Advancing Livable Inclusive Vibrant Environments: Age Friendly Communities

Welcome to ALIVE - a convening of key stakeholders from each of our 7 counties in the Central Pines Region. Come together to connect, learn, and grow. Learn from success stories in our region and other urban and rural parts of NC. Develop action plans to advance your community to make our region even more appealing as a place to live, work, recreate, and retire. Add to the discussions and leave feeling energized and motivated to take your community to the next level. See you there!

Agenda

9:15 Registration

10:00 Welcome, Logistics of Day

10:15 What and Who Makes A Community Livable and Age-Friendly?

Definitions, 8 Domains of Livability

Successes in North Carolina

11:00 Collaboration in Orange County

11:30 Moderated Panel Discussion – What is on the horizon for our region?

How can communities address and plan for the future?

12:30 Lunch with Discussion Question

1:30 Workgroup Activity: Participants from each county set goals and create action items to advance one or more domains of livability.

3:30 Wrap up & Next Steps

Speakers

Mark Hensley is the Associate State Director for Community Outreach and Advocacy Triad Region with AARP North Carolina. Prior to joining the AARP team in 2018, he was the Dementia Services Coordinator for the NC Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging and Adult Services, where he led efforts to implement NC's first Alzheimer's State Plan including the development of Dementia-Capable Communities across the state. Mark has over 25 years of experience with home and community-based services for older adults, state policy and legislation development, compliance monitoring, program development, and grants administration. Mark currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Triad Retirement Living Association (TRLA) and the National Board of Directors for Adult Children of Aging Parents (ACAP).

Personally, he was the caregiver for both of his parents who he lost to dementia. He holds a Master of Arts degree from Appalachian State University and is a recent graduate of Class #28 with Leadership North Carolina. Mark and his husband Paul reside in Greensboro, NC and are proud parents of their daughter, Catherine, who is an elementary school curriculum coach in Durham, NC.

Heather Burkhardt, MSW serves as the AARP Associate State Director of Outreach and Advocacy for the Triangle. She has over 25 years of experience working with older adults and their caregivers spanning both the non-profit and state government sectors. Throughout her professional career, she has provided leadership among aging advocates, cultivated relationships with community partners as well as state and local officials, and has been a key educator in North Carolina communities about aging-related matters.

Heather served for 18 years at the NC DHHS, Division of Aging and Adult Services. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for both NC Senior Games and Carolina Aging Alliance. Heather earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in social work and Certificate in Gerontology from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC.

Janice Tyler is the Director of the Orange County Department on Aging and has recently celebrated 37 years with the department. She is also a leader in the aging network in NC having served on the NC Association on Aging Board since 2011, including serving as President from 2014-2016. She served two terms as the Chair of the NC Senior Center Alliance and remains an ex-officio member of the steering committee. She served from 2016-2022 on the NC Coalition on Aging Board and as Vice-President from 2016-2018. She is a member of the Southern Gerontological Society, the American Society on Aging, the National Council on Aging, and the National Institute of Senior Centers.

Her love is helping persons age in community with passion and purpose. Janice, along with a leadership team, is working to make Orange County the best place to age in NC. Orange County has been a leader in NC for 20+ years in aging plan with completing their fifth 2022-2027 Master Aging Plan (MAP). She and her team are committed to help older adults age well in an inclusive, accessible, and supportive community.