December 9th Speakers

Featured Speakers

Transitioning from a career in journalism, civic participation and sustainability, to addressing the need for a cultural shift around longevity, Ximena Abogabir is a lifelong social entrepreneur in constant reinvention. Journalist by training, she co-founded the advertising agency PORTA (1982), prominent to this day. In 1983, Abogabir founded Fundación Casa de la Paz, specialized in dialogue processes and construction of agreements around sustainable development, which she led for 35 years and of which she continues to be a member of the Board of Directors. She was elected Ashoka Fellow in 1995, while leading the establishment of environmental education in Chile. At 70 years old, Abogabir has co-founded Travesía 100, a B-Corp certified organization committed to triple bottom line aiming to change society’s view of aging by promoting a cultural exchange that allows people to continue to unfold their potential until the end of their days. Through her work, Abogabir is now focused on generating, supporting and influencing the recognition and empowerment of people over 60 who decide to reinvent themselves and pursue renewed projects with passion and purpose.

Ramsey Alwin joined NCOA as President & CEO in August 2020.

In her career, Alwin designed a new measure of economic security for older adults that better accounts for out-of-pocket health costs and busts myths surrounding senior poverty. She worked to introduce the Measuring American Poverty Act in Congress to redefine the federal poverty measure to better account for older adults’ costs of living.

Thanks to Alwin’s efforts, the U.S. Census Bureau formally implemented the Supplemental Poverty Measure nationwide, virtually doubling the elder poverty count and better demonstrating true needs among this population. Alwin also has led and organized efforts to enact state and local legislation and regulations using the new measure of economic security for income/asset eligibility for means tested programs.

Prior to returning to NCOA, Ramsey was the Director, Thought Leadership – Financial Resilience at AARP, where she worked to position AARP as the global leader in challenging outdated beliefs and sparking new solutions related to financial resilience and longevity, so people can choose how they age.

Prior to her role at AARP, Alwin served as Vice President of Economic Security at NCOA, Director of National Economic Security Programs at Wider Opportunities for Women, and Director of Program Services at the National Association of State and Community Services Programs.

Basting is an artist, scholar, and educator committed to the power of the arts and culture to transform our lives as individuals and communities. She is Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, where she is Director of the Center for 21st Century Studies. She is Founder of and a Creative Strategist for the award-winning non-profit TimeSlips.

Basting's innovative work as both a community-engaged artist and scholar has been recognized by a MacArthur Fellowship, an Ashoka Fellowship, a Rockefeller Fellowship, and multiple major grants. She is author/editor of multiple books, including her latest, Creative Care (HarperOne); as well as The Penelope Project (U of Iowa), and Forget Memory (Johns Hopkins). TimeSlips fosters an alliance of artists and caregivers bringing meaning and joy to late life through creative engagement, and has over 970 certified facilitators in 49 states and 20 countries. Basting is currently working on a project inviting wonderment to everyday moments on her Instagram page (adbasting).

Melissa Boteach, Vice President for Income Security and Child Care/Early Learning, oversees NWLC’s advocacy, policy, and public education strategies to ensure that all women and families have the income and supports they need to thrive. Prior to joining NWLC, Melissa spent nearly a decade at Center for American Progress (CAP), where she founded and led the Poverty to Prosperity Program, growing it from a team of 1 to 17, establishing projects to center the voices of low-income families; leading the team’s message and narrative change work, overseeing intersectional advocacy campaigns, and developing bold ideas to cut poverty & expand opportunity that resulted in new legislation, executive actions, and other progress. Melissa also served as policy editor on The Shriver Report, a book and multimedia platform by Maria Shriver and Center for American Progress on the 1 in 3 U.S. women on the financial brink, and solutions to help them push back. Previously, she worked at The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), where she led interfaith antipoverty campaigns. She has testified before Congress and frequently serves as a media spokesperson on issues relating to economic opportunity. A Harry Truman and George J. Mitchell Scholar, Melissa has a Master’s of Public Policy from The George Washington University, a master’s of Equality Studies from University College Dublin where she studied women in social movements, and bachelor’s degrees from University of Maryland in government and Spanish.

Ranjita Chakravarty is with Stanford University’s Internal Audit department, since April 1998. In her current role as Director, she plans, conducts and manages system audits, and provides consulting services to various Stanford University departments. Before joining Stanford, Ranjita was a Manager at Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P., where she conducted, and managed audits of a variety of firms in the retail, high-tech, manufacturing and banking industries. Prior to that she was with the Audit departments of two major Massachusetts banks-Bank of Boston and State Street Bank.

Ranjita received her MBA from Arizona State University, MA International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and B.A. Political Science from Delhi University in India. Ranjita is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).

In her spare time Ranjita is active in the Bay area theater and film community, both acting and directing. Most recently she was thrilled to play the role of Nirmala/Granny in the Netflix show Never Have I Ever (Season 2). Her two grown children – Arjun and Alisha – are her biggest cheerleaders. She is grateful to Stanford University, where she works during the day so she can continue to be an aging thespian at night.

William Damon is a professor at Stanford University, Director of the Stanford Center on Adolescence, and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is one of the world’s leading scholars of human development and author of The Path to Purpose. His most recent book, A Round of Golf with my Father, is an exploration of using life reviews to resolve past regrets, renew personal identity, and forge a purposeful life moving forward.

Martha Deevy joined the Stanford Center on Longevity in January, 2009 and serves as Associate Director and Senior Research Scholar. While at the Center, she has led the financial security research program which has focused efforts on retirement readiness, working longer and the detection and prevention of fraud. Prior to joining Stanford, Martha had a long career with Silicon Valley firms. She has held positions in business development, strategic planning, finance, product development and IT and held senior executive positions at Apple, Charles Schwab and Intuit. She has served on the boards of directors of a number of publicly traded and non-profit organizations and is currently the vice-chair for the SPOON Foundation, which serves nutritionally underserved children. She received an M.B.A. in Finance and Management Information Systems from University of Minnesota and a B.A. in Economics from University of Illinois.

Marc Freedman is President and CEO of Encore.org. He is the author of five books, including most recently, How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the enerations—#1 on the Wall Street Journal’s list of best books on aging well for 2018. Freedman was named a Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the Schwab Foundation and the World Economic Forum. He co- founded Experience Corps to mobilize people over 50 to improve the prospects of low-income elementary school students, and the Purpose Prize, an annual award for social innovators in the second half of life. A former visiting fellow at Stanford University, King’s College, London, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, he holds an MBA from Yale University. He lives with his wife and three children in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Twitter: @marc_freedman

Carol Hymowitz is a writer, editor and recognized expert on longevity and the retirement savings crisis, management trends and diversity in the workplace. She is co-author of A History of Women in America (Bantam Books) and a contributor to Getting Older; How We're Coping with the Gray Areas of Aging (Wiley e book). She is a contributing consultant at Stanford Center on Longevity and formerly was a senior editor and columnist at The Wall Street Journal and an Editor at Large at Bloomberg.

Lawrence Kosick was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada where as a child, Lawrence’s father founded a non-profit assisted living facility for older adults. Lawrence grew up spending nights and weekends visiting the facility and was amazed by the wisdom of the residents who had so much more to give. Before co-founding GetSetup, Lawrence oversaw Business Development and Partnerships for IFTTT, an IoT Connectivity Platform. He also led Sight Machine’s Asian Pacific business operations and was the VP of Global Partnerships at Yahoo in the company’s formative years. Lawrence is an avid cyclist and trail runner, so it is no surprise that the two co-founders met in the Himalayas and continue to trade ideas that enhance the lives of those around them based on ideas hashed out while running the trails.

Craig Lemoine is the Director of the Financial Planning Program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He serves as an Associate Clinical Professor, teaching courses in risk management, retirement and financial planning. Craig earned his PhD from Texas Tech University in 2013 and currently holds the Certified Financial Planner ™ and Master Registered Financial Consultant™ designations. 

Craig currently serves as the Executive Director of the Academy for Home Equity in Financial Planning, vice-chairman of the Master Registered Financial Consultant Board and is working with his team to develop specialized content in the area of agriculture-focused financial planning. Previously, Craig served on and chaired the CFP® Council of Examination (2009-2014) and was the Executive Director of the Northwestern Mutual Granum Center for Financial at The American College of Financial Services in Bryn Mawr, PA. 

Before joining the University of Illinois in 2017, Craig championed CFP® education at The American College and helped develop financial planning, retirement and risk management curriculum across certificate, undergraduate and graduate programs. While at The American College (2008 – 2017), Craig had the opportunity to help create and teach in the RICP®, ChFC®, CLU® and WMCP® designations. His research in annuitization and the value of financial designations has been published in The Journal of Financial Planning and Journal of Financial Service Professionals. 

Craig was a founding partner of Lone Star Financial Education (2012 – 2019), a CFP® Review Company which is now part of Dalton Education. Craig continues to speak and consult within the financial services industry in areas of risk management, planning in the LGBT+ community, fiduciary standards of care and technological disruption. 

Craig currently lives in Champaign, Illinois and his primary focus is building a world-class financial planning program. He enjoys spending time with his family, reading science fiction, running and gardening. 

Wade D. Pfau, Ph.D., CFA, RICP®, is the program director of the Retirement Income Certified Professional® designation and a Professor of Retirement Income at The American College of Financial Services in King of Prussia, PA, as well as a co-director of the college’s Center for Retirement Income. As well, he is a Principal and Director for McLean Asset Management. He holds a doctorate in economics from Princeton University and has published more than sixty peer-reviewed research articles in a wide variety of academic and practitioner journals. He hosts the Retirement Researcher website, and is a contributor to Forbes, Advisor Perspectives, Journal of Financial Planning, and an Expert Panelist for the Wall Street Journal. Wade’s newest book is Retirement Planning Guidebook: Navigating the Important Decisions for Retirement Success. He is also the author of the books Safety-First Retirement Planning: An Integrated Approach for a Worry-Free Retirement, How Much Can I Spend in Retirement? A Guide to Investment-Based Retirement Income Strategies, and Reverse Mortgages: How to Use Reverse Mortgages to Secure Your Retirement.

Quitting a career to raise kids, Mary Rawles worked part-time for years, became a teacher at age 50 and taught 3rd grade for 15 years. Motivated by her own midlife fitness transformation, when she retired, she became a personal trainer. Working at a local health club, she convinced the owner to partner with the Mill Valley Village, an organization for people 50+ and offered weekly strength training classes. Also, she taught small group training classes geared to all ages and fitness levels at an Alloy Fitness Franchise. Mary’s first entrepreneurial venture was creating a website with a blog and eventually she started outdoor workouts for some Marin County employees. When COVID hit, she was encouraged by Revel, an organization for women 40+, to offer a Zoom strength classes and have continued them on my own. Through their platform she’s conducted interviews of older athletes, led events and fitness challenges. Her interview with 75-year old Joan MacDonald, of Instagram fame, in the first few minutes, says it all for how both Joan and Mary think the discipline of getting strong can change one’s whole life.

Revel has provided me with an opportunity to connect with other entrepreneurial women as we all worked to reinvent ourselves. Jenn K Ward, personal branding expert, and Mary did a trade for her new website, Fit for Rest of Your Life. She also got support from other women, transitional coach, Renata Jabuka, Sticky Think Advisory, and ageism activist Stephanie O’Dell, Celebrate the Gray.

Mary’s worldview expanded to what she sees as a revolution in aging, in how we work, how we are perceived, and how fit and active we can be late in life. She began connecting to organizations in the field. In February 2019, Mary spent a life-changing week in Mexico with M|E|A – the Modern Elder Academy, created by Chip Conley, a leader and innovator in navigating midlife’s transitions.

As Mary gets stronger in so many ways, in her body, her confidence, in the audacity to put herself out there in the world, she’s become excited about the possibilities ahead for herself and others as we age. Mary wants to be an evangelist for not only strength training but for living life fully, a disruptor of aging.

Anna M. Rappaport, F.S.A., M.A.A.A. founded Anna Rappaport Consulting in 2005 after retiring from Mercer. Anna is an actuary, consultant, author, and speaker, and is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on the impact of change on retirement systems and workforce issues. She is passionate about several important issues and is focused on making a difference. Some of her major concerns in the last few years include: 

· Women’s retirement security with a particular concern about older women who are alone 

· Caregiving and support needed for older individuals, and the role of family in retirement. 

· The impact of disability on retirement security 

· Phased retirement, the need for later retirement ages and for better work options for older workers. She is personally a phased retiree at this time 

· The need to adapt to a more heavily defined contribution world. 

During 2020, she focused on a series of reports on COVID-19 for the Society of Actuaries. 

Anna has won several prizes and awards. Most recently, she was awarded the Society of Actuaries Lifetime Volunteer Award. In 2018, she was awarded the Lilywhite Award from the Employee Benefit Research Institute(EBRI) and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA) in 2017. She was selected for a Society of Actuaries President’s Award in 2014. Among her writings is a regular column titled “Perspectives from Anna” published in the Society of Actuaries Retirement Section News. She is also a contributor to The Conference Board’s Human Resources Exchange, Forbes, the Pension Research Council’s blog and a frequent author for Benefits Quarterly and Benefits Magazine. 

Anna is a phased retiree. She retired from Mercer after 28 years with the firm at the end of 2004. She formed Anna Rappaport Consulting at that time. She is also an Urban Sketcher and painter. 

Anna is a past- President of the Society of Actuaries and chairs its Committee on Post-Retirement Needs and Risks. Anna serves on the Board of the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER), and the Advisory Board of the Pension Research Council. Anna formed Anna Rappaport Consulting in 2005 after retiring from Mercer at the end of 2004 after 28 years with the firm. Anna served on the ERISA Advisory Council from 2010 to 2012. She previously served on the NASI Board and as Membership Committee chair. Anna is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Anna has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Anna completed 50 years as a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in 2013. 

Sergio Serapião is a social entrepreneur building a movement to change the paradigm of old age in Brazil and across Latin America. He is the founder and CEO of Labora, a B-Corp focused on scaling inclusion of seniors, which was recognized in 2021 as “Best Social Innovation in Agingnomics – Globally” by Fundación Mapfre and Aging 2.0 Chapter in Brazil. He was elected Ashoka Fellow (2018), and he is a founder and board member of the Lab60+ movement and Sistema B Brasil (B-Corps movement).

Serapião began his career at Shell and Accenture, acquiring over 20 years of experience in change management, network modeling and positive social impact and longevity businesses. He is graduated in Business Administration (FGV-SP), holds a MBA degree (IBMEC-RJ), a post graduate diploma in Transdisciplinarity (UNIFESP) and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership (TGI-USA).

Sita Nataraj Slavov is a professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a non-resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. She has previously served as a senior economist specializing in public finance issues at the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers and a member of the 2019 Social Security Technical Panel on Assumptions and Methods. Her research focuses on public finance and the economics of aging, including issues relating to older people’s work decisions, Social Security, and tax reform.

C. Eugene Steuerle is an Institute fellow and the Richard B. Fisher chair at the Urban Institute. Among past positions, he was deputy assistant secretary of the US Department of the Treasury for Tax Analysis (1987–89), president of the National Tax Association (2001–02), codirector of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, chair of the 1999 Technical Panel advising Social Security on its methods and assumptions, and chair of the 2015–16 National Academy of Sciences Committee on Advancing the Power of Economic Evidence to Inform Investments in Children, Youth, and Families. Between 1984 and 1986, he was the economic coordinator and original organizer of the Treasury’s tax reform effort.

Steuerle is the author, coauthor, or coeditor of 18 books, including Dead Men Ruling, Nonprofits and Government (3rd edition), Contemporary US Tax Policy (2nd edition), and Advancing the Power of Economic Evidence to Inform Investments in Children, Youth, and Families.

He is a founder and chair emeritus of ACT for Alexandria, a community foundation, and is or has been an elected, appointed, advisory panel, or board member for the Congressional Budget Office, Comptroller General of the United States, the Joint Committee on Taxation, Venture Philanthropy Partners, and the National Center on Philanthropy and the Law (chair).

Steuerle received the first Bruce Davie–Albert Davis Public Service Award from the National Tax Association in 2005, distinguished or outstanding alumnus awards from the University of Dayton and St. Xavier High School, and the TIAA-CREF Paul Samuelson award for his book Dead Men Ruling.

Rick Terrien is a lifelong entrepreneur and co-founder of the nonprofit Center for Ageless Entrepreneurs (CAE).

Rick has started and run multiple businesses across diverse industries, with most of the fireworks coming after he turned 45:

• Smallest company ever to be awarded Fast Company magazine’s ‘Fast 50’ (now called – ‘The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies’).

• Awarded the U.S. Small Business New Product of the Year, by the National Society of Professional Engineers.

• Nine U.S. and foreign patents commercialized worldwide. Focus on environmental and manufacturing sustainability.

• AARP Purpose Prize Fellow (“Making a difference is ageless”).

• Co-founder: Food21.org - Developing sustainable regional food networks.

• Author - Ageless Startup: Start a Business at Any Age.

• Co-founder, the Center for Ageless Entrepreneurs

Rick focuses on the millions of older citizens worldwide who want to use their knowledge, know-how, and networks to make the world a better place through entrepreneurship.

Maria Thomas is a business and technology executive who transforms early-stage companies into iconic, durable businesses. A digital pioneer, Maria joined Amazon in its early years and went on to help lead NPR Digital, Etsy, and SmartThings (acquired by Samsung) from small, startup organizations through high growth phases and onto lasting value. She is a strategic thinker and continuous learner who recognizes patterns in industries disrupted by digital technologies and by changing consumer expectations. Today, Maria is working with digital health startups, with a particular focus on older adults. She is a consultant to a startup studio called Redesign Health and serves as an external adviser to McKinsey’s Leap practice. Maria also serves on several boards including Spoonflower, a privately held ecommerce company, and the Pew Research Center. Maria is also a full-time student in the University of Pennsylvania's Master of Healthcare Innovation program.

The Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson is president & CEO of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), pursuing the vision of a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being, and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive. Since 1973, CDF has been leading the movement to build power for child-centered public policy, informed by racial equity and the lived experience of children and youth.

Dr. Wilson is board chair for the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) and vice chair of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE). He also serves boards for CDF Action Council, Duke Divinity School, the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference and Sojourners.

From 2011 through 2020, Rev. Wilson was president & CEO of Deaconess Foundation, a faith-based philanthropy for child well-being and racial justice in St. Louis. Under his leadership, Deaconess constructed and established the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being, a community action tank engaging more than 15,000 citizens annually. From 2008 through 2018, Dr. Wilson also pastored Saint John’s Church (The Beloved Community), an inter-racial, inner-city congregation related to the United Church of Christ.

After the police killing of Michael Brown, Jr., Wilson and the church hosted the #BlackLivesMatter Freedom Ride to Ferguson and served as the welcome center for #FergusonOctober. In service of community healing, Wilson co-chaired the Ferguson Commission. In 2015, they released the ‘Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equity’ Report, calling for sweeping changes in policing, the courts, child well-being and economic mobility.

Dr. Wilson earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Xavier University of Louisiana, Master of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary, and the Doctor of Ministry from Duke University. For his public theology, he was awarded Doctor of Public Service and Doctor of Divinity degrees honoris causa by Saint Louis University and Eden Theological Seminary, respectively. A member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Starsky is married to Dr. LaToya Smith Wilson, a dentist and child advocate. They are raising four children.

Follow Dr. Wilson’s activism, philanthropy, and ministry at @RevDrStarsky and @ChildDefender.