Summit 2024, Panel 3: Reshaping Discourse on Aging: State and Local Models for Change

Kathy Greenlee is an attorney with 25 years of public service experience. She has expertise in aging, long-term care, disability, elder rights, health care, community services, rural aging, and LGBT health.

In 2009, she was appointed U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging by President Obama, a position she held for seven years. During her time in Washington, Greenlee created the Administration for Community Living (ACL), an agency that administers a broad range of aging and disability programs. Greenlee provided national and international leadership on preventing and responding to elder abuse. She chaired the Elder Justice Coordinating Council, created a federal home for state adult protective services programs, and created the national elder maltreatment data collection system. Greenlee also co-chaired the HHS LGBT Issues Coordinating Committee, an endeavor that resulted in comprehensive program and policy improvements for LGBTQ individuals.

In fall 2018, Greenlee launched a consulting business, Greenlee Global, LLC, to pursue aging-related projects regionally, nationally, and internationally. In early 2018, the Sunflower Foundation announced a major grant to support her continued work in the areas of elder abuse and neglect. In May 2020, Greenlee began working with the State of Kansas, serving as the Kansas COVID-19 LTSS Liaison.

Greenlee spent 18 years in Kansas state government. She served in numerous high-level positions, such as Secretary of Aging for Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Kansas Long-Term Care Ombudsman, General Counsel for the Kansas Insurance Department, and Assistant Attorney General.

Greenlee has a B.S. in Business Administration and a J.D. in law from the University of Kansas. She is a fifth generation Kansan and grew up in a small town near Wichita. She currently resides in Lenexa, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City.

Nels Holmgren is the Director of the Division of Aging and Adult Services at the State of Utah, which oversees programs mandated by the Older Americans Act to promote healthy and secure lifestyles for Utah’s growing senior population.  Working with local partners, the Area Agencies on Aging, and other interested parties in the Aging network, the Division provides critical services to empower Utah’s seniors to remain independent in their own homes. Additionally, the Division oversees Utah’s Adult Protective Services which investigates cases of abuse neglect and exploitation among Utah’s seniors and vulnerable adults, and works to resolve protective needs, as well as the Utah Office of Pubic Guardian, which serves as the guardian of last resort for adults across the state.

During his time with the Division, Nels served on a number of related boards and commissioned and is currently the president of the board for ADvancing States, which represents state aging agencies across the nation.  Prior to coming to the Division, he was a Senior Business Manager in Convergys Corporation’s healthcare and Pharmaceutical division.

Nels received Bachelor’s degree in English from Brigham Young University and his Masters of Business Administration from the Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.  He and his wife Emily are the parents of five children.

In 2023, Jason Kavulich was nominated by Governor Josh Shapiro to serve as Secretary of Aging for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where one in three residents will be age 60+ by 2030. Secretary Kavulich is leading and advocating for an aging network of quality, sustainable programs that support Pennsylvania’s growing older adult population to stay healthy and active, age in their home settings of choice and thrive in their older years with safety and dignity. One of his first actions has been to lead the development of Aging Our Way, PA, a 10-year plan to transform the state’s infrastructure of aging services. 

A lifelong resident of Scranton, PA, Jason has brought 24 years of experience within the human services field to the mission, most recently as director of the award-winning Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging.

Beth Kowalczyk was named Chief Executive Officer for the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging in January 2024 after serving 11 years as the Association’s Chief Policy Officer. Ms. Kowalczyk has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kent State University and a Juris Doctorate from New York University School of Law.  Ms. Kowalczyk has served in state government and was also a legal aid attorney for several years. Ms. Kowalczyk is also now serving her second term as a City Councilmember in Worthington, Ohio, and she is currently President Pro-Tem.

Jess Maurer is the Executive Director of the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA), a multidisciplinary network of 140 businesses and community members working to ensure we can all live healthy, engaged, and secure lives as we age. She leads data-informed policy change efforts on issues related to ageism, equity, poverty, housing, transportation, workforce, and care. With the goal of ending ageism in Maine, Jess co-designed the Leadership Exchange on Ageism, an innovative program that has inspired over 200 leaders to take meaningful action on ageism. An attorney, Jess worked for 17 years in the Maine Office of the Attorney General.

Patricia M. D’Antonio, BSPharm, MS, MBA, BCGP is the Vice President of Policy and Professional Affairs for The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and a board-certified geriatric pharmacist. Trish directs GSA’s policy initiatives and is responsible for developing relationships with organizations in the aging arena. Trish represents GSA on several policy coalitions and serves as co-chair for the Adult Vaccine Access Coalition, president of the board of the Protecting Access to Pain Relief and Chair of the Friends of NIA.  Additionally, she serves as the Executive Director for the National Center to Reframe Aging, the central hub to advance the long-term social change endeavor designed to improve the public’s understanding of what aging means and the many ways that older people contribute to our society. Before joining GSA, Trish served as Executive Director for the District of Columbia Board of Pharmacy and Program Manager for the Pharmaceutical Control Division, where she was responsible for the regulatory and policy development for the practice of pharmacy and served as liaison to the FDA, DEA, and other federal, state, and city organizations that promote safe handling of medications.  She received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Duquesne University and her Master of Science in Health Finance and Master in Business Administration with a concentration in health care from Temple University. She completed a residency in administration and finance at The Philadelphia Geriatric Center.