HPPAE ALUMNI AND STUDENT COMMITTEE ON LEADERSHIP IN AGING

Cindy Arispe is a native Texan and currently a second year graduate student at the University of Houston. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Newman University in Wichita, Kansas. After one year of teaching 5th grade, Cindy realized social work was her true calling. The experiences she had with her own aging family members led her to become passionate about the aging population. Cindy is looking forward to the experiences and knowledge she will gain from the committee. When she is not working, in class, or in field, Cindy enjoys reading, scrapbooking, and spending time with her family and friends. Cindy can be reached at: clarispe@uh.edu.

Nicole Back is currently the Admissions/Outreach Coordinator for Franciscan Villa, a long term care campus in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Franciscan Villa has skilled nursing and rehab, three levels of assisted living, and specializes in dementia care. After Nicole received her Bachelor's in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2004, she began working as an Activity Therapist. She attended Baylor University in Texas for her Masters in Social Work with a specialization in gerontology, and returned to Franciscan Villa as a Social Worker in 2007. Her research at Baylor was on the topic of Grief and Dementia, and has since been published in two sources. Nicole looks forward to serving on this committee, as well as becoming a Field Instructor for students at UWM. Nicole can be reached at: NicoleBack@catholichealth.net.

Jess Bartlett earned his Bachelor of General Studies Degree at Missouri Southern State University at Joplin Missouri in 2005. In 2006, he earned his certificate for Substance Abuse Counseling at Washburn University in Topeka Kansas. He entered the three year, part time Masters of Social Work program at Kansas University in Lawrence Kansas in the fall of 2007. Jess is currently in the first semester of his second year at KU and in the third cohort of students involved with HPPAE. He is completing his practicum at Spectrum Home Health in Kansas City, Kansas where he completes home visits with elderly clients, administers needs assessments, and then works with the clients to secure those needs. He is a full time substance abuse counselor at DCCCA in Lawrence Kansas and his responsibilities include level II and level I outpatient group as well as individual counseling. Jess can be reached at: samsluv@hotmail.com.

Hope Burnette Melton is a recent graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University's Master of Social Work Program with a concentration in Administration, Policy and Planning. She had the pleasure of participating in The Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education (HPPAE) throughout both years of her graduate studies. Hope's professional roots are in the areas of social work and non-profit fundraising, but her passion is for older adults. Their unique needs and abilities have driven her interest in advocating for this special population. Hope recently completed the historic Governor's Fellows Program, a special initiative in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She is anxious to apply her social work and analytical skills to influence positive systemic changes in the area of gerontological social work and health policy, with a goal of making the aging process easier for seniors, their families, and caregivers. She is excited about collaborating with peers to more broadly encourage the field of gerontological social work as a valid, challenging and rewarding area of practice. Hope can be reached at: burnette.hope@gmail.com.

Morgan Gable is a policy analyst in the Home and Community-Based Services department within the Advocacy department at the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA). She works on advocacy and legislative issues to help AAHSA's 5,700 members expand and/or create a home and community-based services component within their organization. She represents AAHSA's members regularly on Capitol Hill. Morgan received her BSW from Chatham College in 2004 and her MSW from the University of Michigan in 2005. In addition to AAHSA, she has also interned at the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) and worked at B'nai B'rith International doing grassroots advocacy and educational programming for older adults. In her spare time, she enjoys cheering on the Pittsburgh Penguins (and is a crazy hockey fan in general!). Morgan can be reached at: MGable@aahsa.org.

Kate Geitner, LMSW, is the Director of the East Side Case Management Consortium which serves approximately 1,000 homebound older adults. As the Consortium's Director, Kate is responsible for overseeing the operations of the Consortium; liaising with the City; training Consortium staff members; developing training curriculum; developing outcome measurements, tracking systems and quality assurance measures; and development and implementation of Consortium-wide initiatives to improve service delivery. Prior to her role as Consortium Director, she was the Clinical Social Work Manager for Project SCOPE at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, working with older adults dealing with mental health issues, supervising staff and overseeing mental health trainings and initiatives for Project SCOPE. Kate received her MSW/Specialist in Aging degree from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor; she received her Bachelor's of Social Work at University of Texas at Austin. Kate can be reached at: kgeitner@lenoxhill.org.

Rachel Gill received her BA in Biology from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. She spent a number of years working on the Human Genome Project at Baylor College of Medicine before pursuing a degree in social work. In May of 2008, Rachel received her Masters in Social Work and completed the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education fellowship. She completed internships in both hospitals and long term care settings. She is excited to be using her degree in social work, as well as her experience in science and health, working with older adults as the Residential Health Services Director of Westminster Manor, a Continuing Care Retirement Community, in Austin, Texas. Rachel can be reached at: gill_rachel@hotmail.com.

Jennifer Greenfield is a first-year doctoral student at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, focusing on research related to productive aging. She received her MSW in May 2008 from Saint Louis University, where she participated in a HPPAE-funded practicum program. Jennifer also received several awards in social work, including the Influencing State Policy Outstanding MSW Student for 2007, and the Saint Louis University MSW Student of the Year in 2008. She received a B.A. in English from Albright College in 1992, and worked for many years as an editor and volunteer coordinator before embarking on her career in social work. In her spare time, Jennifer also volunteers with the Alzheimer's Association of St. Louis and she has been active as a volunteer Team Leader for the Obama Campaign this year. Jennifer can be reached at: jgreenfield@gwbmail.wustl.edu.

Jaclyn Grogan, a North Dakota native, came to the University of Montana in Missoula in 2002. Working her way through school, she gained experience with the elderly as a certified nurse aide in skilled nursing facilities and home care settings. In 2006, Jaclyn graduated with a BA in Psychology and minors in Communication Studies and Human & Family Development, with an emphasis in Gerontology. After a short break from school and a Big Sky, MT wedding, Jaclyn joined the MSW program in the fall of 2007. As an eager Hartford scholar and advocate for the elderly, she has focused her social work studies on the possibility for growth and insight in spite of, or perhaps because of, various types of losses that are associated with aging. When not engaged in school or hospice work, she enjoys exploring the great outdoors with her dog and husband and making jewelry. Jaclyn can be reached at: jh159749@grizmail.umt.edu.

Tammie Morley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker-R with the Schenectady ARC (Schenectady Advocacy, Resources and Choices). She graduated with her MSW from the University at Albany in 2002 and has been at the ARC since. Tammie has provided therapy to individuals with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses for over six years. She has developed a training on "Aging with a Developmental Disability" that focuses on providing skills and education for staff in order to provide the individuals they serve with the highest quality of care during their elder years. This training has been distributed throughout New York State for other agencies working with people with disabilities to utilize in training their staff. Tammie has also been a key player in the Aging Committee, taking a leadership role in terms of education and advocating for various elder-specific services. She currently lives in Schenectady, NY with her husband of 4 years, her 18 month old son, Tyler, and their American Staffordshire terrier, Andy. She is passionate about animals, especially ferrets and dolphins, enjoys spending time outdoors, working on jigsaw puzzles and spending time with her family. Tammie can be reached at: TammieM@ARCSchenectady.org.

Cynthia Mullins has enjoyed being part of the Hartford Foundation's unique practicum experience, working with aging populations at both a macro and direct service level. During her practicum placement she worked with the Administrative Offices of Social Security, UK's Council on Aging, Eldercare, and a continuum of care residential facility, Wesley Village located at Wilmore, Kentucky. She attended the caregiver's support group at the Village and wished she could have continued her participation in the group even after practicum. While attending the University of Kentucky, she had the opportunity to serve on the Summer Series on Aging Conference. Cynthia believes that all aging people should be treated with respect and be knowledgeable of the availability of services. To further this goal she developed a website providing links to local and national resources for the adult and aging GLBT community in the Lexington Area for a class project, and has been invited to attend the local GLBT board meetings. One of her goals is to help interested members work toward establishing a chapter of SAGE in the area. Before entering the aging field, Cynthia worked in Child Protective Services (CPS) for the state of Kentucky. She currently works at the University of KY as the Assistant to the Chair of Radiology and owns a small LLC website design business. Cynthia can be reached at: Cynthia.Mullins@uky.edu.

Jessica Myers is an advanced standing Master of Social Work student at California University of Pennsylvania, where she is specializing in Rural Advanced Generalist Studies. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree from California University of Pennsylvania, graduated Summa Cum Laude, and earned the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award in Social Work for fall 2007 and spring 2008. She also holds an Associates degree in Human Services: Generalist, from Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. She was the top graduate in her major for this degree as well, and was also nominated for the Distinguished Graduate Award. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Delta Omega, and the Graduate Social Work Student Association. In addition to her educational endeavors, Ms. Myers has four years of full-time employment experience working with aging clients. She has been successful in managing the demands of her full-time educational programs and full-time employment, while enjoying the responsibilities of being a single mother to her adorable four year old son, Darian. In her free time she enjoys volunteering in the community transporting children to church and community activities, as a member and mentor of a local ministry group for single mothers, and as a Christian Education teacher at her church, Building Christ's Kingdom (BCK) Ministry and Worship Center. She is currently completing her practicum placements in Greensburg, Pennsylvania at the Westmoreland County Area Agency on Aging, United Way's Faith in Action senior outreach program, and Integrated Health Services (IHS) - Mountain View Nursing Home and Skilled Nursing Facility. Upon her graduation in May 2009, Ms. Myers looks forward to assuming the role of a leader in the field of social work with aging clients, while promoting the ethical standards of the profession, enhancing the overall quality of life for seniors at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels, and continually contributing to the knowledge base of the social work profession. Jessica can be reached at: MYE6651@cup.edu.

Diana Nugiel is a woman dedicated to finding creative innovative programs to help our aging population enjoy the best third age possible. An MSW with a specialty in gerontology, Ms. Nugiel has lived most of her life in Israel where she was instrumental in developing programs enabling seniors to age in their communities. Some of these programs have been recreated in the U.S. as Natural Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC) and other programs currently run by Jewish Family Services around the country. Ms. Nugiel earned her degree from Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, where she was a Hartford gerontology fellow, graduating with highest honors. She was the 2007 recipient of the Society on Aging of New Jersey graduate scholarship and the 2008 Leadership award for Outstanding Student Graduate of a HPPAE program. Currently she is program director for Partners in Caring, a collaborative of six agencies serving seniors and people with disabilities in the Princeton New Jersey area. Diana can be reached at: iacfsw@gmail.com.

Amanda Ripke is originally from Houghton Lake, Michigan. She has a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Central Michigan University, an MA in Sociology from The Ohio State University, and graduated with her MSW from OSU in 2007. Amanda participated in the HPPAE during the second year of her MSW program. She collaborated with the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging (COAAA) and service providers in rural Ohio counties to explore the experiences of rural older adults. Amanda received the Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education award in 2007 for a paper she wrote about her experience as an HPPAE student, titled, "The Aging Experience in Rural Communities: Exploration of Reality and Myth." Upon graduation, she was hired by COAAA as a case manager in the PASSPORT Program; a Medicaid home and community-based waiver program providing in-home services to older adults as an alternative to nursing home placement. Amanda is also active on the Diversity Committee at COAAA as well as a volunteer speaker for the Alzheimer's Association of Central Ohio. In her non-working hours, Amanda enjoys traveling to Michigan to visit her family, spending time with her husband and four cats, and watching too much television. Amanda can be reached at: amanda.ripke@gmail.com.

Joanna Saisan, MSW, came into social work from a health education background. Before returning to graduate school at UCLA, she was a board member of the Northern California Society for Public Health Education, health education coordinator at the Glaucoma Research Foundation and research coordinator for a schizophrenia family education study. She did her GSWEC leadership social work internship at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. Upon graduation, she became a social worker in the VA homeless program, where older adults present special challenges in assessment and placement. She is currently a writer for Helpguide.org, a non-profit website for issues and options related to mental health and aging well. Joanna can be reached at: j.saisan@gmail.com.

Mary B. Sheridan will be graduating in May '09 with her Masters in Social Welfare at the University of Kansas. She is excited to be working with older adults, her true passion. Graduating with a B.S. in Biology/Chemistry 30 years ago and working in the medical field since then has prepared her well for her future in social work. Mrs. Sheridan has served as a caregiver for her parents and other elder relatives. She has been a teacher, a community volunteer, and published two books. She has served as President of her Junior League, President of the Health Partnership Clinic of Johnson County, her city's Planning Commissioner., and on numerous boards including the M.O.C.S.A. Advisory Board. Presently, she is at the University of Kansas Landon Center on Aging in Kansas City as her practicum. Mary has been married for 28 years and has three children, ages 18, 22, and 24. She is thrilled to be part of the inaugural committee on leadership in aging. Challenging times are ahead! Mary can be reached at: m1sheridan@aim.com.

Oli Soto, A.M. is currently the program manager of the Adult Wellness Center at Casa Central in Chicago, Illinois. The Adult Wellness Center is an adult day service provider serving predominantly Latino older adults in the Chicagoland area. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago Social Service Administration and an alumna of the HPPAE. Prior to returning to school she was a community organizer working with families on immigrant right issues. Her interests include leading groups for participants suffering from depression and addressing issues pertaining to older adults and immigration. Oli can be reached at helloli9@yahoo.com.