Executive Council
Executive Council
Lisa Marsh Ryerson
President, AARP Foundation
Lisa Marsh Ryerson is president of AARP Foundation, the charitable affiliate of AARP. A bold, disciplined and collaborative leader, she sets the Foundation’s strategic direction and steers its efforts to realize an audacious vision: a country free of poverty where no older person feels vulnerable. Since she took the helm, AARP Foundation has developed pioneering initiatives, explored new avenues for collaboration, and secured unprecedented funding to support programs and services that truly change lives. Lisa is also a member of AARP’s Executive Leadership Team, which directs the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working on behalf of people age 50 and older. Bringing more than 30 years of local, national and global experience to the table, Lisa has built new links between the Foundation and community colleges to increase employment opportunities for older adults. In support of that effort, during her first year at AARP Foundation, she helped procure a $3 million federal grant from the Social Innovation Fund to expand the Foundation’s BACK TO WORK 50+ retraining program for long-term unemployed older adults.
James Appleby, B.S.Pharm, M.P.H.
Executive Director & CEO, Gerontological Society of America
James Appleby is an innovator and entrepreneur adept at transforming organizational cultures. Since joining the GSA staff in 2008, he has focused the organization on advancing innovation in aging and has built multiple non-dues revenue generating initiatives, including projects related to adult immunizations, over-the-counter medication-taking behaviors, pain management and several new publications. James currently serves as vice chair of the District of Columbia Board of Pharmacy, and he formerly was the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) representative to the Institute of Medicine Forum on Aging, Disability, and Independence. He also is the chief staff member leading the development of the 21st IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics, which GSA will host in San Francisco in 2017.
Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D.
Founder and President, Give an Hour™
Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D., named to TIME’s 2012 list of the 100 most influential people in the world, is the president of Give an Hour™, a nonprofit she founded in 2005 to provide free mental health services to the military and veteran community. A licensed clinical psychologist practicing in Washington, D.C., she received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland in 1991. Currently, the Give an Hour network has nearly 7,000 providers, who collectively have given more than 200,000 hours of care valued at over $20 million. Give an Hour now also leads the Campaign to Change Direction™, a collective impact effort to change the culture of mental health in America. Barbara has received numerous awards, and in 2014 was honored by the Chief of Staff of the United States Army as an outstanding civilian who has made significant voluntary contributions to our military and the United States Army. She also recently received the 2016 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Lifesavers Gala Public Service Award.
Terry M. Clark
President, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Brand, UnitedHealth Group
Terry M. Clark oversees and coordinates UnitedHealthcare and Optum branding, marketing and advertising efforts on a functional basis enterprise-wide. He also has direct responsibility for direct-to-consumer marketing for UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement, the nation’s largest business dedicated to the health and well-being needs of seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries. In this role, Terry develops initiatives to engage with the 10 million — or one in five — Medicare beneficiaries who enroll with UnitedHealthcare. He also works to grow new membership through strategic plans and programs designed specifically to meet the unique needs of the more than 70 million baby boomers in the United States.
Sandy Markwood
CEO, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging
Sandy Markwood has more than 30 years of experience in the development and delivery of aging, health, human services, housing and transportation programs in counties and cities across the nation. As CEO, she is responsible for the overall management of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a). She sets the strategic direction for the staff and oversees the implementation of all policy, grassroots advocacy, membership and program initiatives. She also leads n4a’s fundraising efforts and engages corporate sponsors to support critical initiatives, including an aging awards/best practices program and the Leadership Institute for Area Agencies on Aging staff. Externally, Sandy forms strategic partnerships with federal agencies and organizations in aging, human services and health care arenas to enhance the role and recognition of Area Agencies on Aging and Title VI programs.