Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) today announced the members appointed by Governor Josh Shapiro to serve on the Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Related Disorders (ADRD) Advisory Committee, which will support the Commonwealth’s first-ever ADRD Office within PDA.
“The Pennsylvania Department of Aging is proud to help, support and advocate for those impacted by Alzheimer’s and Dementia. This Advisory Committee will support the ADRD Office with its goals of addressing the growing public health crisis in our Commonwealth while further amplifying the Department’s work,” said Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich. “I am grateful for Governor Shapiro and the General Assembly for investing in and providing support for this Office and its Advisory Committee. I look forward to working with our partners to improve the lives of Pennsylvanians living with ADRD, their families and caregivers.”
The creation of the ADRD Office delivered on Governor Shapiro’s promise in his 2024-25 budget to invest more in the Commonwealth’s older adult population. In October 2024, Governor Shapiro signed the bipartisan Act 111 of 2024 that created the ADRD Office and the Advisory Committee.
In his 2025-26 budget proposal, Governor Shapiro continues those investments for older Pennsylvanians by including $3 million for the Department to focus on modernizing and strengthening the PA Link, which serves as Pennsylvania’s Aging and Disability Resource Center network, designed to streamline access to long-term services and supports. Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal also includes $2 million so the Department can increase accountability and oversight of the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) network which, among other things, provides resources and protective services for older adults, and a $20 million investment for those AAAs so they can continue to provide key services to older adults.
The establishment of the ADRD Office within the Department of Aging is among the tactics of Aging Our Way, PA – the 10-year strategic plan designed to meet the needs of older Pennsylvanians and improve services for this rapidly growing population.
The ADRD Advisory Committee is made up of accomplished professionals who will advise the Department on necessary updates and implementation of the State Plan, assess the current and future impact of ADRD, and develop strategies to mobilize a statewide response. The committee will convene for its first meeting on August 14.
The members of the ADRD Advisory Committee are:
- Secretary Jason Kavulich, PA Department of Aging
- Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen, PA Department of Health
- Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh, PA Department of Human Services
- Secretary Nancy Walker, PA Department of Labor & Industry
- Senator Wayne Langerholc Jr., Senate Aging & Youth Committee Republican Chairperson
- Senator Maria Collett, Senate Aging & Youth Committee Democratic Chairperson
- Representative Maureen Madden, House Aging & Older Adult Services Committee Democratic Chairperson
- Representative Steven Mentzer, House Aging & Older Adult Services Committee Republican Chairperson
- Melanie Titzel, Ph.D., Engagement Officer, LECOM Institute for Successful Aging; Pennsylvania Council on Aging member; Erie County
- Tom Snedden, Director of PACE, PA Department of Aging
- Victoria Bayle, Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Pennsylvania board member/living with Alzheimer’s, Erie County
- Amanda Neatrour, owner, Lewis Neatrour Group; Allegheny County
- Julieanne Steinbacher, Esq., CELA; Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak; Lycoming County
- Julia Wood, MOT, OTR/L, Director of Professional & Community Education, Lewy Body Dementia Association; Montgomery County
- Matthew Sharp, MSS, Advocacy Manager, The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration; Philadelphia
- Anneliese Perry, MS, NHA, CECM, Program Manager/State Coordinator, Jewish Healthcare Foundation/Dementia Friendly Pennsylvania; Allegheny County
- Krishnankutty (Krish) Sathian, MBBS, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology, Penn State Health; Dauphin County
- David Wolk, MD, Professor of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia
- Oscar Lopez, MD, Professor of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh; Allegheny County
- Jennifer Haeussler-Barnhart, Administrator, Montgomery County Office of Aging Services (Area Agency on Aging)
- Jennifer Jordan, Vice President, Equity and Behavioral Health, The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania
- Megan Barbour, Director, Advocacy and Government Affairs, PA Health Care Association
- Katie Noss, BSN, RN, Director of Clinical Operations, Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers
- Helen Schmid, MBA, Telespond Senior Services, Inc.; Lackawanna County
- Daniel Drake, CEO & President, Trinity Health Care; Chester County
- Jignesh Sheth MD, MPH, FACP, Senior Vice President/Chief Operations and Strategy Officer, The Wright Center for Community Health; Lackawanna County
- Todd Goldberg, MD, Chief of Geriatrics, Jefferson-Abington Hospital; Montgomery County
- Michael Galvan, Director of State Affairs, Alzheimer's Association of Greater Pennsylvania
Learn more about the ADRD Office by visiting the Department of Aging’s website.