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AARP Foundation Board of Directors


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The AARP Foundation board of directors advances the Foundation’s mission and impact on the world with discussions and decisions about why AARP Foundation exists, what it strives to do, its intended beneficiaries, and its significance as a social institution.

Board of Directors

 

Libby Sartain

Chair

Libby Sartain, MBA, of Bastrop, Texas, is an independent advisor working with companies on human resource issues. With more than 40 years of experience in human resources, she is also an author and frequent public speaker, using her HR leadership and management experience at companies in technology, transportation and manufacturing.

Libby led human resources at Yahoo! and at Southwest Airlines during transformative periods. Both companies were among Fortune magazine’s “Best Places to Work” during her tenure. She is chair of the board of SHRM Foundation and the former board chair of the Society for Human Resource Management, and she is on the board of ManpowerGroup. She resides in Texas.

Susan Werth

Vice Chair

Susan Werth of Miami, Florida, is a career corporate legal executive who has extensive experience in hospitality and real estate development, as well as a reputation for collaboration and strategic advocacy. During her 20 years at Starwood Hotels she held a variety of legal and executive roles, the last as SVP and general counsel for the Americas, Starwood’s largest division with over 650 hotels in 23 countries.

Pre-Starwood, Susan was SVP and general counsel of Vistana, Inc., a publicly traded vacation-ownership developer and operator acquired by Starwood in 1999. Before joining Vistana, she was in private practice as a real estate partner at the Miami office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP, specializing in complex real estate, corporate and securitization transactions.

A member of the Florida Bar and a former president of the Florida Bar Foundation, Susan is on the board of directors of AARP Foundation in Washington, D.C., where she currently chairs the Development Committee. She is a member of the Miami Committee of Human Rights Watch and of the International Women’s Forum. She is an active investor in regional startup companies through angel investing group Miami Angels.

Susan and her husband, Bernard Silver, live in Miami, Florida.

 

Judge Patricia Banks

Director

Judge Patricia Banks (Retired, Chicago, Illinois) received her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Judge Banks practiced law for over 20 years before her 1994 election to a judgeship for the Circuit Court of Cook County. She served as a trial judge in the Domestic Relations and Law divisions prior to her appointment as the founding presiding judge of the Elder Law and Miscellaneous Remedies (ELMR) Division from 2010 to 2017. The ELMR Division is the only division of its kind in the United States and was established to improve access to justice for elders.

Judge Banks has served as a consultant on elder abuse for the National Center for State Courts. She is also a former faculty member of the Illinois Supreme Court Judicial Conference, where she lectured on elder abuse and aging. She has given testimony before the Elder Justice Coordinating Council, and most recently participated in a panel discussion at a congressional briefing on the intergenerational, interdisciplinary issue of advance care planning. She is a former board member for the Center for Conflict Resolution and is a certified mediator with advanced certification in elder care mediation.

Judge Banks chaired the 15-member America Bar Association Commission on Law & Aging, the Elder Law Committee of the National Association of Women Judges, and the Elder Abuse Committee of the American Judges Association. During the course of her legal career she served as a member of the Chicago Bar Association board of managers and the Chicago Bar Foundation board of directors, and as vice president of the Cook County Bar Association, chairing its Judicial Evaluation Committee. Judge Banks chaired the Illinois Supreme Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinating Committee and the Judicial Council Division of the National Bar Association. She also served on the advisory board of Concordia University-Chicago Center for Gerontology.

Judge Banks established the Circuit Court of Cook County Elder Justice Center, a comprehensive resource center designed to close the access gap for seniors through a free legal clinic, benefits counseling, and educational seminars on a myriad of issues including abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. She currently facilitates workshops, publishes articles, and speaks globally on elder law and elder care issues.

 

Robert “Bob” Blancato

Director

Robert “Bob” Blancato of Alexandria, Virginia, is president of Matz, Blancato and Associates, a public relations and government relations firm. He spent 17 years on the staff of the U.S. House Select Committee on Aging and has participated in four White House Conferences on Aging, including as the executive director of the 1995 conference. With over 30 years of deep experience in the field of aging and public service, he is executive director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs and the national coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition.

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As a volunteer, Bob serves on the board of the National Hispanic Council on Aging. From 2016 to 2018, he chaired the American Society on Aging (ASA). He is a former volunteer state president of AARP Virginia and served six years on the board of the National Council on Aging. He is a former president of the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. 

In 2019, he was appointed by HHS Secretary Alex Azar to the National Advisory Council on Rural Health and Human Services. Bob was named to the ASA Hall of Fame in 2020. He was knighted by the Republic of Italy in 2011.

 

Elaine Boltz

Director

Elaine Boltz is a transformational leader, recognized for driving impactful, large-scale change for top retail and consumer businesses. She has more than 15 years’ experience growing revenue for companies ranging from $1 billion to $25 billion in global sales.

In her most recent role as executive vice president (EVP) and chief operations and transformation officer for Crocs Inc., Elaine led the revolution of the company’s global supply chain, technology and inventory planning, enabling revenues to triple during her tenure. Previously, she served as president of TJX Digital, a standalone operating division of TJX Companies that launched ecommerce. She also served as SVP of direct-to-consumer for Chicos FAS and as EVP, chief strategy and marketing officer at Ann Inc., where she developed and executed brand differentiation for Loft and Ann Taylor.

Elaine was a partner at BCG’s consumer and retail practice, where she now serves as a senior advisor. She served on the board of Brinker International, owner of Chili’s restaurants, and was also an independent director for private-equity-owned Purpose-Built Brands, a household product company. She earned a master’s degree from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Claire Casey

President, AARP Foundation, and Director

As president of AARP Foundation, Claire Casey guides the strategic direction of the nation’s leading organization committed to reducing poverty for older adults. In her first year, the Foundation worked with more than 1 million older adults with low income, who earned $913 million through new jobs, benefits or tax refunds, and it fought for their rights all the way up to the Supreme Court. Working with staff and partners, Claire also led the development of a roadmap for how AARP Foundation can reach even more people and change more lives.

Under her leadership, the Foundation is investing in technology and research and capitalizing on expertise built over 60 years helping older adults access economic opportunity to advance effective, scalable solutions. It’s embracing volunteerism to drive social change, building on a base of more than 27,000 committed volunteers who power the Foundation’s Experience Corps and Tax-Aide programs.

Claire joined the Foundation from Economist Impact, where she was the global head of policy and insights. She managed teams on five continents, driving awareness and action on critical global issues such as food security and global aging. She also founded FP Analytics, the research and analysis division of the FP Group and publisher of Foreign Policy magazine, where she pioneered a new kind of thought leadership platform combining independent public policy research with the creativity and reach of a respected media brand.

She has more than two decades of experience leading organizations through transformation and growth and providing evidence-based strategic advisory services to Fortune 100 corporations, foundations, governments and international institutions. Her writing has appeared in The Washington PostFinancial TimesInternational EconomyAmericas QuarterlyThe Telegraph and Foreign Policy. She holds a master’s degree in international economics and international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a bachelor’s degree in international politics and economics from Middlebury College. Claire is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

 

Beth Chandler

Director

Beth Chandler is a proven leader with deep expertise in strategy, operations and human capital management. She has extensive experience in change management and an established reputation for her work in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across all sectors.

Since 2017, Beth has served as president and CEO of YW Boston. She successfully transformed the organization from over 10 years of deficit spending to one that consistently meets or exceeds revenue goals. Beth restructured program offerings, which included divesting two programs and selling one. She diversified revenue streams to include a more robust fee-for-service portfolio and state funding. In addition, she oversaw the sale of the organization’s building and worked with the finance committee to develop the organization’s investment policy statement for the proceeds.

Beth joined YW Boston (then known as YWCA Boston) in 2012 as vice president of programs. She previously served as VP of operations at the Achievement Network, where she worked with a team to establish the infrastructure for expansion. She drove operating efficiencies in product distribution and designed performance management systems. She also worked at NeighborWorks© America, where she launched the national business development team responsible for creating value-driven partnerships with national foundations and Fortune 500 companies for a network of over 250 affordable housing organizations across the U.S., Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Beth began her career as a corporate banking associate with Bank of America. She was recognized as the first nonprofit recipient of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts Leading Women Award in 2023, received the Catalyst Award from Science Club for Girls in 2021, and was named one of Boston Business Journal’s Power 50 Movement Makers in 2021.

 

Sailesh Chutani

Director

Sailesh Chutani is a senior executive with over 30 years of experience in technology, health care and telecommunications in the Fortune 500 companies and startups. He has a track record of bringing significant innovations to the market that have served millions of customers and created billions of dollars in value.

Most recently Sailesh was the chief technology officer of Logitech (a $5 billion+ public company), reporting to the CEO. He helped the company grow from $3 billion to over $5 billion in revenue through the development of new businesses, products and capabilities. Prior to that he had executive roles at Amazon and Microsoft and was the CEO of a pioneering digital health company Mobisante.

At Amazon, as an entrepreneur-in-residence, Sailesh developed opportunities in consumer robotics, sustainability, and circular economy-based approach for the clothing industry. As the CEO of Mobisante, he led the company through initial product creation, FDA clearance, financing, GTM, revenues, and sale to private equity. He managed a $220 million+ P&L at Microsoft after turning it around, and a $100 million investment portfolio focused on early-stage technologies. Sailesh was on the founding team of Transarc (acquired by IBM), which became a multibillion-dollar business.

He is currently an independent board director and advisor to several companies in health care, sustainability, carbon removal and AI.

Sailesh and his work have been featured in The New York Times, Economist, CNN, MIT Technology Review and TEDMED, and have won global recognition such as the GSMA award for innovation. IBM Figures of Progress and Rainmakers TV have profiled him. His book Technology at the Margins received a foreword by the Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus. He has international experience, having lived and worked in the U.S., Switzerland and India. He is multilingual and fluent in English, French and Hindi.

Sailesh has a doctorate in computer science from the Swiss Federal institute of Technology in Switzerland.

 

Gregory J. Dyson

Director

Gregory J. Dyson of Olney, Maryland, is currently the chief operating officer of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), the nation’s leading nonprofit promoting a just economy for all through wealth creation, housing opportunities, community development and racial equity. He is a member of NCRC’s Senior Executive Team with oversight of strategic planning, human resources, operations and innovation.

Previously, Gregory served as chief operating officer and executive vice president of the ANA Enterprise, the family of organizations composed of the American Nurses Association, American Nurses Credentialing Center, and American Nurses Foundation. ANA represents the interests of the nation’s more than 4 million registered nurses.

Gregory has over 25 years of experience leading marketing and operations for both the public and nonprofit sectors. In addition, he possesses a deep understanding of the needs of and challenges faced by the aging population, having spent 15 years in senior executive-level positions at the ICMA Retirement Corporation (ICMA-RC), a $53 billion plan administrator and retirement services provider to state and municipal employers operating within the U.S. Throughout his career, he has spearheaded efforts to improve member/customer experiences, including investing in technology enhancements, partnership development and brand innovations.

An experienced board member, Gregory has served in numerous leadership capacities and has facilitated an organization’s fundraising, leadership transition, and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

 

Noreen Gillen

Director

Noreen Gillen is a wealth management advisor and oversees the wealth planning experience for a boutique-style banking and investment group inside of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Manhattan, New York. She and her team advise on complex financial issues to help clients achieve their long-term goals. Areas of focus include investment strategy, cash flow analysis, pre-transaction planning, estate and tax planning, risk management, wealth transfer and charitable planning.

She holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., and holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor ™ designation. Noreen also earned the Certified Exit Planning Advisor® designation offered by the Exit Planning Institute, which educates and certifies qualified professional advisors in the field of exit planning for privately held business owners. Exit planning is a process that educates the owner on all of the potential exit options available while at the same time addressing the business, personal and financial needs of the owner. This knowledge leaves her with a strong understanding of what is needed in preparation for the transition of an owner's business while also planning for any potential liquidity event as a result of the sale of their business. Noreen's experience in advising entrepreneurs has garnered her a strong understanding of the intricacies of their needs as well as their families.

Prior to Merrill Lynch, Noreen worked at Sony BMG Entertainment, where her responsibilities included financial oversight of the royalties for its various record labels, artists and joint venture deals. She earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from the NYU Stern School of Business.

In the community, Noreen has several philanthropic endeavors, with a focus on creating multigenerational wealth in underserved communities. She is a frequent speaker on the topics of financial literacy and business succession planning. Noreen serves as a mentor to the CEOs in the Stanford University Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, a business-scaling executive curriculum for Latino/Hispanic CEOs of privately held/family-owned companies. She also serves on the board of the Latino Corporate Directors Education Foundation (Board Ready Institute), whose strategic mission is to prepare, position and grow the supply of Latino C-suite executives prepared for corporate board service. Additionally, she is a Sponsors for Educational Opportunity alumna and an advisory board member of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

 

Lofton Holder

Director

Lofton Holder is cofounder and retired managing partner of Pine Street Alternative Asset Management LLC, which invests seed capital with emerging hedge fund managers. In addition to providing transformational investment capital, Pine Street uses a managed account fund governance structure to ensure best-in-class fiduciary standards for risk management, business development, compliance and back office operations. Under Lofton’s leadership, Pine Street was awarded Best Hedge Fund Seeding Platform 2018 and Hedge Fund Innovator of the Year 2017. A passionate leader with a straightforward style, Lofton is known for his effectiveness in coordinating innovative, diverse teams.

Prior to creating Pine Street, Lofton spent over 35 years on Wall Street at Investcorp, JP Morgan and the First Boston Corporation in a variety of senior executive roles. He is a strategic thinker with a proven track record of designing and implementing new business strategies and launching startup enterprises. Lofton is recognized for his strength in using data to pinpoint core issues and devise innovative, value-added solutions to complex problems. He is comfortable dealing with ambiguity and devising practical, long-term solutions — a skilled negotiator focused on closing transactions advantageous to all parties. 

Lofton is an independent director of Golub Capital BDC, a former director of Manning & Napier, and a former strategic advisor to the management team at Landed, a venture capital backed company focused on helping essential professionals purchase homes. He is actively engaged in the community, especially to advance educational equity for young people from low-income backgrounds.

A board member of the Edwin Gould Foundation and Maimonides Medical Center, Lofton also co-chairs the Leadership Council for the USF Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice. He is a former director of the Museum for African Art.

Lofton was awarded a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and an master’s degree in business administration from the Yale School of Management. He recently completed a fellowship at the Stanford Distinguished Career Institute and currently serves as an advisor the Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance Institutional Investor’s Forum.

 

Betty J. Hudson

Director

Betty J. Hudson of Fort Worth, Texas, is president of Hudson & Associates. She is an award-winning communications industry leader with more than four decades of experience in every aspect of corporate and strategic communications, including consumer, employee, financial and cause-related marketing, as well as brand and communications management.

Her career was spent in Fortune 500 companies and media conglomerates, including the National Geographic Society, where she was part of the leadership team that transformed the iconic brand from domestic magazine publisher to the world’s largest science, research and education organization with multiple content platforms and consumer services.

Betty has consistently been able to contribute deep knowledge in technology transformation to innovate consumer brands and deliver new products. She continues to support major enterprises as a strategic communications consultant.

 

Rosanna A. Márquez

Director

Rosanna A. Márquez served from 2014 to 2021 as AARP Illinois state president, helping to shape and drive AARP Illinois advocacy at the state and local levels. From 2002 to 2014, she was president and CEO of Eleanor Foundation, leading its transformation into a research-oriented grantmaking foundation focused on economic self-sufficiency for working women of modest means. 

Rosanna was the Midwest regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Earlier, she was director of programs in the Chicago mayor’s office, a cabinet-level position, where she oversaw and coordinated federal, housing and community issues. She was a litigation associate at the law firm Mayer Brown. 

She currently serves as president of the board of directors of the Chicago Metropolitan Housing Development Corporation. Rosanna holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne and a law degree from Harvard University Law School.