Speakers (2009)

Michele Ahlman, ClearSounds Communications - President
	Michele is President of ClearSounds Communications , a Chicago-based privately held company that prides itself in providing high-quality sound enhanced and high dB gain products for the boomer, senior and caregivers market. As a leading provider of niche telephone and communication products, ClearSounds is the leading manufacturer and distributor of ClearSounds branded products including amplified phones, signaling devices, TV listening systems, clocks, audio accessories and cellular products.

Majd Alwan, Ph.D., CAST - Director
	Director of the Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST). He is a member of the IEEE's Engineering in Medicine and Biology, and Robotics and Automation Societies. Dr. Alwan is also a member of IEEE-USA's Medical Technology Policy Committee (MTPC) and the Geriatric Care Workgroup (GCW).

Howard Byck, AARP - Senior Vice President of Lifestyle Products
	Howard Byck is Senior Vice President of Lifestyle Products for AARP Services, Inc. In his role, Howard develops and manages relationships with affinity partners, enabling members to receive benefits in travel, retail, dining, entertainment, lifelong learning, technology, fitness, and pets. Howard serves on the Board of Directors of The Heart of America Foundation, a nonprofit organization focusing on literacy and community service through its library READesign program. He is a graduate of Cornell University with a BS in Industrial and Labor Relations and earned his MBA at Rollins College.

Bruce Cryer, HeartMath - President and CEO
	Bruce Cryer is President and CEO of HeartMath , In 2007, Mr. Cryer was named one of the Top 50 Thought Leaders in Personal Excellence by Leadership Excellence magazine. Mr. Cryer is co-author, with Doc Childre, of the book, "From Chaos to Coherence: The Power to Change Performance". Bruce is also lead author of the Harvard Business Review article (July 2003), entitled “Pull the Plug on Stress".

Peter Cullen, Microsoft Corporation
	Peter Cullen is the General Manager, Trustworthy Computing Group and Chief Privacy Strategist. He is responsible for managing the development and implementation of programs that bolster the privacy and trustworthiness of Microsoft products, services, processes and systems worldwide. He leads Microsoft’s privacy group as well as teams of online safety, geopolitical and accessibility experts, all committed to enhancing customer’s computing experiences. Cullen has been a leading advocate for strong and innovative safeguards for personal information, privacy and data, as well as technologies, services and processes that enhance trust.

Eric Dishman, Intel Fellow - Digital Health Group
	Eric Dishman is an Intel Fellow, Digital Health Group and general manager and global director of product research and innovation. He is responsible for driving Intel's worldwide research, new product innovation and usability engineering activities in the healthcare area. Dishman graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and has his master's from Southern Illinois University.

Mary Furlong, Ed.D.
	President and CEO of Mary Furlong & Associates, Mary is a leading authority on the baby boom generation as it moves toward and beyond age 50. Mary founded the nonprofit organization SeniorNet in 1986 and the web portal ThirdAge Media in 1996.

Dr. Kathleen Hall, The Stress Institute - Founder and CEO
	Dr. Kathleen Hall, internationally recognized lifestyle expert in stress and work-life balance, is the founder and CEO of The Stress Institute and The Mindful Living Network. She has been featured on major media including The Today Show, CNN, FOX, ABC News, CBS, and Oprah She is the author of "A Life in Balance."

Tim Herbert, CEA - Senior Director, Market Research
	Tim Herbert is the Senior Director, Market Research for the Consumer Electronics Association -- Tim oversees day to day operations of the CEA Market Research Department. He has over 15 years of research experience, leading hundreds of research studies during that time. Tim spends countless hours studying business trends and consumer trends to “connect the dots” and make sense of the ever changing technology landscape. Tim regularly pens articles for industry publications, presents at industry conferences and has been cited in numerous media outlets. Tim holds an MBA from George Mason University.

Charlie Hillman, GrandCare Systems - CEO
	Charlie Hillman is CEO of GrandCare Systems , designed to allow the aged to live longer, happier, and healthier in their own home with greater security and less social isolation. Using a combination of smart home technologies, ADL monitoring, internet communications, and tele-health features. Mr. Hillman is a professional engineer with a BS from MIT and a Masters in Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a commissioner of CAST (Center for Aging Services Technologies).

Donald Jones, Qualcomm - Vice President, Health & Life Sciences
	Donald Jones serves as vice president of business development for Qualcomm Incorporated . He is responsible for leading Qualcomm’s expansion of wireless technologies into the consumer health, healthcare and medical device markets. Mr. Jones is on the Boards of the Alliance Healthcare Foundation, the American Telemedicine Association and is the founding board member of the Wireless Life Science Alliance.

Hyung Tai Kim, MD, Ascension Health - Vice President of Research
	Dr. Hyung Tai Kim, MD is the Vice President of Research and Managing Partner of Transformational Development for Ascension Health, the nation's largest Catholic and nonprofit health system. Dr. Kim leads a team that is focusing on how to meet those needs in the future in a way that extends beyond hospitals and clinics. Dr. Kim holds a BA and MD from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD and an MBA from the University of Michigan Business School in Ann Arbor, MI.

Missy Krasner, Google - Product Marketing Manager
	Missy is the lead Product Marketing Manager at Google for the health team . Prior to coming to Google, Ms. Krasner worked in the Secretary's Office at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) as Senior Advisor to Dr. David Brailer, M.D.,Ph.D., the first National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). Ms. Krasner holds an M.A. in Communications and Healthcare Administration from Stanford University and a B.A. in English Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Henry Mahncke, Ph.D., Posit Science - VP, Research and Outcomes
	Dr. Henry Mahncke leads the Posit Science Research & Outcomes team, designing scientific research and implementing outcomes trials to advance the company's product development. Dr. Mahncke did his graduate work and earned his doctorate in neuroscience in Dr. Merzenich's lab at UCSF. He holds a BA from Rice University and a PhD from UCSF.

Lynn Mento, AARP - VP, Membership Development
	Lynn joined AARP in December 2006. Lynn manages a team responsible for the acquisition, engagement and renewal of AARP members, as well as for the development of new membership-related strategic initiatives. She brings deep experience in brand, marketing strategy, direct marketing and advertising. Lynn graduated from Muhlenberg College.

Horst Merkle, Roche Diagnostics Corporation - Director
	Horst Merkle is the Director of the Information Management Systems Diabetes Care for the Roche Diagnostics Corporation. In this position, he is responsible for the proposal and the development of key components for the Roche Diabetes Care information management product portfolio with a focus on interoperability/connectivity, telehealth and standardization.

Dan Michel, Dakim, Inc. - Founder and CEO
	Dan's father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1993. Based upon learning about the disease he recognized the therapeutic and emotional value of rigorous cognitive stimulation, as a tool to help seniors preserve their brain health. Dan founded Dakim in 2001 to provide brain fitness exercise. This vision guides the company's efforts. Dan earned a B.A. from Claremont Men's College (now Claremont McKenna College) and an M.S. from Northwestern University. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Matt Mitchell, AARP - Chief Information Officer
	Matt Mitchell is the Chief Information Officer for the AARP based in Washington, DC. Matt’s role encompasses all IT operations serving one of the nation’s largest associations with over 40 million members and the world’s largest magazine circulation. The AARP not only provides members with discounted products and services, it seeks to provide its rapidly growing membership, thanks to Boomers, trusted information, advocacy, social welfare programs and education for Americans over 50.Matt serves on the board of Greater DC Cares, a local community non-profit in Washington, DC as well as on the advisory boards of early stage technology start-ups. Matt received both his BA and MBA from the University of California, Irvine. He and his family reside in Northern Virginia.

Sheri D. Peifer, Eskaton - VP Research and Strategic Planning
	Sheri Peifer is Vice President of Research and Strategic Planning for Eskaton . She spearheads unique collaborations with research universities, technology and home building partners aimed at enhancing the services and housing options within Eskaton. She serves as a Commissioner for the Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) and also serves on the Planning Committee for Aging Services of California. She holds a M.S. degree in Gerontology and Education from California State University, Sacramento and a B.A. in Family Studies from Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania.

Lee Rainie, Pew Internet & American Life Project - Director
	Lee Rainie is the Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project . Since December 1999, the Washington D.C. research center has examined how people’s internet use affects their families, communities, health care, education, civic and political life, and work places. He is a graduate of Harvard College and has a master’s degree in political science from Long Island University.

William Reichman, Baycrest - President and CEO
	Dr. William Reichman is President and Chief Executive Officer of Baycrest , one of the world’s premier academic health sciences centers focused on aging and brain function. Dr. Reichman, an internationally-known expert in geriatric mental health and dementia is also Professor of Psychiatry on the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Michael Robkin, Kaiser Permanente
	Michael Robkin is the Principal Enterprise Architect in the Health IT Strategy and Policy department for Kaiser Permanente IT, the $2.2 billion technology management arm of the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. Mike represents KP as a founding member of the Board of Director of the Continua Health Alliance. Currently his work is focused on interoperability and regulatory issues for KP.

Rick Rommel, Best Buy Co., Senior VP
	Rick Rommel is the senior vice president of Transformational Technology, Emerging Businesses for Best Buy Co., Inc., a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services. In this work, Rommel is building internal and external partnerships to help the company accelerate time to market of new growth opportunities and challenge current business model conventions. Rick holds a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in computer science from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA.

Jerry Shereshewsky, Grandparents.com - CEO
	Jerry Shereshewsky, one of Madison Avenue's most distinguished advertising and marketing executives is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Grandparents.com. Jerry previously served as Ambassador Plenipotentiary to Madison Avenue for Yahoo!

Jake Sigal, Myine - Founder
	Jake Sigal is the principal of Myine Electronics. Myine Electronics (Ferndale, MI) manufactures consumer electronic audio products for the non tech savvy. Jake invented the USB Turntable and a co-inventor of the iDJ: iPod DJ console. Jake's expertise is evaluating established technologies, removing unnecessary features, and innovating the technologies into products for the masses. Jake has his Masters in Engineering from Ohio University and sits on their engineering board of advisors.

Stuart Sikes, Parks Associates - President
	Stuart Sikes is the president of Parks Associates and is responsible for providing Parks Associates’ clients with a business relationship that complements their strategic marketing activities. Stuart has served technology companies for over twenty years, designing technical service, software, and hardware solutions for companies ranging from global semiconductor manufacturers to one of the nation’s largest airlines. In his positions with companies including AT&T, NCR, OpenConnect Systems, and Intelligraphics, Stuart’s roles have included sales, product marketing, marketing communications, and executive management. Stuart holds an MBA from SMU with a concentration in strategic marketing and a BA in economics from Vanderbilt University.

Gary Small, MD
	Professor of psychiatry and the director of the UCLA Memory and Aging Research Center. He is one of the world's leading experts on brain science and has published numerous books including the international best-seller, The Memory Bible. Scientific American magazine named him one of the world's top innovators in science and technology, and he frequently appears on The Today Show, Good Morning America, 20/20 and CNN.

David J. Stern, Living Independently
	David J. Stern has over three decades of experience in social work. He joined Living Independently (Quietcare Systems) to serve the elderly more efficiently through the use of technology. Mr. Stern previously was CEO of the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (JASA) and its eight housing and home care affiliates. He is a fellow of the Brookdale Center on Aging and a recipient of the Family of New York State Award.

Curt Stone, Director - QoLT Foundry (Carnegie Mellon)
	Curt Stone is an Executive in Residence at CMU, Director of the QoLT Foundry and Industry Liaison for QoLT. The QoLT Foundry is identifying, evaluating and advancing technology for near term commercial opportunities. In his current role, he is working with investigators and entrepreneurs to drive disruptive market technologies to build large successful businesses. He is focused on the development of high quality products, strategic corporate partnerships, top-flight management teams, and raising successive rounds of capital.

Michael Takemura, HP - Director of the HP Accessibility Office
	Michael Takemura, director of the HP Accessibility Program Office , is responsible for developing and implementing the strategy for HP’s accessibility efforts. This office guides corporate-wide accessibility in product design, engineering, product development, marketing, web, services, support and programs for persons with disabilities and age-related limitations.

Carsten Trads, Clarity - President
	Carsten is President of Clarity ®, a Division of Plantronics, Inc. Clarity is the leading supplier of amplified telephones, notification systems, assistive listening devices and other communications devices for the Hard of Hearing and Deaf communities. He holds a degree in business administration and management from the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark.

Bert Van Hoof, Microsoft – Director, Consumer Health Solutions
	Bert played an early role in the creation of Microsoft Health Vault . As Director, Consumer Health Solutions, he manages the technical program, policy and standards, and nurtures a vast network of Microsoft partners. Bert holds a MS degree in Electronics/Computer Science from Group T University in Leuven, Belgium.

Harry Wang, Parks Associates - Director of Health and Mobile Product Research
	Harry Wang is the Director of Health and Mobile Product Research for Parks Associates. His research background involves studying US Disease management practices, the PBM industry, the specialty pharmacy sector as well as clinical and genomic information software and applications. Since joining Parks Associates in 2005, he has extended his healthcare research into the emerging digital home healthcare technology market and is the leading analyst for Parks' Digital Health syndicated research program. Harry earned his MS degree in marketing research from the University of Texas at Arlington. He also holds an MBA degree in finance from Texas Christian University and a BA degree in international business from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, P.R. China.