For the last 16 years, Christopher has traveled across North America and Canada keynoting and training for National Aging Associations including Pioneer Network (led numerous sessions including Plenary), LeadingAge, American College of Health Care Administrators, American Health Care Association, National Center for Assisted Living, and the Ontario Association for Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors. Extraordinary participant evaluations have resulted in earning the distinction of becoming LeadingAge’s highest-rated speaker/trainer. As recognition for his years of service to hundreds of communities across Pennsylvania and the country, in 2015, Christopher was awarded LeadingAge’s Facilitator of the Year.

Rachel Neal

Jim Kinsey is the Vice President of Continuum of Care Services at Planetree International, a not-for-profit organization that provides education and information in a collaborative community of healthcare organizations, facilitating efforts to create person-centered care in healing environments. In his role, Jim is responsible for coaching and directing organizations to implement the Planetree Framework of person-centered care. He specializes in complex healthcare system implementation, long-term care environments and other post-acute environments. Jim is a strong advocate for reducing/eliminating biased care and enhancing the skills of professionals in the field of aging. He started in healthcare as a nursing assistant, later attending nursing school and has worked in a variety of settings including high risk acute care, sub-acute and long-term care. He is a co-author of Planetree’s Long Term Care Improvement Guide, co-authored and served as content reviewer for Managing the Long-Term Care Facility: Practical Approaches to Providing Quality Care First Edition, (Perley, Editor). Jim will repeat this role for the 2nd Edition in 2020 and add chapters on person-centered care and resident move in. He is a sought-after speaker and educator for topics associated with person-centered care implementation and has created and implemented comprehensive staff, physician and leadership training curricula for Planetree.

Bob Sherwood,

Judi Booker is a resident of Shenandoah Valley Westminster Canterbury (SVWC). Ninety-nine-year-old parents have lived in a private Assisted Living Community for 7 years and Judi supervises their care. She is a retired Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with over 25 years of facilitating individual and group therapy in a Community Services setting. At retirement, Judi was managing two CARF-accredited Community Services outpatient substance abuse treatment programs and was tasked with meeting regulatory and statutory requirements of locality, state, and federal government. She was an active member in a department-wide change-agent team created to change department culture to better serve those with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.

Mary Jane Lee is a retired Registered Nurse with certifications in Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing and Holistic Nursing. She worked as a nurse and volunteer in hospice care and in a state-of-the-art adult care center with focus on whole person well-being and client-centered care for thirty years. Mary Jane introduced hospice and holistic concepts in caring to health care providers and volunteers. She taught Therapeutic Touch to staff and volunteers for symptom management in hospice, hospital, and adult care settings. Mary Jane recently became a resident at Shenandoah Valley Westminster Canterbury in Winchester, VA and is already volunteering as an observer and note taker for the Conversations re: Resident Experience in the health care and memory support areas. In serving fresh water to residents weekly in these areas, Mary Jane is learning how their lives may be impacted positively with increased awareness to individual needs and desires. She also frequently visits residents in those areas to assist them in doing things that they have difficulty doing by themselves.

Jennifer Craft Morgan

Jenny Brown has been working in the field of Elder Care since 1995, beginning as a Music Therapist in private practice before moving into the field of Recreation. She received her Bachelor of Music Therapy from the University of Windsor, as well as a diploma in Leadership in Long-Term Care and Retirement Living from Conestoga College. In her work, Jenny supports the Recreation Team and the Village to provide meaningful recreation opportunities and life enrichment for the Neighbours who live at Aspen Lake. She is passionate about “Putting Living First” and enjoys sharing this passion with others through her work as Co-Chair of the Support Advisory Team (a team which acts as “wise counsel” to Schlegel Villages in supporting Culture Change initiatives) and as a member of her village’s Village Advisory Team.

When Vicky Buckhannan’s grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, he was admitted into a nursing home in Lineville, Alabama. Vicky set her heart on being the one to take care of him, so she became a CNA. That was 26 years ago, and Vicky has been caring for older adults ever since. Vicky has been on the team at Fair Haven for almost a year and a half. She spends most of her work day caring for residents, but also enjoys occasional duties as the relief person for the Central Supply Director. Vicky is a graduate of Cleburne County High School in Heflin, AL, and attended Jacksonville State University for two years.

Brigitte Marc, LPN, attended nursing school in NTC and then in August, 2015, she came to work at Park Springs in Atlanta, Georgia.   If you ask her about her work, she will tell you that she loves being a nurse in long-term care. Caring for the elderly is her branch. When COVID-19 struck this past spring, She and her husband made a pact that she would shelter in place at Park Springs during their “lock-in” and he would stay safely at home.

For over two decades, Jill Vitale-Aussem has made changing the culture of nursing homes, assisted living communities and retirement communities her life’s work as a nursing home administrator, CCRC executive director and vice president of operations.  In each role, Jill pushed back against the status quo and drove deep cultural transformation in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. These efforts not only improved the quality of life for the people who lived and worked in her communities but led to significant improvements in occupancy, financial and regulatory outcomes. Jill now serves as President & CEO of The Eden Alternative, an international non-profit dedicated to creating quality of life for elders and their care partners, no matter where they may live. The Eden Alternative has impacted the lives of people in sixteen countries around the world. Jill is the author of Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: A Mindshift and speaks internationally on the topics of culture, leadership and ageism.

Sr. Imelda Maurer has thirty-one years’ experience in advocacy and leadership in aging services. She has directed communities at all levels of care. Over the past several years, she has worked directly with Sisters across the country; visited convent settings to learn about retirement programs; consulted with elected leadership teams; and presented at regional and national settings. A retired Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, Sr. Imelda has administered all levels of LTC communities. She has visited convent retirement centers across the country, gaining a general knowledge of programs, attitudes and needs; consulted with leadership teams of various congregations; and has addressed Sisters at regional and national gatherings, Sisters in elected leadership and Sisters living in retirement settings. Her blog, Providence Women, addresses issues of aging, advocacy around aging services issues, standards of care, ageism, aging and spirituality. She has had work published in National Catholic Reporter, including their project, “Global Sisters Report.”

Tena Alonzo

Amy Kotterman RD, LD graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Dietetics. She is the Director of Hospitality Services for United Church Homes (UCH) where she has been employed for 27 years. Amy provides guidance and assistance to the communities to create a home environment that supports abundant aging and culture change initiatives. Amy is leading the culture change transformation throughout UCH through education and implementation of person-directed initiatives including the Hospitality: I LIVE it program, UCH culture change vocabulary, Comfort Matters dementia education program and oversees resident engagement and satisfaction. In addition, Amy works with the directors of dining services and culinary chefs to enhance the dining experience for the UCH communities.

Deborah Ferris

Angel Duncan is involved in Alzheimer’s disease research as a clinician in clinical trials, director of education and therapist to caregivers and people living with early onset and early stage dementia. She provides art therapy training in arts related programming for dementia populations and establishes museum art tours around the country and internationally. Her current affiliations are with the Yale University Art Gallery, Yale Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and Albertus Magnus College in developing an early stage dementia museum program. She consults with the National Alliance in Mental Illness (NAMI), AARP and YMCA chapters throughout the northeast coastal region in brain health initiatives for successful living.

Brian LeBlanc grew up in New Orleans, LA and has lived in the Gulf Coast area since then. He found his niche in the professional world as a Marketing and Public Relations Executive. Diagnosed in October of 2014 with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease and no longer able to work, Brian made a career change by using his voice to spread awareness and education about living with Alzheimer’s disease. He now spends his time as a keynote speaker and session presenter at international, national and local conferences, seminars and workshops. He also teaches Crisis Intervention Team Training to law enforcement as to how to recognize individuals living with a dementia-related illness.

As an individual diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s as well as Vascular Dementia, Brian provides a window into the journey of a regular guy, from a regular life who is living with a progressive brain disease. Brian leans on the profound impact that his personalized music playlist has on his life. Not only does it drastically decrease what he calls his “brain fog,” it also reduces anxiety when he travels, brings back fond memories and identity, and helps him remain more present and functioning at the highest level possible.

Risa Morimoto started her career in banking, then entered the world of higher education working at New York University (NYU) as the Associate Director of the Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program and Institute. She then moved on to run a non-profit organization, Asian CineVision and the Asian American International Film Festival. It was during this time that Risa’s mother had a stroke. It was a huge wake up call for Risa and she knew if she wanted to become a full-time filmmaker, it was now or never. So, she chose now.

Risa made several documentary films, lucky enough to travel and interview people from all over the world. Her films screened at numerous film festivals and aired on television in over 18 countries. Throughout this time, Risa was a part time caregiver to her mother who developed Parkinson’s disease in 2009 and it became increasingly difficult to care for her. Risa felt like she needed a PhD to navigate the healthcare system. This proved to be hugely challenging and Risa often traveled to Japan to look for solutions. She knew their senior population was exploding and they were implementing some innovative ways to address the situation. Modern Aging was born out of Risa’s frustration knowing that there had to be a better way to age and care for our elders, and that the current system was not sustainable for future generations. She used her skills as a documentary filmmaker to interview people and share what she was learning. Thus, Modern Aging was created.

Josep de Marti, who holds a Law Graduate with a Master’s degree in Social Gerontology, worked for 10 years (1991 to 2000) as a nursing home inspector for the Catalonia Regional Government. In 2000, he set up a web site, Inforesidencias.com, addressed to the Spanish nursing home industry and in 2005 a consultancy and training company, Eai Consultoria. Josep is an associate professor at two Spanish Universities, teaching in post graduate degree programs in the area of Social Gerontology and Nursing Home management. He also directs Dependencia.info, a newsletter about care for elders with 8.000 subscribers.

Dan Levitt is an acclaimed international speaker, elder care leader, writer, and gerontologist, specializing in helping others to create better lives for seniors. Dan’s purpose is to teach people how to transform the lives of older adults across the globe. As a popular professional speaker, he has delivered inspiring keynote speeches impacting thousands of people on four continents. Dan doesn’t tell people where to go but guides them in the direction of where they need to go. His talks leave the audience with a new mindset on aging needed to thrive in the 21st century.

As the Executive Director of Tabor Village, Dan Levitt shepherds the enhancement of social, spiritual and care needs for more than 300 seniors, inspiring a team of over 400 employees and volunteers with a commitment to continuously improving the quality of life. Dan is an Adjunct Professor in Gerontology at Simon Fraser University an Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia and a Sessional Instructor, British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Dan’s adventure exploits have taken him from Africa’s highest peak Mt. Kilimanjaro to the Caribbean Sea’s coral reefs, from canoeing across the Yukon to racing in the six World Marathon Majors.

Sally Hopkins is the Executive Director of the Eden Alternative in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. As an Eden Regional Coordinator, working with a volunteer Board, Sally is responsible for the strategic direction, operations and growth of the Eden Alternative (through Eden Registry & Training) in three Regions. This includes, and is not limited to financial sustainability, education, marketing. She works with a number of homes, community and disability organizations who are operationalizing the Eden Alternative in their organizations. The strategic direction of her organization, in partnership with other Eden Regions around the globe is to change the face of aging.

Megan Hannan

A pioneer and champion of the Household Model, LaVrene Norton has been guiding organizations on their culture change journeys since 1984. She is recognized as the nation’s foremost organizational change facilitator in long-term care and has taken her expertise to Ireland and Australia as well. In addition to building curriculum for the broad series of Action Pact workshops, intensives and consulting, LaVrene has led the Action Pact team in the development of a deep catalog of culture change and Household Model literature, workbooks and DVDs, most notably In Pursuit of the Sunbeam which she co-authored with Steve Shields. She holds a Masters of Social Work.

Anna Ortigara

For the past nine years, Emily Dieppa has worked to empower the direct care workforce by creating pathways to economic sustainability and addressing the systemic challenges facing long-term care workers. By creating a home care training center in Detroit, Emily connected incumbent personal care aides to advanced training, higher wages, and an accessible career ladder. She did this work in partnership with diverse stakeholders, including home care agencies, nursing homes, city officials, and labor unions. Emily worked closely with PHI to develop the program’s curriculum and train a multi-disciplinary instructor team. As Chief of Staff for a healthcare workforce organization, Emily has extensive experience leading organizational development and culture change during times of transition. Rooted in mission-driven design, she has created and facilitated internal staff development programs and leadership conferences for over 400 healthcare workers to foster both personal and professional growth. Emily has long been a vocal advocate for quality long-term care. Is an advisory board member for the IMPART Alliance with leaders across Michigan to address an ever-growing caregiver shortage and build the necessary infrastructure for a statewide personal care aide training program. She has also worked with Michigan’s Olmstead Coalition to draft policy recommendations for the state’s Medicaid-funded services.

As one of PHI’s Workforce Development Specialists and trainers, Cassandra Martin-Himmons’ role is to support the creation of workshops and other initiatives to enhance the professional development of direct care workers and their supervisors. As such, she facilitates and contributes to the design of skill building workshops in addition to facilitating train the trainer workshops to teach PHI signature curricula using adult learner centered teaching methods. She also designs and conducts focus groups with client organizations to inform training design and workforce development interventions. Prior to PHI, Cassandra worked within the fields of healthcare and workforce development. While at Madison Strategies Group, Cassandra was the co-developer of the CareerLift program which helped individuals with limited access to educational and work opportunities maintain employment and advance in their careers. Cassandra’s professional interests lie in workplace wellness and in assisting individuals with navigating their way through life’s challenges that impact their ability to work. Cassandra, a licensed social worker, earned her MSW degree from Columbia University and has 15 years of experience within the field of social services. She is the former Vice President of Education for the Harlem branch of Toastmasters International and enjoys scrapbooking and traveling in her spare time.

Karen Eshraghi,

Victoria Crumbie (Tori) is the Director of Recreation for the Abramson Center for Jewish Life, North Wales, PA. She is responsible for the development of the Recreation Department to expand the scope of programming and incorporate therapeutic intent. She supervises the MATCH Tracker Quality Improvement initiative to enhance person-centered care. Tori develops the calendar of activities to include opportunities for residents to fulfill a vast array of preferences at any stage in life. In addition, she maintains the Recreation Department budget lines and provides supervision to the Program Assistants and collegiate interns to establish goals for future professional development. Finally, she plans, organizes, and implements organization-wide special events for residents, family, and staff.

Alex Heppner, BSW, received her Bachelor’s in Social Work from Bradley University. Ms. Heppner has experience with care planning process in both long-term care and adult day program settings. She is currently the Project Manager for the PELI-Can Project tasked with assisting Ohio nursing home providers implementing the Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory (PELI). Alex communicates with nursing home providers to identify barriers and facilitators of PELI implementation and manages the project’s “helpline” to respond to provider inquiries. She also assists with the development of training videos and tip sheets to aid providers. Additionally, she manages the project’s social media accounts and electronic newsletter for dissemination of implementation tips, updates, and related information.

Jan Bays

Karen Love is the Executive Director of the Dementia Action Alliance. She leads persons living with dementia, care partners and professionals in advocacy, education, and support for living well with dementia. Karen is a leader in person-centered practices in dementia care who advocates for treating dementia as a disability and using compensatory strategies to accommodate for changing abilities as a right. She led the DAA project to develop Best Practices for Living Well with Dementia and then created the partnership with The Eden Alternative to create the Raising the Bar Practice Guidelines to direct care in the Assisted Living setting. As a former long-term care (LTC) administrator, Karen has first-hand experience with person-centered care practices; she transformed several LTC communities to inculcating these principles and practices. Karen served as co-investigator on seven research projects (funded by the National Institute on Aging, U.S. Administration on Aging, and the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Research Award) to study and test person-centered practices. She has numerous articles about person-centered dementia care published in peer-reviewed journals and wrote a manual about person-centered practices for the National Association of Boards of Examiners of Long-Term Care Administrators that is used to educate administrators. Since 2011, Karen has championed person- and relational-centered dementia care practices nationally through the Dementia Action Alliance.

Paulan Gordon is living well with Vascular Dementia. She lives resiliency and shares that attitude with others. She is committed and actively involved in creating a world where people can live well with dementia through example, advocacy and mentoring. She is a contributor and co-editor for Raising the Bar: Creating a Better Society in which to Live with Dementia.

Laurie Scherrer is on the Advisory Board and the Board of Directors for the Dementia Action Alliance. She lives well with dementia and shares that message with others. She is committed and actively involved to creating a world where people can live well with dementia through example, advocacy and mentoring. She is a contributor and co-editor for Raising the Bar: Creating a Better Society in which to Live with Dementia.