William McMorran

Sr. Partner
Green Oak Consulting Group
Los Angeles, CA
  • 47-G. Fostering a Culture of Philanthropy in Life Plan Communities
  • Tuesday, October 27, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    47-G. Fostering a Culture of Philanthropy in Life Plan Communities

    Faith-based senior living organizations can no longer rely solely on congregational support for financial sustainability. Instead, they must build internal fundraising capacity by fostering a culture of philanthropy among residents, many of whom don’t realize their monthly fees don’t cover all expenses. During this session, a life plan community’s chief growth officer will share how their organization and its foundation built relationships with key stakeholders and improved donor engagement. Presenters will explain why their fundraising efforts succeeded and how they plan to enhance them. You’ll discover how resident engagement, a strong gift structure, and AI-powered technology boosted their fundraising and could do the same for your organization.

Amanda Mead

Director, Workforce Policy
LeadingAge
Washington, DC
  • 92-A. Updates on Federal Funding and Policy
  • Sunday, October 25, 2026

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    92-A. Updates on Federal Funding and Policy

    Are you seeking up-to-date information on how federal funding and policy decisions are likely to affect your service lines? Or are you simply curious about the broader policy landscape shaping the aging services field? Either way, you’ll leave satisfied after attending this speed round of Washington updates. The LeadingAge Policy Team will be on hand to fill you in on the latest developments affecting Medicare and Medicaid, workforce policy, affordable housing, and the federal legal landscape. You’ll also receive advocacy tips to ensure your voice is heard in Washington, DC.

  • 98-D. Growing the Domestic Workforce: Federal Policy Developments
  • Monday, October 26, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    98-D. Growing the Domestic Workforce: Federal Policy Developments

    Federal policy is increasingly focused on strengthening the domestic workforce to address persistent recruitment and retention challenges across the aging services continuum. This session will provide an overview of key workforce policy developments, including those affecting training and education pathways, worker supports, funding opportunities, and emerging regulatory requirements. Presenters will explain how these changes are likely to affect aging services organizations and where new challenges may arise. Join us for a timely, balanced conversation about how federal policy is shaping and at times complicating the future of the aging services workforce. You’ll take away practical tips to help you engage in the national conversation.

Tad Melton

Managing Director
Ziegler
Glen Allen, VA
  • 97-D. Navigating M&A: The Critical Role of Insurance
  • Monday, October 26, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    97-D. Navigating M&A: The Critical Role of Insurance

    As mergers and acquisitions (M&A) continue to reshape the senior living landscape, organizations need specialized knowledge and tools to navigate these complex transactions. During this session, a representative from LeadingAge Gold Partner EPIC Senior Living will review the M&A due diligence process and highlight the critical role insurance plays in protecting buyers and sellers by uncovering hidden liabilities and ensuring coverage continuity throughout the transaction lifecycle. Whether your organization is expanding, consolidating, or exploring strategic partnerships, this session will help you make informed decisions that safeguard your mission, residents, and financial future.

Wes Meltzer

Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Springpoint Senior Living
Wall Township, NJ
  • 67-G. Marketing Data for CEOs: What are All These Numbers Telling Me?
  • Tuesday, October 27, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    67-G. Marketing Data for CEOs: What are All These Numbers Telling Me?

    Marketing and sales teams often provide CEOs and senior living executives with a range of data to support their conclusions about how effectively their organization is attracting, engaging, and converting consumers. But what do these numbers mean, and how can you use them to ask the right questions, generate new inquiries and increase sales? This session is designed for executive leaders who want a clearer understanding of the difference between an inquiry and a lead, what a conversion rate is and isn’t, and how to act on this information. Presenters will also explain the difference between marketing and sales teams and how they should work together to maximize results. You’ll leave prepared to make informed decisions that will boost your organization’s performance.

Alisa Miller

President and CEO
Kairos Health Systems
Lancaster, PA
  • 31-H. Affiliation Strategies that Balance Autonomy with Collaboration
  • Tuesday, October 27, 2026

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    31-H. Affiliation Strategies that Balance Autonomy with Collaboration

    Affiliation can help nonprofit senior living organizations achieve long-term sustainability, foster innovation, and remain true to their core mission and values amid today’s operational challenges. This session will explore the affiliation process that united two life plan communities under a shared governance structure while preserving their individual identities. Presenters will outline steps for building a successful affiliation, including establishing a robust legal and governance framework, drafting bylaws that reflect shared values and priorities, and addressing board composition and responsibilities. Whether you’re considering affiliation, engaged in partnership talks, or refining an existing relationship, you’ll learn how to build an affiliation that promotes stability, improves services, and ensures long-term success.

Edward Miller

Professor and Chair, Department of Gerontology
UMass Boston Gerontology
Boston, MA
  • 17-E. Do Low Medicaid Payments Worsen Disparities in Nursing Homes?
  • Monday, October 26, 2026

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    17-E. Do Low Medicaid Payments Worsen Disparities in Nursing Homes?

    Do Medicaid payment levels affect quality and influence racial and ethnic disparities in individual nursing homes? This session will present findings from recent research on this previously unexplored question. Presenters will describe their analysis of a new national database containing facility- and resident-level data for nearly 9,500 nursing homes across 44 states. They’ll share findings on racial and ethnic disparities in nursing home quality and outcomes and examine whether these disparities are associated with Medicaid payment levels. Discover how Medicaid reimbursement shapes the association between a nursing home’s racial and ethnic composition, 5-star quality ratings, staffing levels, and resident-level quality outcomes.

Scott Miller

Chief Marketing Officer
Garden Spot Village
New Holland, PA
  • 40-C. Strategic Growth and Entrance Fee Alignment
  • Sunday, October 25, 2026

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    40-C. Strategic Growth and Entrance Fee Alignment

    Every life plan community strives to develop growth plans that support the organization’s mission while maintaining profitability and marketability. Presenters of this session will argue that independent living entrance fees pose significant risks to achieving those goals. They’ll outline the widening gap between entrance fees and replacement costs, evaluate the long-term risks of outdated pricing strategies, and offer approaches to adjusting those fees while overcoming internal and external resistance to price increases. You’ll gain additional strategies including phased development plans and creative financing to help you strengthen your financial position, ensure operational success, and align projects with the preferences of current and future consumers.

Colin Milner

Founder/CEO
International Council on Active Aging
Vancouver, BC
  • 118-J. Turn Your Dining Venue into a Wellness Engine
  • Wednesday, October 28, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    118-J. Turn Your Dining Venue into a Wellness Engine

    When Baby Boomers and members of Gen X arrive at your community’s dining venue, they’ll likely bring new expectations to the table. How will you measure up? This session will report on consumer preferences for culinary programs that deliver flavor, cultural relevance, agency, and a sense of community connection. Presenters will help you meet those preferences with a new culinary framework pioneered by the International Council on Active Aging’s Culinary, Nutrition & Hospitality Network. You’ll learn to reframe senior living dining venues as strategic wellness engines that support physical health, cognitive vitality, and social connection. Get the support you need to rethink how food environments can foster purpose, engagement, and wellness for today’s older adults.

Mary Jane Minier

Head of Opportunistic Credit Strategy
Invesco
Downers Grove, IL
  • 44-E. Secure Your Future: Restructure and Reimagine
  • Monday, October 26, 2026

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    44-E. Secure Your Future: Restructure and Reimagine

    Executive teams update their strategic plans annually to refine the traditional continuum model they’ve offered for decades. These organizations now face unprecedented challenges as more for-profit developers enter the field, consumer preferences shift, and government payments decline. Tweaking the continuum won’t be enough to secure the future. Instead, this session will show you how to restructure your organization and reimagine the continuum. Presenters will offer guidance on selling or repurposing assets to advance your mission, collaborating with and learning from investors, restructuring your debt, and addressing your legal issues. Let a turnaround manager and an investment banker help you develop an achievable restructuring plan that will appeal to investors and secure your organization’s future.

Alison Mitisek

Director of Life Enrichment
Eaton Senior Communities, Inc.
Lakewood, CO
  • 7-G. Building Digital Confidence among Older Adults
  • Tuesday, October 27, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    7-G. Building Digital Confidence among Older Adults

    Many senior living organizations are adept at implementing new technology solutions and devices to improve older adults’ daily lives. Yet these organizations often overlook an important truth: the success of any new technology depends not on a high-tech device but on the user’s confidence and ability to use it. That’s where digital literacy comes in. This session will show you how to foster curiosity rather than hesitation among older adults, enabling them to learn the digital skills needed for meaningful engagement with technology. Presenters will provide strategies to help you design digital literacy programs that empower older adults and ensure they are not left behind in the digital age.

Walter Moczygemba

Manager
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
  • 18-F. How Residents and Caregivers Perceive Inclusive Dementia Care
  • Monday, October 26, 2026

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    18-F. How Residents and Caregivers Perceive Inclusive Dementia Care

    Aging services providers recognize the benefits and challenges of enabling residents with varying cognitive abilities to live together, rather than segregating residents with dementia in memory care areas. Yet few studies have examined the care delivered in inclusive residential settings. This session will help fill that gap. Presenters will share their research on how residents and team members perceive inclusive living environments; residents’ perceptions of their well-being and experiences of care; and the extent to which professional caregivers feel supported in problem-solving and collaboration. Join this session to see inclusive long-term care settings through the eyes of those who live and work there.

Leslie Moldow

Principal
Perkins Eastman
San Francisco, CA
  • 137-D. Intergenerational Housing Could Strengthen Your Workforce
  • Monday, October 26, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    137-D. Intergenerational Housing Could Strengthen Your Workforce

    Looking for a housing option that meets older adults’ needs while attracting young workers to help them live independently? This session will introduce an intergenerational housing model that addresses the aging services workforce crisis, the affordable housing shortage, and the loneliness epidemic affecting young and old alike. Presenters will describe a unique intergenerational community model that provides affordable housing to older adults, and hires young people who have “aged out” of the foster care system to work in the community. They’ll review market trends driving the growth of intergenerational living, its potential to strengthen your workforce, and architectural guidelines to help you bring this housing option to your campus.