May 4, 2015 (Washington, D.C.) – Earlier this year, the White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) launched a series of regional forums to provide input and ideas for the 2015 White House Conference on Aging, which will take place this summer in Washington, DC. The forums are designed to engage with leaders in the field of aging, older Americans, their families, caregivers and others on key issues affecting older Americans.
Three member organizations of the Lutheran Services in America (LSA) network were invited by the White House to attend the most recent regional forum, held in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 27, 2015. Representing the LSA network at the event were Pat Savage, president and CEO of Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries; Roxanne Jenkins, associate vice president of Older Adult Services at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota; Bill Serr, president and CEO of Graceworks Lutheran Services; and Judy Budi, vice president of Residential Care, Graceworks Lutheran Services.
Key federal government officials headlined the event, including Julian Castro, secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Kathy Greenlee, administrator for the Administration for Community Living and assistant secretary for Aging within the US Department for Health and Human Services (HHS); and Nora Super, executive director of the White House Conference on Aging. State and regional leaders included Kathleen Falk, regional director for HHS Region 5, as well as Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D, OH-9).