Our Speakers
Gary Bailey, DHL, MSW, ACSW, is the MSW Program Director and Professor for the School of Social Work at Simmons University. Amongst many roles, Dr. Bailey has also formerly served as the President of NASW-MA, NASW National - Washington, D.C., and the International Federation of Social Workers.
Dr. Gary Bailey
Lisa Krinsky, MSW, LICSW is the Director of the LGBTQIA+ Aging Project at Fenway Health, advocating for equity and inclusion for LGBTQIA+ older adults. A leader in LGBTQIA+ aging, she develops cultural competency training and has shaped key Massachusetts policies, including the 2014 Special Legislative Commission on LGBT Aging and the 2018 statewide training mandate for elder service providers. She also focuses on outreach for LGBTQIA+ elders of color and transgender older adults. A subject expert in Gen Silent, she serves on the MA Commission on LGBTQ Aging and helped develop The Pryde, New England’s first LGBTQ-friendly affordable senior housing.
Session 1 (10:30am - 11:45am)
Lisa Krinsky, MSW, LICSW
Sean Cahill, PhD is Director of Health Policy Research at the Fenway Institute and Adjunct Associate Professor of the Practice in Health Law, Policy and Management at Boston University School of Public Health. He is a Faculty Member of the Harvard Medical School-Fenway Health LGBTQIA+ Health Fellowship Program, serves on the Massachusetts Legislative Commission on LGBT Aging, and is Associate Editor at LGBT Health. Dr. Cahill has authored nearly 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, books, chapters, and monographs on HIV, LGBTQI+ health, and LGBTQI+ policy issues.
Workshop: Advocating for Responsive Federal and State Policy for LGBTQI+ Older Adults and Older People Living with HIV
Session 1 (10:30am- 11:45am)
Sean Cahill, PhD
Aaron Tax is the Managing Director of Government Affairs and Policy Advocacy for SAGE, the nation’s largest and oldest organization dedicated improving the lives of LGBTQ+ older people, where he leads a team advocating for LGBTQ+ and HIV-inclusive federal, state, and local aging policies that account for the unique needs of LGBTQ+ and HIV+ older people. Until June 2011, Aaron served as the Legal Director at Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), the leading organization challenging “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) in Congress and in the courts. Prior to joining SLDN, Aaron spent three years working for the Department of the Army in the Office of EEO and Civil Rights, the first two years as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF). A graduate of Cornell University with honors and distinction and the George Washington University Law School with honors, he currently resides in Washington, DC.
Workshop: Advocating for Responsive Federal and State Policy for LGBTQI+ Older Adults and Older People Living with HIV
Session 1 (10:30am- 11:45am)
Aaron Tax, JD
Chase Bryer (he/him) is a licensed clinical social worker, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, and a Ph.D. candidate in Behavioral and Social Health Sciences at Brown University School of Public Health. His dissertation is focused on aging well with HIV among Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQ+ Elders. Prior to Brown, Chase was selected as a Kathryn M. Buder Scholar at the Buder Center for American Indian Studies where he focused on understanding the historical and contemporary issues facing Indigenous communities from cultural, policy, and practice perspectives. Chase holds an MSW from Washington University in St. Louis and a BA in Human Rights and Media from the University of Oklahoma.
Session 1 (10:30am- 11:45am)
Chase Bryer, PhD(c), LCSW, MSW
Allison F. Bauer, JD, MSW, is the new Director of the MA Commission on LGBTQ Aging. Most recently she was Associate Chair for External Relations and Teaching Professor in the Department of Public Health & Health Sciences at Northeastern University. She brings extensive leadership experience from roles including Director of the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Senior Director at The Boston Foundation leading Health and Wellness Strategy, and Staff Director & Chief Counsel for the Massachusetts House Joint Committee on Mental Health Substance Use & Recovery. An accomplished legal and policy professional with degrees from the University of Rochester, Virginia Commonwealth University, and University of Pennsylvania Law School, Allison has dedicated her career to identifying innovative solutions and advocating for systems and policy change in public health and social services.
Session 2 (12:00pm- 1:15pm)
Allison Bauer, JD, MSW
Lauren Catlett, PhD, RN, CNL (they/them) is a postdoctoral researcher whose work centers on the care of older adults and adults with serious illness. With degrees in nursing and the fine arts, Dr. Catlett has purposefully integrated creative design approaches into the care of older adults over their 15 years working in aging services, long-term care, hospice, and academia. In their study called "Shaping Affirming Futures with Elders of all gender experiences," Dr. Catlett used a community-engaged approach to co-design an advance care planning resource with transgender and gender-expansive older adults. Dr. Catlett has presented at conferences in the United States and Canada, and they have published in peer-reviewed journals on advance care planning and palliative care for older adults from historically marginalized communities.
Workshop: Transforming Choices: Empowered Healthcare Decision-Making for Transgender and Gender Diverse Older Adults
Session 2 (12:00pm- 1:15pm)
Lauren Catlett, PhD, RN, CNL
Alex Maresca (she/they) is the Training, Advocacy, and Outreach Specialist for the Elder Pride Services program at Friendly House. Before joining Elder Pride Services, Alex worked as a lecturer and researcher, focusing on how LGBTQ+ activists used scientific evidence to advocate for more equitable policy. In 2023, she earned her PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Irvine. When she's not at Friendly House, Alex enjoys learning about local history as the Secretary for the Oregon Queer History Collective.
Workshop: Lessons Learned from Oregon’s First LGBTQ+ Older Adult Affordable Housing
Session 2 (12:00pm- 1:15pm)
Alex Maresca
Mya Chamberlin is a lifelong community advocate whose leadership has helped shape inclusive social service models within the Portland-Metropolitan area. Her decades-long connection with Friendly House—beginning in childhood and evolving from frontline, program management, and senior leadership roles—has given her a uniquely comprehensive lens on community-based programs and social service delivery. As a member of the organization’s Leadership Team, Mya oversaw preschool and afterschool programs, case management and other services for older adults, transitional housing for families, and support for LGBTQ+ elders through Elder Pride Services (formerly SAGE Metro Portland), which earned national recognition for pioneering culturally-specific, equity -centered approaches beginning in the early aughts: a time when sexual minority elders were not well served under the Older Americans Act. Under her direction, Elder Pride Services became the first program in Oregon to secure a government contract specifically dedicated to serving LGBTQ+ older adults. Since 2021, Mya has served as Executive Director of Friendly House, where she continues to champion innovation, equity, and community centered support systems.
Workshop: Lessons Learned from Oregon’s First LGBTQ+ Older Adult Affordable Housing
Session 2 (12:00pm - 1:15pm)
Mya Chamberlin
Judith Perloff is a licensed clinical social worker who has served as Chicago House's Chief Program Officer since 2000. She received her Masters Degree in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin. Prior to coming to Chicago House, Perloff’s experience includes five years as the program director for an outpatient rehabilitation program and three years as a social work director. Under Perloff’s leadership, Chicago House has received prestigious grants from HUD HOPWA SPNS (Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS- Special Project of National Significance), HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration), and the Department of Education. With these grants, she designed an integrated housing and social service program that has been recognized by HUD as a best practice model and intervention, and an employment program that has received national recognition as an innovative, supportive employment model.
Workshop: What Healthy Aging Looks Like: A Housing Model for Aging Adults Living with HIV
Session 3 (2:00pm- 3:15pm)
Judith Perloff, LCSW
Evany Turk is the Director of Residential Housing at Chicago House & Social Service Agency, where she oversees seven residential programs serving diverse communities of people living with HIV, including families, individuals with high mental health needs, and long-term survivors. A long-time advocate and leader in HIV services, Evany brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work. She leads program innovation, staff development, and blended property-management strategies that center dignity, housing equity, and trauma-informed care. Evany is deeply committed to ensuring that housing models evolve alongside the changing needs of people living with HIV, especially those aging in place, facing stigma, or navigating complex health systems. Her work is grounded in community, compassion, and a clear belief: people living with HIV deserve to age with power, stability, and joy.
Workshop: What Healthy Aging Looks Like: A Housing Model for Aging Adults Living with HIV
Session 3 (2:00pm- 3:15pm)
Evany Turk
Erin DiCarlo is an aging-services professional, educator, and founder with more than 22 years of experience supporting older adults, caregivers, and families through complex life transitions. She is the founder and owner of Dovetail Companies, a senior-transition and real estate advisory firm, and the creator of Essential Ascension, an education-based platform integrating trauma-informed care, Neuro-Somatic Intelligence (NSI), and emotional wellness tools for individuals and professionals working in high-stress caregiving environments.
Erin holds multiple professional credentials, including Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), Certified Care Manager (CCM), Senior Move Manager with A+ Accreditation (NASMM), Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES), and Seller Representative Specialist (SRS). Her work bridges aging services, caregiving advocacy, housing transitions, and relational leadership, with a focus on supporting emotional regulation, dignity, and decision-making during periods of significant change.
With extensive experience collaborating alongside social workers, geriatric care managers, healthcare providers, and community-based organizations, Erin brings a trauma-informed, nervous-system-aware approach to aging that recognizes the impact of lifelong stress, marginalization, and identity-based experiences. She specializes in helping professionals and caregivers create “felt safety” for older adults during transitions such as housing changes, health crises, and end-of-life planning—particularly for individuals and families navigating non-traditional support systems and chosen family structures.
Erin is a frequent speaker and educator for aging-services professionals and community audiences, offering practical, accessible frameworks that blend evidence-informed principles with real-world application. Her work emphasizes calm, clarity, and connection as essential foundations for equitable, compassionate, and sustainable care for older adults and those who support them.
Session 3 (2:00pm- 3:15pm)
Erin DiCarlo
Laura K. M. Donorfio, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut and a gerontologist whose scholarship spans over two decades of research on aging across the life course. Her work integrates qualitative methods and life-course perspectives to examine caregiving, intergenerational relationships, mobility and transportation in later life, lifelong learning, and LGBTQ+ aging. She is nationally recognized for research on family caregiving, older driver decision-making, and aging education, as well as for her more recent work on older LGBTQ+ drag artists, exploring drag expression, stigma, resilience, generativity, and cultural legacy. Dr. Donorfio’s research has been supported by federal, foundation, and institutional funding and disseminated widely through peer-reviewed journals, national conferences, and applied community partnerships. Her career reflects a sustained commitment to bridging rigorous scholarship with practice, policy relevance, and public engagement to advance inclusive and responsive approaches to aging.
Session 3 (2:00pm- 3:15pm)
Laura Donorfio, PhD
Brian G. Chapman, Ed.D., is an Assistant Professor in Residence in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut, Waterbury campus. His scholarship focuses on LGBTQ+ aging, life-course development, and qualitative approaches to understanding identity, resilience, generativity, and community among sexual and gender minority populations. His current research examines the lived experiences of older LGBTQ+ drag artists, with particular attention to aging, stigma, shared historical events, and cultural legacy.
Dr. Chapman has over 20 years of experience in teaching, academic administration, and community engagement across higher education settings. He previously held leadership roles in outreach and lifelong learning at the University of Connecticut, where his work emphasized aging, education, and public engagement. His scholarship and professional practice bridge research, service, and advocacy, with a focus on inclusive aging, intergenerational learning, and strengthening institutional responsiveness to the needs of diverse older adults.
Session 3 (2:00pm- 3:15pm)
Brian Chapman, EdD
Explore Our Workshops
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