Board of Directors
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Board of Directors

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Chair

Richard Browdie

Richard Browdie has served as president and CEO of The Benjamin Rose Institute since 2002. Benjamin Rose is a nonprofit, non-sectarian organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for older people through community-based and residential care, research, education, and advocacy.

Prior to his position with Benjamin Rose, Mr. Browdie served as Pennsylvania's Secretary of Aging from February 1995 to April 2002. His duties included managing a staff of 109 and overseeing a more than $800 million budget. He was responsible for the administration of a statewide system of 52 area agencies on aging.

Mr. Browdie also served as executive director of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging from 1993-1995. He developed policy and had oversight responsibility for the national organization representing 670 area agencies on aging and Indian tribal organizations, administering services for older people covering the entire United States. Mr. Browdie served as president of the American Society on Aging from March 1998 to March 2000.

He earned his bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Allegheny College, Meadville, PA, and his master's degree in business administration from Gannon University in Erie, PA.

Immediate Past Chair

Msgr. Charles Fahey

Msgr. Charles Fahey is a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, where he served in parishes and Catholic Charities from 1959-1979. Soon after, he became director of Fordham University’s Third Age Center, known for its work in public policy and the conceptualization of the Third Age. 

He was named the university’s Marie Ward Doty Professor of Aging Studies in 1980, and he became the center’s senior associate in 1992. In addition to his commitment to the center, Msgr. Fahey also serves as a program officer for the Milbank Memorial Fund.

Msgr. Fahey has been active both in church-related and societal health and aging activities at the local, state, national, and international levels. At the national level, he was a charter member of the Federal Council on Aging, having been appointed by Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter (the latter of whom appointed him chair). His membership in the FCA allowed for his active role in the leadership of the 1971, 1981, and 1995 White House Conferences on Aging.

Additionally, Msgr. Fahey was a member of the Holy See’s delegation to the 1982 United Nations World Assembly on Aging. He also served on the boards of the Catholic Health Association, the Sisters of Mercy Health Care System in St. Louis, and the Daughters of Charity National Health System. He was a board member and president of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging and Catholic Charities USA. Currently, he is a member of the national board of the Volunteers of America and the American Foundation for Aging Research.

Msgr. Fahey is a fellow of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science, the Gerontological Society of America, the National Academy of Social Insurance, and the New York Academy of Medicine, and is the recipient of four honorary degrees.

Directors

Robert Blancato

Bob Blancato is president of Matz, Blancato, & Associates. Mr. Blancato is the national coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition, a non-partisan, 680 member organization.

From 2000-2006, he served as president of the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. He currently serves as the executive director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP).

Mr. Blancato is a former House of Representatives staff member and spent 17 years on the House Select Committee on Aging. He also served as executive director of the 1995 White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) appointed by President Clinton. He was on the Policy Committee for the 2005 WHCOA appointed by Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

Mr. Blancato most recently became chairman of the Commonwealth Council on Aging in Virginia. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Georgetown University and a masters of public administration from American University.

Josefina Carbonell

A former top U.S. official serving the elderly and a distinguished leader in the private and governmental health care sectors, Ms. Carbonell brings more than 30 years of experience in community-based long-term care, including health, nutrition, transportation, and personal care services.

In August 2001, Ms. Carbonell was appointed by President George Bush to serve as Assistant Secretary for Aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a position she held for more than seven years. During her tenure, Ms. Carbonell made significant contributions to the modernization of long-term care as provided through 29,000 aging services network provider organizations.

Prior to joining the Bush administration, Ms. Carbonell was president and CEO of the largest Hispanic geriatric health and human service organization in the nation--Little Havana Activities & Nutrition Centers (LHANC) in Miami-Dade County, FL.

As current senior vice president of Independent Living Systems, Ms. Carbonell leads the strategic growth of the company’s long-term care division, fortifying its focus and commitment to servicing the growing Florida aging community. ILS specializes in case and disease management, social, and nutritional services through its partnerships with health plans, government entities, and individual providers. Because of its significant impact in the health care sector, the company was recently ranked as one of the “Top 10 South Florida Business Leaders” by Business Leader magazine.

John Erickson

John Erickson is the founder of Erickson Retirement Communities, the fastest-growing developer and manager of full-service, campus-style communities in the country. Erickson communities are known for their enviable lifestyle, services, and health care, all at prices that are affordable for middle-income Americans as they enter the mid stage of their retirement.

Mr. Erickson established perhaps the first health-and-wellness-oriented research institution to evolve from the U.S. retirement housing industry. Under his direction, the Erickson Foundation has invested millions in research to improve the lives of people around the world. Active aging research is one area that receives strong support.

In April 2004, Mr. Erickson founded the Erickson School of Aging, Management and Policy, which is located at the University of Maryland in Baltimore County (UMBC). The goal of the school is to become the preeminent national leader in education, research, and policy affecting seniors across America. With an explicit focus on preparing leaders for the 21st Century within aging services, housing, and care, the Erickson School offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, professional certificate programs, professional and executive development, and cutting-edge policy and applied research.

Mr. Erickson is also expanding into the world of media with the launch of Retirement Living TV--a TV network designed to inspire, inform, and engage seniors across America to realize the most from their freedom years.

Andrew Greene, Treasurer

In early 2008, Andrew Greene left Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital to pursue developing, owning, or managing businesses, mostly in the areas of health and medical care. Current businesses include physician billing, health insurance company development, hospital fundraising, and hospital nursing software applications.

From 1995-2008, Mr. Greene was CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Health Network (RWJHN), headquartered in New Brunswick, NJ. He conceptualized, designed, developed, and implemented the network, which consists of seven hospitals, a medical school, more than 10,000 hospital employees, and nearly $1 billion in acute-care revenue.

Mr. Greene led the network in improving clinical outcomes and decreasing length of stay in all member hospitals; improving ease of referral cases to the academic medical center from community physicians and community hospitals; developing a statewide behavioral health network; creating a malpractice, general liability insurance company for network hospitals; negotiating insurance contracts for four federally qualified health centers; and organizing a self-funded health insurance program for physicians, staff, and their families.

Mr. Greene served as assistant treasurer until 1990 and vice president and treasurer until 1995 at the Princeton-based Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest health care philanthropy with assets of over $7 billion. As vice president, he was responsible for safeguarding the assets of the foundation by ensuring that policies and procedures of its board of trustees were adhered to. As treasurer, he supervised financial departments and was responsible for the financial monitoring of grants, tax issues, and administrative and financial management functions. 

Mr. Greene has served as a member of numerous health care governing boards. He is a past chair of the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Board of Directors and the New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals. He is an adjunct associate professor of The University of Medicine and Dentistry-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s Department of Environmental and Community Medicine.

Christine James-Brown

Christine James-Brown became president and chief executive officer of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) in April 2007, assuming the leadership of the nation's oldest and largest membership-based child welfare organization.

Ms. James-Brown came to CWLA from United Way International (UWI), where she served since 2004 as the organization's fifth president and CEO. Ms. James-Brown was responsible for the efforts of the worldwide network of United Way nonprofit member organizations spanning six continents and five regions and serving communities in 45 countries and territories.

For 10 years before that she served as president and CEO at United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She directed a staff of 130 that managed an annual fundraising effort raising more than $50,000,000, and distributed funds to over 2,500 community-based agencies. In addition, she has served as chair of United Way of America's National Professional Council.

Throughout her career, Ms. James-Brown has worked tirelessly to help nonprofit health and human service organizations grow and expand their ability to serve children and families through foundation and corporate philanthropy.

She has served as a member of the boards of the School District of Philadelphia, Community College of Philadelphia, the Samuel S. Fels Fund, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Citizens Bank, Public/Private Ventures, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Commission.

Ms. James-Brown holds a bachelor of arts degree in cultural anthropology from Rutgers University. In 1996, Drexel University awarded her an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters.

Sandra King, Secretary

Through her participation in NCOA, Sandra King has continued her career-long focus on the needs of older persons. As executive director of Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles (JFS), Ms. King was CEO of a large multi-faceted organization providing social services throughout the Los Angeles area and was instrumental in the development of JFS's nationally recognized continuum of care for seniors.

The "California Network," offering case management services statewide as a benefit of long-term-care insurance, was a JFS innovation begun by Ms. King, along with a number of other community-based programs helping thousands of frail elderly to remain in their homes. She was selected as the Outstanding California Social Work Administrator by NASW in 2000.

Ms. King's association with NCOA began decades ago. Her interest in community-based care led to her involvement in the creation of NCOA's National Institute on Community-Based Long Term Care, and she was selected to be the founding chair of that group. She has served as NCOA Board chair from 2003-2005.

A strong believer in "Reinventing Retirement," Ms. King continues to be involved in the work of NCOA and in other volunteer efforts directed toward the welfare of seniors.

James Knickman

An active philanthropy executive, scholar, and community leader, James Knickman is the first president and chief executive officer of the New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth), a private foundation dedicated to improving the health of all New Yorkers.

Under Dr. Knickman’s leadership, NYSHealth has invested nearly $60 million since 2006 in initiatives to improve health care and the public health system in New York state. Today, the foundation focuses its efforts in three priority areas: reducing the number of New Yorkers without health insurance coverage; improving prevention and management of diabetes; and integrating mental health and substance use services for people who cope with both issues at the same time.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Knickman was vice president of research and evaluation at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in Princeton, NJ, where he led and oversaw research initiatives, external evaluations of RWJF’s national initiatives, and internal analyses related to its grantmaking priorities.

Between 1976 and 1992, he served on the faculty of New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where he was active in community service directed at improving health care delivery to vulnerable populations. Earlier, he worked at the New York City Office of Management and Budget, and he has been a visiting professor at the University of Rochester, U.C. Berkeley, and Princeton University. He has also served on a wide range of advisory boards and published extensive research on issues related to improving services for homeless families, frail elders, and individuals with HIV. Dr. Knickman is the co-author of a widely used textbook on health policy and management.

Dr. Knickman serves as a board member of the Robert Wood Johnson Health System and of the Center for Effective Philanthropy. He is a past chair of the New Jersey Department of Health’s Cardiac Health Advisory Council, a past board member of AcademyHealth in Washington, DC, and a past board member of the New York Catholic Health Care System.

Dr. Knickman received a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and psychology from Fordham University and his Ph.D. in public policy analysis from the University of Pennsylvania.

Mark McClellan

Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., is director of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform; a Senior Fellow, Economic Studies; and Leonard D. Schaeffer Director's Chair in Health Policy at the Brookings Institution. He is the former administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

A physician and scholar, he is best known for leading implementation of the Medicare prescription drug program and for his untiring efforts to promote disease prevention.

Dr. McClellan also served as commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Bush Administration. In addition, he was a member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, where he concurrently served as a senior policy director for health care and related economic issues at the White House.

An associate professor of both economics and medicine at Stanford Medical School, Dr. McClellan was also co-principal investigator of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a longitudinal study of the health and economic well-being of older Americans. He has twice received the Arrow Award for Outstanding Research in Health Economics.

He earned his M.D. degree from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology in 1989 and his Ph.D. in economics from MIT in 1993. He also earned an M.P.A. from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government in 1991. He completed his residency training in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and he is board certified in Internal Medicine.

Molly Mettler

As senior vice president of Healthwise, Inc., Boise, ID, the recognized national leader in consumer health information, Molly Mettler, MSW is a tireless advocate for a stronger role for health care consumers.

Particularly passionate about health care for people aged 50 and better, Ms. Mettler has authored scores of books and articles on health, aging, and patient empowerment, including Healthwise for Life, now in its 7th edition, and Information Therapy.

Ms. Mettler is a frequent speaker on emerging trends in patient-centered health care. She is a Fellow of the Center for Advancing Health and serves on the advisory boards for many organizations dedicated to improving health care delivery for older adults.

Ms. Mettler is past chair of NCOA (2001–2003) and has served as the convenor for the NCOA Leadership Council. She was the founding chair for NCOA’s Health Promotion Institute in 1990. That group honored her contributions by creating the “Molly Mettler Award” for leadership in health promotion.

Ronald Schoeffler

Ronald Schoeffler, Ed.D., has served in the aging field for more than 30 years. He knows first-hand the importance of home and community-based services in serving the diverse needs of a rapidly changing senior population.
 
Active in numerous local, state, and national organizations, Mr. Schoeffler has served as president of the Georgia Gerontology Society, president of the Georgia Association of Democratic County Chairs, Executive Committee member of the Democratic Party of Georgia, and chair of the Augusta-Richmond County Democratic Committee. He was an At-Large Delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging and an Alternate Delegate in 1995.
 
Mr. Schoeffler has been active with NCOA since 1980. He served as chair of the Board of Directors from 2005-2008 and chair of NCOA's National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC) from 1998-2000. He was recognized with the NISC Founder’s Award in 2002, the Outstanding Professional Fund Raiser Award by the Greater Augusta Chapter, National Society of Fund Raising Executives (now the Association of Fundraising Professionals) in 1996, and the Louis Newmark Award by the Georgia Gerontology Society in 1994.
 
Mr. Schoeffler is a graduate of the University of Georgia (Ed.D.), the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (M.Ed.), High Point College (now High Point University) (B.S.), and Fulton-Montgomery Community College (A.A.). 
 
Mr. Schoeffler retired in 2007 after serving 20 years as executive director of the Senior Citizens Council of Greater Augusta and the CSRA, Georgia, Inc. and relocated to his family home near Amsterdam, NY. He was elected in June 2010 to serve a three-year term on the New York State Coalition for the Aging Board of Directors.

David Sidwell

David Sidwell was named chief financial officer of Morgan Stanley until November 2007. Mr. Sidwell was previously with JP Morgan Chase, where he was chief financial officer of its investment bank. Mr. Sidwell joined JPMorgan Chase in 1984. He was the controller of JPMorgan before its merger with Chase. Prior to that, he spent nine years with Pricewaterhouse Coopers, both in New York and London. 

Mr. Sidwell graduated from Cambridge University in England in 1975 and is a chartered accountant. He is a member of FEI's Committee on Corporate Reporting, the SIA, and the International Accounting Standards Advisory Council. 

Mr. Sidwell has been a committee member of the Emerging Issues Task Force of FASB, Bank Administration Institute, American Bankers Association, American Institute of Chartered Accountants Banking Committee, and New York Clearing House Association. He is a director of Village Care of New York and the Music-Theatre Group.

Cass Wheeler

Cass Wheeler recently launched his consulting practice after a distinguished career with the American Heart Association, serving as its CEO from 1997-2008. Under his leadership, the association merged its 56 state and metropolitan affiliates into eight regions and adopted a single corporate structure. During this same period, revenue grew from $400 million to $650 million.

Under his leadership, the association also launched several new initiatives, including the award-winning Go Red for Women Campaign to raise awareness about heart disease in women, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (with the William J. Clinton Foundation) to fight childhood obesity, Get With the Guidelines to improve hospital care and outcomes, and the Power to End Stroke targeted to African Americans. The association also approved a far-reaching health-impact goal calling for a 25% reduction of coronary heart disease, stroke, and risk by 2010.

Mr. Wheeler was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the Commission on Improving Economic Opportunity in Communities Dependent on Tobacco Production While Protecting Public Health. He also served on the boards of the National Human Services Assembly, Partnership for Prevention, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, and Research!America.

Mr. Wheeler currently serves on the boards of the American Legacy Foundation, Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, Advisory Councils of the Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research, and the University of California at San Francisco Center for Tobacco Control Research. 

Mr. Wheeler is the author of You’ve Gotta Have Heart: Achieving Purpose Beyond Profit in the Social Sector, a book he wrote with a goal to further increase the effectiveness of the nonprofit sector.

Carol Zernial

Carol Zernial holds a master's degree in social gerontology and has been involved in the field of aging for over 20 years. Her background includes work for the 1995 White House Conference on Aging and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. She is past chair of the National Institute on Community-based Long-Term Care.

Ms. Zernial currently serves as executive director of the WellMed Charitable Foundation and vice president of community relations for WellMed Medical Management. Before joining WellMed, Ms. Zernial was director of the Bexar County Area Agency on Aging in San Antonio, TX, and vice president of the Texas Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

She received the 2008 Outstanding Professional in Aging Award in Texas for her contributions to the field of aging.

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