Education Certificate in Health & Wellness Coaching, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point (2023) Ph.D. in Aging Studies, University of South Florida (2008) M.A. in Gerontology, University of South Florida (1998) B.A. in Psychology, Auburn University (1996)
Most gerontologists stumble into the field, and I was no exception. My own path began after completing an undergraduate degree in psychology. Graduate study at the University of South Florida, pursued alongside work in an assisted living facility, confirmed that learning and practice belong together. Years of work in the Aging Network in the Tampa Bay area deepened that conviction further. By the time I joined the faculty at Ithaca College, I had come to believe that students learn most deeply when ideas meet experience, and I design every course with that in mind.
I have been on the faculty at Ithaca College since 2008, where my teaching spans gerontology, counseling, and health and wellness coaching. In 2019, I was named a Fellow of the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (FAGHE), and in 2021 I received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the USF School of Aging Studies. My more recent attainment of national board certification as a Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) has further expanded my approach to preparing students for practice with older adults, bridging behavioral science, person-centered communication, and the realities of aging in contemporary society.
Experiential learning is central to every course I teach. Students engage with real communities, real questions, and real older adults through intergenerational case studies, community-based research, and collaborative theater projects, to name a few. A number of these experiences are rooted in the long-standing partnership between Ithaca College and Longview, a senior living community just across the street. You can read more about the IC–Longview Partnership here: www.ithaca.edu/gerontology/longview.
My scholarship encompasses several collaborative projects: Connecting Older Adults with Technology (COAT), a technology training intervention designed to improve digital and health literacy among rural-dwelling, socially-isolated older adults; the Pushback Against Ageism project, in which college students and community elders collaborate to design and implement anti-ageism initiatives; and The Next 25 Project, a mixed-methods study of the 25-year partnership between Ithaca College and Longview.
I also co-hosted We Really Need to Talk, a podcast exploring the conversations we tend to avoid, including aging, end of life, and the things that matter most. Listen here.