HELEN DENNIS

Helen Dennis is a nationally recognized leader on issues of aging, employment, and retirement. She has conducted research on these issues for organizations such as The Conference Board, AARP, UC Berkeley, and the U.S. Administration on Aging. Nationally, she has lectured extensively to the business community, professional groups, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.

In her consulting practice, she has worked with over 10,000 employees planning for the “non-financial” aspects of their retirement including men and women who are senior executives, managers, factory workers, and university faculty and staff. As an author, she is the editor of two books, Retirement Preparation, and Fourteen Steps in Managing an Aging Work Force, and is a weekly columnist writing on successful aging for The Daily Breeze, a Media News/Hearst newspaper. Her most recent book, co-authored with Bernice Bratter, is Project Renewment: The First Retirement Model for Career Women.

A lecturer for more than 20 years at USC’s Andrus Gerontology Center, she has been the recipient of numerous awards for her teaching effectiveness and contributions to the field of aging.

GREG MERRILL

Greg Merrill is President and CEO of the National Older Worker Career Center (NOWCC) and former Chairman of the NOWCC Board of Directors.

The NOWCC is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting experienced workers as a valuable and critical component of the nation’s workforce. Since its establishment in 1997 NOWCC has, through hundreds of workers ages 55+, provided over 13 million hours of dedicated, experienced labor to two federal agencies. NOWCC currently operates cost-effective, flexible and innovative experienced worker programs for the Environmental Protection Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the US Department of Agriculture.

Prior to joining NOWCC, Mr. Merrill spent 19 years with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), moving from research and planning to legislative affairs. For seven years, he served as the Director of State Legislation of AARP during a period when the association was becoming more involved with older worker issues. Following his tenure at AARP, Mr. Merrill managed state government affairs, grassroots operations and policy campaigns for several national trade associations, accumulating broader responsibilities throughout his career.

FRED MANDELL

Fred Mandell is a former financial services executive who has built leading marketing and sales businesses and run a multi-billion dollar investment company. He is currently an author, nationally collected sculptor and painter and catalyst for personal change. He has helped thousands of individuals and their organizations internationally to develop their creative skills and enhance their personal and professional growth.

Fred’s life and work has been featured in the Public Television Series “Boomers: Redefining Life After 50.” In addition he has been featured or quoted in numerous national newspapers, magazine and TV media related to leadership, change and creativity, including Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Conference Board, and Money Magazine. In recent years, Fred has taken on an active role in several organizations prominent in helping midlife adults make successful transitions in their lives. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of both the Life Planning Network and Discovering What’s Next.

As an artist Fred has been featured in the national publication Gallery Guide. He has had one person shows at: Ford Center Gallery, Minneapolis, Imagine Fine Art Gallery, Rhode Island, Wellesley Free Library, Wellesley, MA, Martins Gallery, South Africa., and has participated in numerous juried shows. His sculptures, paintings and drawings are in private and corporate collections. Most recently his bronze self portrait has been commissioned to be featured on the poster for the international conference on “The Self/Le Soi” co-sponsored by the University of Chicago and the Sorbonne

Fred holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago and an Ed.M. in psychology from Boston University.