Mr. Lueder started his career in hospitality before transferring his skills to medical sales and marketing with companies including Whittle Communications and the Medical News Network, as well as MedCast and WebMD. On 9-11 1987, Mr. Lueder’s younger brother suffered a spinal cord injury that left him a quadriplegic. His need for highly-qualified, reliable, and consistent home care provided him with an acute awareness of the challenges faced by elderly and disabled people on a daily basis. He became an Atlanta licensed home care provider in 2006, and today Prosper Home Care serves more than 300 clients, within five different ethnic communities, throughout the greater Atlanta area.

Kimberly Mathis was born and raised in Thomson, Georgia and a 1992 graduate of Thomson High School. Kimberly is now attending Mercer University online pursuing a major in Gerontology. Kimberly’s first position in 2001 was in Human Development as a Program Director before being promoted to Director/Department Head for the McDuffie County Human Development Center, where she held that position for 15 years. 

In 2016, Kimberly accepted the Program Coordinator Position with McDuffie County Senior Services. In 2019 Kimberly resigned from McDuffie County with 18 1/2 years. Kimberly also was a board member for the CSRA EOA Inc. for 6 years. In that same year Kimberly accepted the Senior Services Director position with CSRA EOA Inc./ Burke County Senior Center.

Kimberly has worked in Aging for almost 20 years and has dedicated her life to helping people. Kimberly is also a Certified At-Task Adult Crime Tactics Specialist, through the Georgia Department of Human Services. Kimberly is a Certified Dementia Care Specialist, certified in foundations and behaviors and a certified instructor through the Crisis Prevention Institute.

Whitney Oeltmann started Dementia Spotlight Foundation (DSF) in 2016 following her father’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. DSF strives to provide multiple services and direction for person’s with dementia and their caregivers. Whitney received her Master’s in clinical social work from Tulane in 1999 with a focus on mental health. Over the years she has worked in private and public sectors focusing on community mental health and public education.

Whitney serves as the Executive Director of DSF and oversees all programs, employees, and volunteers. The goals of DSF are to raise funds that can be used for services directed to improving the lives of those living with dementia, their families, and caregivers. Additionally, DSF works to raise public understanding of dementia related diseases and to spread awareness about services available to families living with dementia.

Whitney was motivated to pursue this career path following the diagnosis of her father’s dementia after observing the lack of information, family resources, and support. In 2020, Whitney was asked to serve on the board of Georgia Gerontology Society because of her work and advocacy in bringing awareness to the need for dementia care and awareness in GA. She was asked to lead the state’s Dementia Friendly Initiatives workgroup within the Georgia Alzheimer’s and Related Dementia Collaborative (GARD) and is an active advocate for Georgia residents. Through partnership with DeKalb County, she received a grant to help DeKalb County become the first dementia friendly county in Georgia. Through the grant she has led Dementia Friends sessions with the following county sectors: Senior services case management, Youth services, Library services, adult care facilities, and in March of 2021 will be helping to train Law Enforcement recruits as part of their CIT
training.

Whitney currently lives in her native hometown of Atlanta, GA with her husband and 2 daughters. In her spare time she loves to read, cook, go birdwatching, and to spend time with her family.

Without a cure for dementia, Whitney hopes that Dementia Spotlight Foundation can help provide support and a path forward for the persons and families who are coping with a diagnosis of a dementia related disease. Additionally, DSF works to provide support for caregivers of those with dementia and to promote dementia awareness across our communities.

Nancy Pitra is the Associate State Director of Advocacy for AARP Georgia. AARP Georgia advocates on the issues most important to those in the 50+ community as they age: economic security; health care; access to affordable, quality long-term care; creating and maintaining livable communities; consumer protections; and caregiving. Prior to taking the role with AARP Georgia, she worked as an attorney and advocate within the Georgia aging network for over 10 years.  She spent 5 years as a practicing attorney with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society representing senior adults with issues such as Social Security, Medicare, long-term care, predatory lending and consumer scams.  Her legal experience established her expertise on several of these issues and led her to pursue the Senior Citizens Advocacy Project Coordinator position. In this role she advocated for legislation that would positively impact the lives of older adults on behalf of the Georgia Area Agencies on Aging and in collaboration with The Georgia Council on Aging as well as the Georgia Gerontology Society. She has had success as an advocate on many senior issues including elder abuse legislation and budgetary funding for home and community bases services.

Nancy graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and continued her academic pursuits by earning a law degree from the University of Mississippi Law School.  She lives in Atlanta with her husband and 2 teenage children.

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Lois Ricci has worked in the field of aging for more than 40 years in both the hospital and academic settings as a geriatric nurse practitioner/educator and consultant.  She holds master’s degrees in gerontology and nursing education and a doctorate in adult education. Lois and a colleague started and operated a nonprofit Home Health Care/ Adult Day Care Service in upstate New York, serving a three-county area. She was the interventionist on the Tai Chi/Education study at Emory University, helping to reduce falls in the frail elderly population. She was a faculty member at Emory University’s Center for Health in Aging in the Department of Geriatric Medicine. She worked at UGA’s Institute of Gerontology developing and producing programs and modules for the HERSA grant, the institute was awarded to create the Georgia Geriatric Education Center. She has coordinated and presented education programs for Emory and Mercer Senior Universities in the Atlanta area and promotes positive aging through community education programs.

She is an adjunct professor, teaching the Professional Development in Gerontology for the KSU College of Professional Education. Lois collaborated with the AARP, Department of Technical and Adult Education, Lifespan Resources, Mercer Senior University and Atlanta Regional Commission to develop a career tract for minority populations who want to become nursing assistants. This led to the development of continuing education programs for Certified Nursing Assistants and professionals in the field of aging. She also designed educational programs for several senior living facilities and adult programs in Atlanta.

Lois chairs the Tucker Civic Association’s Lifelong Community Committee/Age Friendly Tucker project and is a volunteer with GA AARP.

Sarah Saint Hamilton, PhD, MSW is a Lifespan Developmental Psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia. She is a faculty member in the Institute of Gerontology, situated in the College of Public Health, where she teaches a full course load in Gerontology every semester on topics ranging from lifespan health psychology to a service-learning course focused on exploring the diversity of lived experiences, challenges, strengths, and opportunities present in older age. Dr. Saint Hamilton also serves as the Undergraduate Coordinator for UGA’s minor in Gerontology

Kristie Sharp is the Manager of the Program Development Unit at the Atlanta Regional Commission, Area Agency on Aging. In this capacity Kristie oversees ARC’s health education, volunteer services and behavioral and physical health coaching programs and networks.

Kristie has more than 25 years of experience developing, implementing and evaluating programs to build organizational, community and individual capacity in a diverse array of settings and populations. Her expertise lies in developing program infrastructure, policies and procedures; helping organization’s increase capacity through development and implementation of innovative programs; implementing peer-to-peer outreach models; and building self-directed teams to further agency objectives.

Kristie is an Atlanta native and a graduate of Georgia Tech.  

Biography Coming Soon

Bridgett Skelton’s healthcare career started in 1999 at Houston Medical Center in Warner Robins Georgia working in Labor and Delivery while seeking her degree in nursing from Middle Georgia State University in 2004. The knowledge she attained in nursing school helped her find the right diagnosis and treatment for her son who was diagnosed with a rare mitochondrial disorder. After walking this path herself, Bridgett’s realized that she had a passion to educate the public about services available to them and make it easier for them to find the ones they needed.

This passion is what led Bridgett to become a Clinical Educator for the Women’s Center and Pediatrics at Houston Medical Center. In 2010, Bridgett’s desire to reach more individuals on a larger scale led her into a new role for the largest Social Services provider in the United States as a Director of Nursing. She served a medically-fragile community population under Medicaid waiver programs in Georgia, helped open the first medically fragile group home in the state of Georgia. At this group home, DBHDD clients were able to be served in a home-like setting and receive around the clock skilled nursing care outside of a skilled environment. This showed her the power of partnering quality care and appropriate resources together as individuals navigate the healthcare system.

Bridgett’s experience working with a medically-fragile population also ignited her passion for seniors, especially those battling Alzheimer’s and Dementia. In 2014, she started working for Brookdale Senior Living overseeing care in multiple buildings as regional clinical support before eventually moving into the role of Business Development Director and Healthcare Liaison. In this role, Bridgett educated healthcare professionals, physicians, case managers, and families about the services available to seniors in her communities.

In 2017, Bridgett obtained her Master’s in Business Administration in Healthcare Management and accepted a role as the Regional Administrator of Hospice Operations for Encompass Hospice in the state of Georgia.

Bridgett accepted the opportunity to join the team at CaraVita Senior Care in September of 2019 as the Vice President of Business Development. In this role, she will be working to consistently grow partnerships amongst providers in the healthcare community and bring CaraVita’s loving care and resources to even more families in the Metro Atlanta area and beyond. Bridgett is excited to be a part of such a professional, quality-driven team.

Stacy Stafford has been the owner and operator of Senior Living Specialists of Georgia since 2018. Stacy opened this placement company to better serve seniors and their families who do not have the experience or time to sift through the ever-changing world of senior living.

Stacy received her M.A. in Gerontology from USF during which time she worked closely with the director of the Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging. She has a wealth of experience in skilled nursing, cognitive rehab, and senior living sales and operations. All these roles have included opportunities for Stacy to educate healthcare colleagues on the benefits of senior living and rehab for area seniors.

Stacy always seeks out opportunities to advocate for her most vulnerable neighbors and takes pride in improving the quality of life for those she serves.

Aimee Stowe works in the Georgia Department of Human Services’ Division of Aging Services, managing and developing Georgia’s Elderly Legal Assistance Program. She formerly served as administrator and program consultant for DAS’ Public Guardianship Office. She is also an adjunct professor of Elder Law at the University of Georgia School of Law.

Aimee is the founder of Stowe Legal and Consulting, a legal consultancy specializing in the rights of persons living with disabilities, including diminished or diminishing capacity. Aimee has 17 years of experience representing underserved client populations.

Aimee graduated summa cum laude from Emory College of Arts and Sciences with a B.A. in psychology and earned her J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law.

Shawn Taylor has worked at the Southern Georgia Regional Commission’s Area Agency on Aging (AAA) as the Lead Aging Program Manager for seven (7) years.  She provides coordination and support to the AAA’s three (3) Aging Program Managers by assisting them in efforts to provide quality assurance, technical assistance, correspondence, reports, and monitoring for the AAA’s 30 service contracts.  In addition, Shawn is the AAA’s Senior Hunger Coordinator and coordinates Menu Planning meetings for the region’s 18 senior centers.  Shawn is also the AAA’s team lead for the Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program which provides fresh fruits and produce in the AAA’s 18-county region through a partnership with the Department of Public Health.  Shawn is also a Minister and author in her spare time.

Dr. Temitope Aiyejorun Walker (Pronounced Teh-me-Toe-Pay A. Walker) has been in the field of aging for over ten years.  Dr. Walker is the Senior Hunger Nutrition Coordinator for the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services. In her position, she coordinates the implementation of Georgia’s first state plan to address senior hunger. Dr. Walker works closely with local and state agencies in Georgia to help raise awareness about and identify practical solutions to address senior hunger. Dr. Walker is also currently pursuing scholarly journal publications for her dissertation work on the financial and nutritional impact of SNAP benefit receipt among SNAP-eligible older adults. Dr. Walker’s overall focus is on developing critical engagement strategies to convey better the intricacies of what is both shared and learned in addressing senior hunger in Georgia.