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Washington Office of the Alzheimer’s
Association Receives Leadership in Aging Award
On Thursday, November 7, 2002, the Duke Long Term Care
Resources Program presented its Leadership in Aging award to the
Washington Office of the Alzheimer’s Association for leadership
in mentoring the next generation of leaders in aging. Accepting
the award for the Alzheimer’s Association was Bonnie Hogue,
Director of Federal and State Policy for the Washington Office.
In bestowing the award, Dr. George L. Maddox,
Director, Duke LTC, highlighted the work of the Washington Office
with undergraduate interns. He noted, “Some sites in Washington
only want to work with graduate students, but the Alzheimer’s
Association not only does an outstanding job of initiating undergraduates
into the Washington policy world but also appreciates the excellent
communication skills and unvarnished enthusiasm of Duke undergrads.
Our thanks go out to Judy Riggs, Bonnie
Hogue and Jennifer Zeitzer, as staff members
who have worked closely with interns over the years.” The
Washington Office has been a source of mentoring and career path
counseling for Leadership Interns since 1995, and in recent years,
the Alzheimer’s Association has made an annual contribution
to help support the operating costs of the program.
Dr. Linda George, Acting Director, Duke Center
for the Study of Aging, added her appreciation for the partnership
with the Alzheimer’s Association and her admiration for public
policy professionals who work to educate policy makers and the general
public about the needs of frail older adults.
Alicia Mecklai, 2002 Gabel Intern, had this to
say about avenues of interest opened to her by her experience at
the Alzheimer’s Association: “I saw how professionals
from a variety of backgrounds, including ethicists, lawyers, physicians,
and researchers, would convene in forums sponsored by the NIH to
discuss issues that are relevant to the future of Alzheimer’s
disease research. After observing the value of the different perspectives
in these ethical debates, I know that when I become a physician,
I want to be involved in similar discussions.”
Bonnie Hogue, who is an alumna of the Sanford
Institute for Public Policy, also was the guest presenter for the
Leadership Convocation. It was a return engagement for Hogue, who
was the 1994 Convocation speaker, when she was a professional staff
member for US Senate Special Committee on Aging.
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Leadership
in Aging Awards Recent Recipients
The North Carolina Division of Aging Named Leadership in Aging
Awardee for Dedication to Mentoring
George Maddox presents award to Dennis Streets |
At the Year 2001 Leadership in an Aging Society Convocation, on
November 8, the North Carolina Division of Aging was presented with
a "Leadership in Aging" award by the Duke Long Term Care Resources
Program. The Division was honored for contributions to mentoring
the next generation of leaders to address the issues facing an aging
society.
Accepting the award for the Division of Aging, which is directed
by Karen Gottovi, was Dennis Streets, director of planning for the
Division, and a frequent mentor for Leadership Interns. In conferring
the award, Dr. George L. Maddox, director of Duke LTC, noted, "Since
the first year of the Leadership Program a decade ago, the Division
has gone the extra mile to provide students meaningful internship
experiences, but the involvement has not stopped with accepting
summer placements. The Division has also provided shadowing opportunities;
acted as policy memo and capstone project clients; hosted policy
seminars; and offered tangible career development and networking
advice to students. Indeed, the involvement has not only been with
current students, but also with intern alumni, senior leaders and
mid-career professionals. And Karen Gottovi, Dennis Streets and
Mary Bethel, have led the Division in that commitment."
Leadership Interns at the Division have addressed such topics as
family caregiving, prevalence rates for Alzheimer's Disease, elder
rights, nursing home quality, and grandparents as parents.
Past recipients of the Leadership in Aging Award include Ann B.
Johnson, Senator Terry Sanford, Tom Howerton, Jack Preiss, Bonnie
Cramer, Marlene Chasson, Maria Henson and Vance Frye.
 Ann
B. Johnson Honored with Leadership in Aging Award in 2000
Ann B. Johnson, long-time leader and advocate for older adults in
North Carolina, was the recipient of the Leadership in Aging Award
of the Long Term Care Resources Program of the Duke Center for the
Study of Aging and Human Development on August 11, 2000. Dr. George
Maddox, director of the Duke Long Term Care Resources Program, as
a part of festivities, presented the award for Ms. Johnson's eightieth
birthday at the Chapel Hill Senior Center. Dr. Maddox heralded "not
only Ann Johnson's tremendous past contributions to the development
of senior centers and community-based services for old adults, but
also her dedication to the development of the next generation of
older adults leadership." As an advisor to Duke's Leadership
in an Aging Society Program, Ms. Johnson was instrumental in the
creation of the Senior Leadership Enhancement Program, which encourages
leadership development in older adults who are emerging as statewide
leaders.
Howerton and Preiss Named Leadership in Aging Award Recipients
in 1999
At the 1999 spring Leadership Seminar the Duke Long Term Care Resources
Program of the Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and
Human Development honored Thomas R. Howerton and Jack Preiss, both
of Durham, with "Leadership in Aging" awards. Howerton,
a retired hospital and foundation executive, was honored for his
leadership in encouraging hospital and health services to respond
to the needs of the growing numbers of older adults that they serve.
Preiss, a professor emeritus of Sociology at Duke, was honored for
his leadership in advocating affordable housing and service options
for older adults.
In presenting the award to Howerton, George Maddox, Director of
Duke LTC, and Sandra Crawford Leak, Associate Director, noted that
first as a respected hospital executive in North Carolina and then
as a foundation program officer Howerton did much to encourage hospitals
to be concerned about the needs of vulnerable, rural patients, particularly
older adult. In the past decade he has been an active board member
for several organizations serving older adults including the Durham
Council for Senior Citizens, Senior PharmAssist, and Glennaire Retirement
Community, and served as an advisor to the Aging at Home Program
of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.
Maddox indicated that Preiss' work as an advocate for affordable
housing illustrates "that believing in what you do makes a
difference." For several decades, in addition to his career
as a sociologist at Duke, Jack Preiss has maintained an active role
in housing advocacy both in Durham and across North Carolina. Currently
chair of a statewide committee on Multi-unit Assisted Housing with
Services for older adults, over the past two decades, Preiss' accomplishments
include being chair of the Durham Housing Authority and the founding
president of the North Carolina Low-Income Housing Coalition. Preiss-Steele
Place, one of Durham's first purpose-build housing with services
communities for modest and low-income older adults is named in his
honor.
Jack Preiss, George Maddox and Tom Howerton
Chasson Honored at Duke LTC Leadership Convocation in 1998
Marlene Chasson, the volunteer Executive Director [since retired]
of Friends of Residents (FOR) in Long Term Care, received a "Leadership
in Aging" award from the Duke Long Term Care Resources Program
at the annual convocation of the Leadership in an Aging Society
Program. Ms. Chasson was recognized for "leadership in advocacy"
for her "valiant and effective efforts" to advocate for
the needs of vulnerable older North Carolinians who are residents
in long term care facilities. In presenting the award, Dr. George
Maddox, Director of Duke LTC, emphasized that Ms. Chasson's work
represents the best of the volunteer spirit that has shaped the
United States. Ms. Chasson has a long history of community service
in North Carolina, including serving as co-chair of the Governor's
Ad Hoc Committee on Rest Homes and Nursing Homes in 1996.
Past Recipients of the Leadership in an Aging Award
Past recipients of the Leadership in Aging Award include the late
North Carolina Senator Terry Sanford who was presented with a "Leadership
in Aging" award at the spring seminar in 1997. Senator Sanford,
whose last book was about aging, was recognized for his service
to the field as public servant, university president and author.
Other past recipients include Bonnie M. Cramer for leadership on
aging through state government; Maria Henson for leadership in the
media; and Vance Frye for leadership in philanthropy.
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Michael Smyer, Dean of Graduate Studies
at Boston College and a leading authority on mental health and
the elderly, talks with former North Carolina Governor and U.S.
Senator Terry Sanford. Sanford was Smyer's mentor when Smyer
was a post- doctoral fellow at Duke University's Center for
the Study of Aging and Human Development and Sanford was President
of Duke. |
| Sen. Sanford describes to the student interns
and Senior Leadership Initiative Fellows the life experiences
that had helped him to develop his own leadership skills. |
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