Conference Kickoff: The Panel of Pundits Discuss Aging Issues

Bill Conallen

Philadelphia Corporation for Aging’s 2025 Regional Conference on Aging begins on a high note with the much-anticipated Panel of Pundits, bringing together some of the nation’s foremost experts in aging policy, advocacy, and innovation. This dynamic discussion will examine the shifting governmental and societal landscape of 2025 — and what those changes mean for the lives of older and other-abled adults.

Leading the conversation are thought leaders who have shaped the direction of aging services and policies across the nation: Jean C. Accius, PhD, President & CEO of CHC: Creating Healthier Communities; Robert “Bob” Blancato, President of Matz, Blancato and Associates; Richard Browdie, former President and CEO of the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging; Nora Dowd-Eisenhower, AARP Pennsylvania’s Volunteer State President; Brian Duke, Principal of Brian Duke Associates and former Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging; Jason Kavulich, Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging; Sandy Markwood, CEO of USAging; and Teresa Osborne, Director of State Advocacy for AARP Pennsylvania.

Together, this esteemed panel will explore critical questions shaping the future of aging policy: What funding and programmatic changes are impacting service delivery? How can we turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities for equity and inclusion? And what promising innovations are emerging to improve the well-being of older adults? The conversation sets the tone for three days of learning, collaboration, and inspiration — as advocates, providers, and policymakers come together to strengthen the systems that support aging with dignity.