Board of Directors

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Anabel Pelham, Ph.D., CPG, President

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Anabel Pelham, Ph.D. is president of the National Association of Professional Gerontologists (NAPG) http://www.napgerontologists.org and emeriti professor and founding director of the Gerontology Program at San Francisco State University. She is also Founding Director of the Center for Age-Friendly Excellence (CAFE) http://www.cfafe.org a project of the Los Altos Community Foundation and a past member of the Foundation's Board of Directors. CAFE provides technical assistance to cities and communities to become World Health Organization (WHO) Age-Friendly.

Dr. Pelham is president of the Board of Directors of the Council on Aging, Central Oregon http://www.councilonaging.org, and a member of the board of directors of the Oregon Gerontological Association (OGA) http://www.oregongero.org

Dr. Pelham is past president of the California Council on Gerontology and Geriatrics (CCGG) and is an active member of GSA, CAG and IAGG. She is a former Chair of the Senior Commission for the City of Los Altos/Los Altos Hills, where she led the successful initiative to make Los Altos and Los Altos Hills the first WHO certified Age-Friendly (City and Town) in California.

Dr. Pelham has expertise in global issues in aging and gerontology, Age-Friendly Cities and community development, community-based health and human services, qualitative research methods, graduate gerontology curriculum development, geriatric care management, life-long learning, and credentialing and accreditation in the field of gerontology.

Dr. Pelham's current interests are: creating Age-Friendly Cities and communities, professionalizing the discipline of Gerontology and compassion as a core value in aging. She recently contributed a chapter: Creating Compassionate Communities: The Intersection of Resilience, Democracy and Age-Friendliness, in Sharing Compassion, Rainsford Press, Dublin, Ireland, 2018.

Dr. Pelham lives in Bend Oregon and joyfully applies Gerontology around the world.

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Gene A. Mazzella, MSG, CPG, Vice President

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Gene is a graduate of the SC Davis School of Gerontology where he earned both his BSG and MSG combined with a Minor in Psychology and Bioethics. Born and raised in the Boston area he went to Los Angeles for his education and returned to the East Coast where he has been working in the field of aging for over thirty years.

Gene’s focus has been in outreach and community building around elder and caregiver needs. He has extensive experience in grassroots movements and knitting together community-based organizations through grant proposals, funding and monthly professional presentations.

As a leadership board member and eventual Director of the Multicultural Coalition on Aging he began to walk a path of Social Justice through Access, Equity and Cultural Inclusion. He is now an active member of the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative Equity in Aging initiative and a board member of the Massachusetts Gerontology Association.

Gene served as a Care Partner for his mother for over twenty years and applied his firsthand knowledge of elder services navigation and advocacy to his company Senior Care Works as a private Geriatric Care Manager.

He has served on a number of regional and statewide boards and committees furthering the understanding and problems solving techniques around the challenges of aging to the senior service and policy building networks. He also sees a great need to tap into and support budding Gerontologists who are actively pursing their degrees and/or starting out in their careers.

Gene is now embarking on bringing his expertise to the Native American Communities in Massachusetts. Drawing on his First Nations lineage through is mother and combining Native American traditional values he plans to build a bridge between service needs of Native Elders & Care Partners/Families and Native organizations and mainstream services and policy/program makers.

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Judith A. Sugar, Ph.D., Secretary



Judith A. Sugar, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada, Reno. A life-span developmental psychologist by training, she has been developing gerontology programs, curricula, and courses for more than 30 years. Dr. Sugar is an active member of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and the American Psychological Association’s Adult Development and Aging Division, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE, now the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education) and the inaugural award for Distinguished Faculty Scholar from the Sanford Center for Aging. She has also been honored to serve on the Nevada Governor’s Commission on Aging and as a Facilitator at the 1995 White House Conference on Aging.

A long-standing desire to recruit more students into the discipline of gerontology led Dr. Sugar to write the only truly introductory gerontology textbook for undergraduates—Introduction to Aging: A Positive, Interdisciplinary Approach, now in its second edition. In addition, she is author or co-author of numerous journal articles, book chapters, and conference presentations focusing on various topics in gerontology, including education, gender issues, and retirement, among others.

Dr. Sugar has been moving south and west since she graduated from York University in Toronto, and currently lives in Reno, NV, where she finds the sunshine and shorter winters much more to her liking!

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Joan J. Branin, PhD, CPG, Treasurer

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Joan Branin, Ph.D. is the secretary of the National Association of Professional Gerontologists and founding Chair of the Graduate Programs in Gerontology, Chair of the Health Services Administration (MHA) program, and Founding Director of the Center for Health & Aging at the University of La Verne.

Dr. Branin is a respected scholar in the fields of aging issues and health services research with publications and presentations at international, national, and local conferences. Her research focuses on evidence-based outcomes research; cost-effectiveness and resources utilization of health and aging services; medication adherence among the elderly; working caregiver issues; quality of life of cancer patients and their caregivers; and labor force participation of women and minorities. A successful grant writer, Dr. Branin has been the principal investigator or program evaluator on grants/contracts from Unihealth, LA Care, ASA/Pfizer, The California Wellness Foundation, and The California Endowment. As a private consultant, she has consulted to community and municipal organizations in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Recently she was interviewed by CCN Sunrise, a local morning talk show, for a special program on Senior Issues.

Dr Branin is the recipient of the 2013 CCGG James E. Birren Senior Scholar Award for her contribution to gerontology and geriatric education and research. Dr. Branin has served in leadership and board positions with numerous nonprofits including Community Senior Services, REALConnection Advisory Board, and the UCLA Longevity Center. Dr. Branin received a PhD in Behavioral and Organizational Sciences from Claremont Graduate University, an MBA in Finance from UCLA, and a MA in Educational Psychology from CSU, Long Beach.

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Donna Schafer, Ph.D., CPG, Executive Director

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Donna Schafer has served as Executive Director of the National Association for Professional Gerontologists since 2006. During that time she has written and spoken frequently about the need to professionalize Gerontology, including accreditation of Gerontology degree programs, credentialing (and eventual licensure) of Gerontology program graduates, and hiring of educated Gerontology professionals. Currently she is a member of the Board of Governors of the Accreditation for Gerontology Education Council (AGEC).

Dr. Schafer’s most recent research focuses on the measurement of competencies in gerontology. She has presented on this topic at national meetings of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (Nashville, 2015; Denver, 2014) and the Gerontological Society of America (New Orleans, 2013).

Dr. Schafer’s recent publications include (with co-authors Drs. Anabel Pelham, Pauline Abbott, and Carroll Estes) “Professionalizing Gerontology: Why AGHE Must Accredit Gerontology Programs,” Gerontology and Geriatrics Education, 2012; and, with Dr. Pelham, “Accreditation: The Missing Manual,” AGHExchange, 2010. Dr. Schafer has presented on the topics of accreditation, professionalizing the workforce in Gerontology, and the future of academic Gerontology programs at the annual meetings of the Gerontological Society of America (Orlando, 2015), American Society on Aging (San Francisco, 2011), the Gerontological Society of America (New Orleans, 2010), the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (Reno, 2010; San Antonio, 2009), and the International Association for Gerontology and Geriatrics Congress (Paris, 2009).

Prior to her association with NAPG, Dr. Schafer retired after six years as Dean of Research, Graduate Studies, and International Programs at Humboldt State University (California) where she also was Professor of Sociology and Executive Director of the Humboldt State University Sponsored Programs Foundation. Dr. Schafer served as a member of the Gerontology faculty at San Francisco State University for 12 years and was Associate Dean of the Graduate Division for six of those years. She is Past President of the California Council on Gerontology and Geriatrics, the California State University Graduate Deans Council, and the Western Association of Graduate Schools.

Before moving to California, Dr. Schafer was a Research Associate in the Gerontology Center at the University of Kansas, where she earned her Ph.D. She has served on the boards of community and social service organizations in San Francisco and Kansas City. She is author or co-author of three books (The Urban Elderly: A Study of Life Satisfaction; The Dynamics of Aging; and Reminiscence and Nursing Home Life) and numerous articles and conference presentations focusing on various topics in social Gerontology, Gerontological education, and graduate education.

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Pauline Abbott, Ed.D., CPG, Founding Board Member

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Dr Pauline Abbott is Director Emerita of the CSU Fullerton Institute of Gerontology /Ruby Gerontology Center where she has been involved in teaching, research, and administration related to work with, for and on behalf of older adults. She serves on numerous boards, has held leadership roles on national and state professional associations and is published. For over 25 years she has been involved in personal hands-on care giving and has spoken as a strong advocate for caregivers in Sacramento and in Washington DC. Her work has involved the development of Gerontology Programs including undergraduate, certificate, and graduate levels including Ph.D. and dual degree options.

Her expertise includes older adult learning and the establishment of an Osher Life Long Learning Program. She worked closely with a team led by Dr. J. Birren, founding dean of the USC School of Gerontology, on the award winning James E. Birren Guided Autobiography program. An innovative program on Assistive Technology brought together Gerontology, Engineering &Business and was made a university priority under her direction. Dr. Abbott was representative to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging nominated by Congressman Ed Royce. She has been actively involved in legislative advocacy on behalf of the field of Gerontology Education particularly related to the Older Americans Act reauthorizations. The recipient of several awards Dr. Abbott has been recognized as an outstanding senior scholar, is a Fellow of the Association of Gerontology in Higher Education, and recognized by the California State Legislature for her contributions in Gerontology. She continues to lecture, consult, mentor students & alumni, and provide community based services for homebound seniors.

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Anthony Kupferschmidt, M.A., CPG, C.D.P.



Anthony Kupferschmidt is the Program Lead, Seniors with the City of Richmond in British Columbia (BC), Canada. He also serves on the Board of Directors of HelpAge Canada, the BC Psychogeriatric Association and the Association of Neighbourhood Houses of BC.

Anthony also serves on a variety of committees focused on aging, including the United Way of BC Community-Based Seniors Services Leadership Council, the Translink Access Transit Users' Advisory Committee, and the Community Advisory Committee of the Diploma in Gerontology Program at Langara College. He has served two terms on the City of Vancouver Seniors' Advisory Committee, and he is a founding member of the Alliance of Seniors' Centres of BC.

Anthony has previously served on the Leadership Council and as Co-Chair of the Community Action Initiative, and as the Psychology Division Chair on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association on Gerontology.

Anthony is a Certified Professional Gerontologist, and he has a MA in Gerontology from Simon Fraser University and seven peer-reviewed publications. He is the co-lead on a grant from Michael Smith Health Research BC focused on the role of seniors' centres in promoting the health and wellbeing of older adults.

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Dr. Birgit Pianosi



Dr. Birgit Pianosi is a sessional faculty member in the Gerontology Program at Laurentian University in Sudbury (Ontario, Canada), an Adjunct Member with the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Laurentian University as well as with Graduate Studies at York University in Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Previously, Birgit was a tenured Associate Professor in the Gerontology Department at Huntington University (2001 – 2021). She holds a Ph.D. in Psycho-Gerontology from Germany and has completed two M.A. programs (in Human Development and in Psycho-Gerontology). Dr. Pianosi is a Credentialed Professional Gerontologist (C.P.G.) with the National Association for Professional Gerontologists. Birgit is the owner of the consulting firm “Lively-Aging”, advocating for older adults and developing educational resources for healthcare providers. In this role, she is currently developing educational resources for the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in Toronto (Ontario, Canada), The Learning Inter-Professionally Healthcare Accelerator (LIPHA; formerly ALPHA) Program. She is the recipient of the Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP) Proof of Concept Grant (2021 – 2024) with Behavioural Supports Ontario for the research project entitled “Sexual and intimate expressions of people living with dementia: Expansion of an e-learning prototype to a comprehensive online program”.

Dr. Pianosi is an executive board member of the Laurentian Research Institute for Aging (LRIA), member of Behavioural Supports Ontario’s (BSO’s) Knowledge Translation & Communications Advisory Board, principal co-chair of the Sexual Expression in Later Life Working Group with Behavioural Supports Ontario, member of the Ethics Committee at St. Joseph’s Villa (Sudbury), a member of the City of Greater Sudbury Seniors’ Advisory Board and lead of the Age-Friendly Community Task Force at City of Greater Sudbury. Ms. Pianosi has been the Chair of the Board of the Sudbury German Language School since 2004.

Birgit was born and raised in East Germany. She immigrated to Canada in 1996. Birgit values her family, is married and has two adult boys. She enjoys taking care of her horse Fanny. She loves traveling and spends much of her spare time with her family in Germany and Italy.

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Dr. Phillip M. Randall



Dr. Phillip M. Randall is an internationally recognized resource on life and whole person planning education. As an author, speaker, workshop leader, and executive coach, Dr. Randall has been a frequent contributor to news and print media on said topics throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. He is currently the Managing Partner, The Thorndyke Group, a human capital consultancy specializing in individual and organizational effectiveness.

He is the former Chairman of the Commission on Aging, City of Akron, Ohio; and for over 30 years, served as a human capital executive in Fortune 500 corporations such as The Rockefeller Group, The Hay Group, Northeast Utilities, Nortel Networks, Unisys Corp, and Alcatel Lucent SA.

He has published over 30 articles, produced films, and developed life planning education programs delivered to over 50,000 employees within corporations and universities around the world helping them prepare for both the financial and non-financial aspects of life planning. He is a founding member and Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of Life-Span Development and Gerontology, The University of Akron, Akron, OH; Adjunct faculty, School of Business and Technology, and member, Institutional Review Board, Capella University, Minneapolis, MN; and former faculty member, Graduate School of Management & Urban Professions, New School for Social Research, New York, NY and the School of Advanced Studies, University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ.

He brings international presence, experience, and contribution. Dr. Randall, while employed by the Unisys Corp, was responsible for the delivery of English and Computer Literacy programming in some 75 shanty towns in South Africa. As an executive at WorldSpace, Inc., he participated in the delivery of a satellite- based, English language primer to hundreds of school age children in rural Kenya.

He received his BA degree from the Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH; MA degree from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; and an earned doctorate from The University of Akron, Akron, OH. He earned a Specialist in Aging certification from the Institute of Gerontology, University of Michigan and Wayne State University, where he studied under Professor Woodrow Hunter, a pioneer and leader of social gerontology and pre-retirement education; and Professor Howard Y. McClusky, a pioneer in the field of educational gerontology and lifelong learning.

While Dr. Randall’s work and speaking engagements have taken him around the world, he is proud to call Atlanta, GA home.

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Laura Trejo, MSG, MPA



Ms. Trejo was the first Latina appointed to level of General Manager for the City of Los Angeles. She is responsible for the overall administration of the Los Angeles Department of Aging serving one of the largest and most diverse concentrations of older persons in the U.S. She serves as technical and policy advisor to the Mayor and City Council; and represents the City of Los Angeles before the public, community and private groups on matters affecting senior citizen affairs. In her previous post, Ms. Trejo served as the first District Chief for countywide older adult mental health for Los Angeles County.

She is currently the lead for Purposeful Aging L.A. an age-friendly initiative “to make the Los Angeles region the most age friendly in the world.” Among her other activities, Ms. Trejo serves as a founding Co-Director/Investigator of the UCLA Los Angeles Community Academic Partnership for Research in Aging (LA CAPRA), Interim Director of the Los Angeles Foundation on Aging, and Executive Producer of Aging Well in L.A. an Emmy nominated magazine style public television program. Nationally, Ms. Trejo is active on the American Society on Aging where she served as founding chair of the Mental Health and Aging Network and currently serves on the Aging Today Editorial Advisory Committee; the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging’s Mission Forward Committee; and has served on the boards of the Alzheimer’s Association and National Council on Aging. Ms. Trejo was a founding member of the federal Alzheimer's Advisory Council. She also currently serves on the boards of the Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board, as is vice-president of the California Association of Area Agencies on Aging

Ms. Trejo is a gerontologist with Master level degrees in Gerontology and Public Administration, a Graduate Certificate in Long Term-Care Administration, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Social Work all from the University of Southern California. She consults and trains extensively throughout the United States on the development of programs for the elderly with an emphasis on cultural competence. She works with individual countries and international organizations to develop initiatives and programs in the areas of aging, mental health, health, Alzheimer’s and rehabilitation. Her work has been published in professional journals, book chapters, and major reports.

Ms. Trejo’s commitment to excellence have earned national recognition, most noteworthy is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Community Health Leadership award, considered the nation’s highest honor in community health and the 2020 Excellence in Leadership award from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. Los Angeles Magazine named her among the “50 Most Influential Women” and the United States Library of Congress has recognized Ms. Trejo’s accomplishments as a force for social change.

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Mary Winners



Mary Winners has over 20 years of experience in healthcare navigating senior services.  She has a strong attraction to supporting individuals with dementia. Her special insights and desire to understand their reality provides encouraging results for family and staff caring for those with memory loss. As a gerontologist and geriatric care manager she feels it is important to avoid a crisis through planning. Her company, About Senior Solutions, provides help that makes a difference for families who worry about what to do next for their loved one.   They start by creating a care plan that takes the pressure off the families and provides direction that works.  Mary Winners is a recognized speaker on successful aging. A full library of senior resources can be found on the About Senior Solutions website.

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Barbara Gillogly, Ph.D., CPG, LMFT, Founding Board Member, Emerita

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Barbara Gillogly has a Ph.D. in Human Development with an emphasis in aging from the University of California, Davis. She developed the gerontology program and served as the chair of the Gerontology Department at American River College for 20 years and taught in the fields of aging, human development, and psychology for over 30 years.

The American River College Gerontology degree is the only community college program to be designated as a Program of Merit from the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE), and the first community college gerontology program to be accredited.  She became Professor Emerita in 2015. She has been a board member of California Council on Gerontology and Geriatrics (CCGG) and the chair of the community college committee of AGHE. In addition, she is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice working with older adults and their families on issues concerning aging, dementia, and caregiving.