Speakers at the 2023 LeadingAge Leadership Summit
Our speaker line-up is designed to share valuable expertise within our field and offer new perspectives on issues that affect us all.
Erin McDermott
- 14-C. Methods for Expanding Your Workforce Pipeline
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
1:45 – 3:15 p.m.
Methods for Expanding Your Workforce Pipeline
Recent estimates suggest that the field of aging services will need an additional 1.2 million caregivers within the next 10 years to provide the services and supports that a growing older population will need. Given demographic shifts and the impact of COVID-19 on team members, providers of aging services have no choice but to explore every avenue possible to bolster their workforces. This session will explore a variety of methods for building the workforce pipeline, such as recruiting students and refugees, establishing and nurturing community partnerships, and implementing innovative staffing models. Presenters will review recruitment messaging for each audience, identify key influencers who can deliver those messages, and offer tips on the best way to talk to potential employers, as demonstrated by research conducted through LeadingAge’s Opening Doors to the Aging Services Workforce initiative.
Mary McMullin
- 16-D. What a Strategy Officer Can Do for You
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
3:45 – 5:15 p.m.
What a Strategy Officer Can Do for You
In today’s competitive aging services landscape, ambitious organizations are investing in strategy officers to help them look for growth and expansion opportunities, find new ways to fulfill their missions through partnerships, and seek out new revenue streams. Hear how several strategy officers in LeadingAge member organizations are working with their CEOs, leadership teams, and boards of directors to lead change. Gain a deeper understanding of the key responsibilities of strategy officers and why their added skills and perspectives play such a pivotal role in driving business and mission success. Learn how strategy officers are observing and responding to market changes, analyzing competitor performance, developing and refining their organization’s business strategy, influencing strategic decision making, and identifying and managing new strategic opportunities.
Mia Mullen
- 3-A. Untangling Ageism and Ableism to Promote Inclusion
Monday, April 17, 2023
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Untangling Ageism and Ableism to Promote Inclusion
Examples of the stigma associated with aging and disability abound in the field of aging services. Older adults may suggest that their peers shouldn’t bring walkers into a community’s dining room; people of all ages may underestimate the abilities of older adults and people living with dementia. Negative attitudes toward aging (ageism) and negative attitudes toward different physical and cognitive abilities (ableism) are closely connected and can affect our beliefs about growing older or living with a disability. Join this engaging exploration of ageism and ableism and discover ways to identify, understand, and then disrupt these common forms of discrimination. Consider how ageism and ableism affect our ability to promote meaningful inclusion and belonging in senior living communities.
Dee Pekruhn
- 21-E. Diverse Approaches to Expansion and Growth
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Diverse Approaches to Expansion and Growth
As 2023 begins, nonprofit providers of aging services find themselves in a dynamic era of expansion and growth. Some single-site communities are planning second campuses, while others are adding to existing campuses. Some residentially focused organizations are expanding into home and community-based services (HCBS), while those already in the HCBS marketplace are growing their service lines to reach new consumers. During this session, a diverse panel of providers will discuss these and other opportunities for expansion and growth. Panelists will also explain their reasons for pursuing expansion and growth opportunities, including their desire to serve more older adults, keep their organizations strong and financially solvent, and benefit from the added security that comes with a larger client base, a diversified menu of service offerings, and the resulting economies of scale.
Christine Podles
- 14-C. Methods for Expanding Your Workforce Pipeline
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
1:45 – 3:15 p.m.
Methods for Expanding Your Workforce Pipeline
Recent estimates suggest that the field of aging services will need an additional 1.2 million caregivers within the next 10 years to provide the services and supports that a growing older population will need. Given demographic shifts and the impact of COVID-19 on team members, providers of aging services have no choice but to explore every avenue possible to bolster their workforces. This session will explore a variety of methods for building the workforce pipeline, such as recruiting students and refugees, establishing and nurturing community partnerships, and implementing innovative staffing models. Presenters will review recruitment messaging for each audience, identify key influencers who can deliver those messages, and offer tips on the best way to talk to potential employers, as demonstrated by research conducted through LeadingAge’s Opening Doors to the Aging Services Workforce initiative.
Kathy E. Pointer
- 17-D. Mission Expansion through Outreach to Communities of Color
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
3:45 – 5:15 p.m.
Mission Expansion through Outreach to Communities of Color
Providers of aging services looking to expand their missions and grow their bottom lines must begin working to identify new consumers from diverse backgrounds who will want to take advantage of their programs and services. Attendees at this session will hear from three providers who launched innovative outreach programs designed to do just that. Get details on a three-year pilot designed to better understand the desires and values of a variety of older adult populations, an Ambassador Program that works with local communities of worship to provide food, social engagement, and transportation options to underserved older adults; and an intergenerational congregate meal service that provides food, transportation, and other services to people of the Islamic faith. Representatives of all three organizations will discuss why they are doing this work, the barriers they have encountered, and their strategies for overcoming those barriers.
Adrienne Powell Ruffin
- 8-B. Supporting Leadership Diversity in Aging Services
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Supporting Leadership Diversity in Aging Services
Inequities within the long-term services and supports (LTSS) workforceu2014and a lack of diversity among mid-level managers and senior leaders of LTSS organizationsu2014have existed for many years. This session will highlight LeadingAge efforts to change this reality. Through the HBCUs-LTSS Careers Initiative, LeadingAge is collaborating with UNCF, the nation’s largest minority education organization, to engage historically Black colleges and universities, other minority-serving institutions, and providers of aging services in partnerships to improve racial and ethnic diversity in mid- and upper-level positions at LTSS organizations. Another initiative, called the Leaders of Color Network, facilitates career advancement for emerging, mid- and senior-level leaders of color in aging services. Presenters will share details about these two initiatives and describe activities, planned for 2023, that are designed to support leadership diversity in our field.
Andrea Price-Carter
- 30-F. Policy Update: Workforce
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Policy Update: Workforce
LeadingAge member organizations are posting job openings that attract no applicants and turning away potential residents and clients because there are not enough employees to provide the care those older adults need. Turnover is increasing across aging services organizations and leadership positions are vacant. What’s the solution to these growing workforce challenges? During this session, members of the LeadingAge Policy Team will consider how federal action to expand the pipeline of workers and increase immigration could help address workforce challenges in the field of aging services. Policy Team members will review LeadingAge’s workforce policy priorities for the 118th Congress and their hopes for action from Congressional committees with influence over workforce policy. Explore the role that immigration reform could play in stabilizing the aging services workforce. Learn how to make sure policymakers understand your workforce concerns.
Daniel Pryfogle
- 22-E. Embracing Meaning and Purpose in Senior Living
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Embracing Meaning and Purpose in Senior Living
The quest for meaning and purpose doesn’t end when your employees come to work or when older adults move to your senior living community. That’s why it’s critical to make this quest a fundamental component of your organization. This session will help you explore a range of approaches you can use to weave meaning and purpose into the fabric of your organization, including intergenerational engagement, lifelong learning, and a citizenship model that invites every community member to contribute in their unique way. You’ll discover how a focus on meaning and purpose can help address social isolation and disrupt ageism. Presenters will help you identify how your organization already embraces meaning and purpose, and how you can find new opportunities to add meaning and purpose to the lives of residents, clients, and team members.
Laura Reiff
- 30-F. Policy Update: Workforce
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Policy Update: Workforce
LeadingAge member organizations are posting job openings that attract no applicants and turning away potential residents and clients because there are not enough employees to provide the care those older adults need. Turnover is increasing across aging services organizations and leadership positions are vacant. What’s the solution to these growing workforce challenges? During this session, members of the LeadingAge Policy Team will consider how federal action to expand the pipeline of workers and increase immigration could help address workforce challenges in the field of aging services. Policy Team members will review LeadingAge’s workforce policy priorities for the 118th Congress and their hopes for action from Congressional committees with influence over workforce policy. Explore the role that immigration reform could play in stabilizing the aging services workforce. Learn how to make sure policymakers understand your workforce concerns.
Estephanie Rubio
- 2-A. Finding Your Path to an Equitable and Inclusive Culture
Monday, April 17, 2023
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Finding Your Path to an Equitable and Inclusive Culture
Creating a more inclusive culture within your organization must start with listening to the opinions and needs of residents, clients, and team members. Goodwin Living, a senior living organization near the nation’s capital, set out to improve both its workplace and resident cultures by creating an internal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee led by staff and residents. Working together, this group brought about seemingly small changes that had a huge impact on the organization’s culture. Listen as staff, residents, senior leadership, and a board member describe how they started their organization’s DEI journey and how DEI initiatives were supported by the organization’s leadership and board. Learn about the organization’s successes, challenges, and setbacks. There’s no u201cone size fits allu201d guidebook for tackling DEI issues, but this session will provide valuable insights from one community that developed its own path.
Dennis Russell
- 23-E. How Vulnerability Helps You Become an Authentic Leader
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
How Vulnerability Helps You Become an Authentic Leader
Being an authentic leader means allowing yourself to be vulnerable, even when you’re uncomfortable. Authentic leaders recognize their unique leadership attributes, but they also let go of the assumption that they must have all the answers. Instead, they exercise genuine curiosity in their approach to leadership, and aren’t afraid to call on others to fill gaps they cannot fill. How can you lead as your most authentic self in a way that is sustainable and brings you joy? In this session, a diverse panel of providers will help you answer that question by describing their own paths to authenticity and the important role vulnerability played in shaping their leadership style. Learn how your authenticity can benefit your aging services organization and how vulnerability can teach you the most important lessons of your career.