Speakers

Gadi Amit - President/Principal Designer, New Deal Design and Contributor to Fast Company
Lori Bitter - President, Continuum Crew
Andy Cohen - CEO and Co-Founder of Caring.com
Scott Collins - President and CEO, Linkage
Helen Conroy - Founder, Piedmont Law Partners
Andy Donner - Director, Physic Ventures
Hartmut Esslinger - Founder, Frog Design
Susan Estrada - President, Aldea Communications
Mary Furlong - CEO, Mary Furlong & Associates
Joanne Handy - CEO, Aging Services of California
Michael Hensley - District Manager, First Republic Bank
Bill Holsten - Associate Director, Ideation & Innovation, Bayer HealthCare Consumer Division
Jody Holtzman - Senior Vice President, Thought Leadership, AARP
Kurt Hulander - Platform Leader, Health Solutions, Best Buy
Bill Johnston - Director of Global Community, Dell
Stephen Johnston - Founder & CEO, Fordcastle LLC
Nancy Kamei - Sector Director, Intel Capital
Guy Kawasaki - Author, Blogger, CEO at Alltop
Jeff Makowka - Senior Strategic Advisor, Thought Leadership, AARP
Laura Mitchell - VP Marketing, GrandCare Systems
Alexandra Morehouse - Former Chief Marketing Officer, AAA
Vijay Nadkarni - Former CEO, Wellcore
Greg O'Neill - Director, National Academy on an Aging Society
Karen Orton - Vice President, Enterprise Solutions, Lithium Technologies
Steve Parker - Vice President, Internet at firstSTREET
Randy Paynter - Founder and CEO of Care2.com
Jason Popko - Robert Bosch Healthcare,Founder of Good Design Age Well
Steve Shefveland - Founder and CEO of Ashesi Global Services, Inc. and Tree Rings, LLC
Robin Sitver - Executive Director, Business Development, Johnson & Johnson Healthcare
Jeff Shoemate - Vice President of Innovation and Business Development, United Healthcare
Drew Starbird - Dean, Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University
Dr. Frank Wildman - Internationally Acclaimed Teacher and Expert in the Feldenkrais Method
Peter Ziebelman - Partner, Palo Alto Venture Partners
Jeff Zimman - Chairman, Posit Science

MORE ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

Gadi Amit
President/Principal Designer
New Deal Design and Contributor to Fast Company

Gadi Amit has produced some of the worlds most recognizable and loved objects. Named one of Fast Company Magazines 'Masters of Design' in October 2010, his work and expertise has been featured in numerous publications such as Business Week, Fast Company, Success Magazine, Inc., Venture Beat among others. Gadi is CEO and creative force behind NewDealDesign; famous for such successful products as the Palm Zire, Dell Studio Hybrid, SlingBoxes and the Fitbit Wellness Tracker. Using an innovative process called "Hybrid Design" Gadi has accumulated over 100 design awards for his firm and is recognized as one of the world's leading product designers.

Back to top

Lori Bitter
President
Continuum Crew

Lori Bitter is President of Continuum Crew, an integrated communications firm focused on engaging mature consumers. Lori has more than 25 years of advertising, public relations and strategic planning experience and is the author of numerous white papers on topics relevant to the senior and Boomer population.

Back to top

Andy Cohen
CEO and Co-Founder
Caring.com

Andy Cohen is the founder and CEO of Caring.com, a website to help adult children care for their aging parents. Andy has over 20 years of marketing experience at companies including SC Johnson Wax, Peapod and Intuit. Andy is a graduate of Stanford University and Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.

Back to top

Scott Collins
President and CEO
Linkage

As President/CEO, Mr. Collins is responsible for the strategic direction & growth of the company which connects its more than 460 member locations to a broad range of resources to ensure their ongoing success. Linkage collaborates with senior living providers & thought leaders throughout the country to explore new market opportunities beyond the campus as well as innovative ways of generating revenue and containing costs.

Before joining Linkage, Mr. Collins was a Vice President & Senior Account Executive with GE Capital Commercial Asset Funding. Mr. Collins has also held senior management positions in the commercial real estate and textile industries.

Back to top

Helen Conroy
Founder
Piedmont Law Partners

Helen Leah Conroy is an experienced transaction counsel and the founder of Piedmont Law Partners, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Conroy negotiates, drafts and advises clients on a wide variety of business agreements in support of business operations and engineering. Recent deals have included global outsourcing agreements; strategic "partnership", business development / revenue sharing agreements; content licenses (inbound and outbound, representing internet service companies as well as developers and publishers of content); and internet services agreements of all kinds.

Ms. Conroy was a partner in the San Francisco based law firm of Thelen Marrin Johnson & Bridges (later, Thelen Reid & Priest), before starting her own law practice in 2001. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia School of Law, she was a commercial litigator for 15 years before focusing entirely on contract negotiation. Ms. Conroy is a member of the New York and California bars.

Back to top

Andy Donner
Director
Physic Ventures

Mr. Donner has 15 years of investment and management experience in the information technology, healthcare and consumer product industries. At Physic Ventures, Mr. Donner focuses on investments in the Connected Health sector which includes digital media, monitoring technologies, innovative health delivery, wellness and condition management programs.

Back to top

Hartmut Esslinger
Founder
Frog Design

Hartmut is the founder and longtime co-CEO of frog. He now serves as strategic and creative adviser to the company under the title of frog Fellow. His vision has defined frog and his work has helped to develop the modern consumer aesthetic, through revolutionary products like the Sony Trinitron and the Apple Macintosh. Hartmut is founding professor of the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Karlsruhe, Germany. He has an honorary doctorate from the Parson School of Design, and is an honorary member of the Design Academy of Mexico. In 1992, he received the Raymond Loewy Lifetime Achievement Award. Hartmut's work has been incorporated into the design collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Smithsonian Institution, and Neue Sammlung, Munich.

Back to top

Susan Estrada
President
Aldea Communications

Since 1993, UCLA engineering graduate Susan Estrada has lead Aldea's technology efforts., Now, Aldea brings you Happy@Home (tm), a new concept in affordable technology for independent living. Our rigorous in-lab testing means great performance with no worries. Susan and her staff have provided core services for educational initiatives such as CENIC and the National LambdaRail. Susan provided the vision, the managerial savvy and the technical know-how to bring CENIC's One Gigabit or Bust Initiative to the forefront. By bringing together the interests of research, education, commerce, state and local government and the general public, Susan spearheaded an action plan for delivery of one gigabit broadband capabilities to every educational institution, business and home in California by 2010.

Susan Estrada is an Internet pioneer. Named a "thinking nerd" by colleagues, she has a deep interest in emerging broadband technologies and making those technologies work to solve real-world problems.

Back to top

Mary Furlong
CEO
Mary Furlong & Associates

Mary Furlong, Ed.D., MFA's president and CEO, is a leading authority on the baby boom generation as it moves toward and beyond age 50. Through her three companies, she has raised over 130 million dollars in venture financing and corporate sponsorships for companies with products and services to serve the needs of the boomer/senior marketplace. In March 2011, Mary received an award as one of the top 100 Women of Influence by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. She is also the author of "Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace".

Back to top

Joanne Handy
CEO
Aging Services of California

Joanne Handy is the President and CEO of Aging Services of California, which represents the nonprofit senior living field of CCRCs, assisted living, senior housing and community-based services. Aging Services is the founding sponsor of AgeTech California, a partnership of the senior living and home care fields advancing the use of technologies by providers. Until 2009, she was the President of the Visiting Nurse Association of Boston, the nation's oldest and one of the largest VNAs on the east coast. She is the former President of the Goldman Institute on Aging, an affiliate of the University of California San Francisco, known for its pioneering work in developing community-based services for older adults. She is active nationally in the aging and home care fields, having serving until 2010 on the national Board of Directors of AARP, representing 36 million Americans 50 years and older. She is the former Chair of the American Society on Aging, the largest gerontological professional association in the country. She was appointed as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. She is a former Board member of the National Association for Home Care and Hospice. She is a former Chair of the California Association for Home Care at Home. She was a Kellogg International Leadership Fellow and is the author of several publications spanning the areas of geriatrics, home care, management, and marketing.

Back to top

Michael Hensley
District Manager
First Republic Bank

Michael Hensley is the District Manager of the Peninsula Market at First Republic Bank. He is responsible for offices from Millbrae to Los Gatos including the newly opened office on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park . Within First Republic Bank, Michael is helping "community happen" at planned events centered around Boomer's needs and desires. He also serves as a member of the Advisory Council for El Camino Hospital in Los Gatos where he has been pivotal in connecting the hospital with the community it serves.

Back to top

Bill Holsten
Associate Director, Ideation & Innovation
Bayer HealthCare Consumer Division

Bill leads new product idea generation workshops for Bayer Consumer Care's global analgesic, dermatological, nutritional and gastrointestinal category businesses. He's a 25-year brand manager who in 2009 joined Bayer's "Global Innovation and New Technologies" team, to help R&D, marketing and business managers work together to generate growth through insight-driven, technologically viable product ideas. Bill has been an advertising creative director, new business development manager in both OTC drugs and diabetes care, and an entrepreneur. Bill has a BS in Communication Arts & Sciences, and an MBA in Marketing, from St. John's University.

Back to top

Jody Holtzman
Senior Vice President, Thought Leadership
AARP

Jody Holtzman has more than two decades of experience helping companies develop and implement competitive strategies and achieve their strategic market goals. At AARP he leads AARP's new Thought Leadership efforts which support the organization's new brand positioning around a focus on living not just aging and for people 50+ to live their best life. Previously, Jody led AARP's research, competitive intelligence and strategic analysis functions. A central focus of this research is to understand the needs, wants and preferences of AARP members and prospective members, their intent to join and renew their memberships, as well as their views regarding AARP's social mission and policy goals. Prior to that, Jody was AARP's first Director of Strategic Analysis and Intelligence where his team provided forward looking and actionable insight about AARP's external environment in support of senior management decision-making. Jody is a member of AARP's Leadership Team and Brand Council.

Back to top

Kurt Hulander
Platform Leader, Health Solutions
Best Buy

Kurt Hulander, a 10 year veteran of Best Buy, assumed the role of Platform Leader for Health Solutions in July, 2010. In this capacity Kurt is charged with developing and executing the strategic vision for Best Buy to enter and effectively participate in the healthcare industry. This involves retail solutions as well as strategic partnerships and product or program development. Previous to his current role at BBY, Kurt was a member of the Best Buy marketing group and held a variety of positions related to innovation and business development, including work on the Best Buy small business initiative and new format development.

Back to top

Bill Johnston - Director of Global Community, Dell

Bill Johnston is Dell's Director of Global Community, where he oversees global online community strategy and programs for the company, including IdeaStorm. Prior to Dell, Bill was Chief Community Officer with Forum One Networks where he directed social media events, collaborative research projects, and led the company's commercial consulting practice. Bill has also held senior positions with Autodesk, and helped launch TechRepublic.com in the late 90's. Bill founded the Online Community Roundtable group in 1995.

Back to top

Stephen Johnston
Founder & CEO
Fordcastle, LLC and Aging2.com

Stephen Johnston is the Founder and CEO of Fordcastle LLC, a New York-based innovation consultancy, which is part of the Growth Agenda network. Stephen previously worked at Nokia, Siebel Systems and Bertelsmann on strategic planning, new ventures and mobile services.

Over the past year, Stephen has been consulting to a major pharmaceutical company exploring new solutions for diabetes, and one of the world's largest hotel chains helping to deliver new guest experiences. In addition, he's been working with a family foundation on a personalized biotech research project exploring innovative stem cell therapies and exploring potential cures for Alzheimer's and dementia. His personal blog is threedimensionalpeople.com and he edits an online portal highlighting innovation in the aging space at Aging2.com and a LinkedIn Group called Aging2.0.

Back to top

Nancy Kamei
Sector Director
Intel Capital

Dr. Nancy Kamei manages minority equity investments in healthcare, life sciences, and cleantech for Intel Capital. These include Intel Capital's investments in CardioDx, Expression Diagnostics, Pacific Biosciences, and Tethys Bioscience among others. Prior to joining Intel Capital, she was an analyst/portfolio manager at Capital Group Companies ("Cap Guardian") responsible for public equity investments in biotechnology, healthcare services and facilities, healthcare information technology and consumer products. Prior to Capital, she was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Institutional Venture Partners and a serial entrepreneur, having been on the start-up teams of four successful biotechnology companies: Onyx Pharmaceuticals (ONXX), Tularik (sold to Amgen/TLRK), GlycoGen (sold to Cytel/CYTL), and ImmuLogic (IMUL).

Back to top

Guy Kawasaki
Author, Blogger, CEO
Alltop

Guy Kawasaki is the author of nine acclaimed books, including Reality Check and The Art of the Start. He's a founding partner and entrepreneur-in-residence at Garage Technology Ventures, a columnist for Entrepreneur, and a popular blogger. He is also the cofounder of Alltop.com, an "online magazine rack" of popular topics on the Web. Previously he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc and worked on the launch of the original Macintosh in the mid 1980s. Visit www.GuyKawasaki.com

Back to top

Jeff Makowka
Senior Strategic Advisor, Thought Leadership
AARP

Mr. Makowka has over a decade of experience in strategic analysis, management consulting and market research. For over 5 years, Jeff has been focused on the wants and needs of the 50+ both domestically and internationally. As Senior Strategic Advisor in AARP's newly formed Thought Leadership group, he supports the organization's new brand positioning around a focus on living not just aging and for people 50+ to live their best life.

Prior to this role, Jeff held the position of Senior Manager, Global Member Value in AARP's Membership Development group. Before his work at AARP, Jeff was a Project Manager and Senior Business Analyst in the Monetizing Knowledge Practice at Edgewater Strategy Services. Before working at Edgewater, Jeff held positions as a Research Associate and Web Business Analyst with Jupiter Media Metrix.

Back to top

Laura Mitchell
VP Marketing
GrandCare Systems

Laura Mitchell is the VP of Marketing and a founding member of the GrandCare team, a software development company that has created a smart home wellness assessment, social connectivity and activity of daily living monitoring technology to allow individuals to live independently with greater security and less social isolation. A significant part of her role was to bring the product to market through the development of a nation-wide dealer/distributor network and PR/marketing.

Back to top

Alexandra Morehouse
Former Chief Marketing Officer
AAA

Over the past twenty years, Alexandra Morehouse has worked as a CMO generating strategies for driving profitable growth. She had delivered incremental revenue, captured high-ROI customers and dramatically strengthened brands for such companies as AAA, Charles Schwab & Co, and American Express.

Alexandra received her MBA from the Harvard Business School. As a nationally recognized and award winning CMO, with expertise in global brand awareness, revenue growth, and strategic business planning, she is adept at building teams that beat market expectations by 20% or more. She has been featured in "Forbes", "Business Week", "The Economist" and "Direct Marketing" magazine for driving profitable growth.

Back to top

Vijay Nadkarni
Former CEO
Wellcore

Vijay Nadkarni's 20-year career in the wireless, networking and biomedical sectors shows a consistent track record of conceiving and delivering first-on-the-market products-from concept to industry success. Vijay co-founded Veraz Networks (formerly ipVerse, Inc.) that generated over $100 million in revenues in 2006, leading to an IPO.

Vijay currently holds eight issued patents, and has another eight patents in progress. He holds a B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University, where he was a Walter Murphy Fellow, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.

Back to top

Greg O'Neill
Director
National Academy on an Aging Society

Greg O'Neill is director of the National Academy on an Aging Society, a Washington, DC, think tank on population and aging issues. His publications include "The Baby Boom Age Wave: Success or Tsunami?" that appears in Boomer Bust? Economic and Political Issues of the Graying Society. Greg is the co-editor of Public Policy & Aging Report, the Academy's signature publication. For the past 5 years, O'Neill has directed GSA's Civic Engagement in an Older America project, an initiative funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies. Greg received his PhD in Sociology from Duke University with a concentration in population studies.

Back to top

Karen Orton
Vice President, Enterprise Solutions
Lithium Technologies

Karen Orton, Vice President of Enterprise Solutions for Lithium Technologies. Karen has worked with online communities for more than a decade in her role as a marketing and sales executive for Internet and Hightechnology companies. At Lithium, Karen works with key enterprise customers, advising them on their online community business strategies. She is responsible for many of Lithium's strategic accounts including Symantec, Lenovo, and MTV (Viacom), Computer Associates and HP. Karen is also an advisor to several Web 2.0 start-ups. She will talk about how Web 2.0 strategies are being used to enable companies to increase brand loyalty, sales, and customer satisfaction at an affordable cost.

Back to top

Steve Parker
Vice President, Internet
firstSTREET

Steve Parker joined firstSTREET in November 2010. His 25+ year career began with a decade of consumer package goods marketing for No Nonsense pantyhose and Keebler Company. Steve then led marketing for MyPoints.com from launch through a successful IPO, served as CEO of Cogit.com and spent the last decade as an independent real estate investor, internet entrepreneur and consultant. Steve holds a MBA from Loyola University in Chicago (Beta Gamma Sigma) and a BS in Commerce from the University of Virginia .

Back to top

Randy Paynter
Founder and CEO
Care2.com

Randy Paynter is the Founder and CEO of Care2.com. With 15 million members, Care2 is the largest and fastest growing online community of people making a difference in healthy & green living, human rights and animal welfare. Care2 empowers individuals to "Make a Difference" with daily actions, healthy living advice, news on causes, petitions, contests, groups and more. In 2008, Care2 became a "B Corporation" as a mark of its commitment to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. He holds an AB from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

Back to top

Jason Popko
Robert Bosch Healthcare
Founder of Good Design Age Well

Founder of Good Design Age Well brings to each new professional experience the creativity to connect the dots, and the discipline to complete every project. He spearheaded user-insight and product merchandise strategy for HomePreferred, a startup brick-n-mortar retail concept to serve a new generation of adults who want a family friendly, accessible, lifetime home. Currently, he passionately markets the Health Buddy telehealth solution at Robert Bosch Healthcare. After experiencing many different caregiver roles for an elderly parent he has made it his personal mission to bring a collaborative approach to innovate lifestyle choices for later life-stages.

Back to top

Steve Shefveland
Founder and CEO
Ashesi Global Services, Inc. and Tree Rings, LLC

Steve Shefveland is a 20-year sales and marketing veteran, who is founder and CEO of Ashesi Global Services, Inc. and Tree Rings, LLC, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Tree Rings was founded in 2009 and employs "boomers" and senior adults in its call centers near retirement communities to provide customer care, sales and technical support services for companies selling to the aging adult population. Mr. Shefveland attributes Tree Rings' success to his direct investment in senior adults, whose experience and skills are highly valued for achieving the company's vision of serving others.

Back to top

Robin Sitver
Executive Director, Business Development
Johnson & Johnson Healthcare

Robin Sitver is Executive Director, Business Development for Johnson & Johnson Healthcare. She is responsible for licensing, acquisitions and divestitures for the global topical health and eye care franchises. She joined J&J in December, 2006 with the acquisition of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare after a 27 year career with Pfizer where she held a variety of positions in finance, systems, marketing and international operations in the Pharmaceuticals, Animal Health Divisions and Consumer Healthcare divisions.

Back to top

Jeff Shoemate
Vice President of Innovation and Business Development
United Healthcare

Jeff Shoemate is Vice President of Innovation and Business Development for the senior markets segment of United Health Group, known as United Healthcare - Medicare & Retirement. In this role, Jeff leads a team responsible for development of new product and service offerings, for UHC Medicare & Retirement and the introduction of new value-added innovations to AARP, a long-term marketing partner of UHC - Medicare & Retirement.

Back to top

Drew Starbird
Dean, Leavey School of Business
Santa Clara University

Drew Starbird became Dean of the Leavey School of Business on July 1, 2010, following a year of service as Interim Dean. He succeeds Barry Z. Posner, who held the post for twelve years and is returning to the management faculty.

Dr. Starbird is a professor of Operations and Management Information Systems in the Business School where he has taught since 1987. He has provided leadership in varied posts, including a stint as Director of the Food and Agribusiness Institute, a multi-disciplinary research program; chaired the Undergraduate Leadership Team of faculty and professional staff; as well as serving as faculty director of the School's Undergraduate Business programs.

Professor Starbird teaches operations management, statistics, and business analytics at the undergraduate, MBA, and Executive MBA levels, as well as conducting extensive research in quality control and management, supply chain management, food safety, and contracting.

Back to top

Dr. Frank Wildman
Internationally Acclaimed Teacher and Expert
Feldenkrais Method

Dr. Frank Wildman, an internationally acclaimed teacher and expert in the Feldenkrais Method, has been developing the Change Your Age Program with students and clients for over thirty years. Change Your Age is an example of the New Fitness Movement applied to boomers and a novel approach in experiencing how we use our bodies and minds. Based on principles of childhood development and newly applied to adults, the Change Your Age program is a groundbreaking technique that trains the brain to alter signals to the body so we begin to move in healthier, stronger, more coordinated and more youthful ways.

Back to top

Peter Ziebelman
Partner
Palo Alto Venture Partners

Peter Ziebelman started his career as a venture capitalist over 22 years ago. He is a general partner and co-founder of Palo Alto Venture Partners. Palo Alto Venture Partners is a 'hands-on' VC firm focused on early and development stage technology investments. Peter has served on the boards of dozens of high technology companies across a range of sectors from cloud based computing (DemandForce) to mobile computing (AvantGo) to car insurance (esurance) to long term care insurance (AGIS).

Back to top

Jeff Zimman
Chairman
Posit Science

Jeff Zimman is the co-founder and Chairman of Posit Science, the leading provider of brain fitness software. More than 60 articles in peer-reviewed science and medical journals have shown that the company's patented technologies significantly increase processing speed, improve memory and attention, and enhance quality of life (including improvements in mood and every day activities, such as driving). The company's distribution partners include health, long term care and auto insurers, retirement communities, adult education programs, hospitals, clinics, senior centers, national retailers and AAA auto clubs.

Back to top