Meetings & Events
2026 Membership Meetings
Meetings are held via zoom on the 4th Friday of each month from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, unless otherwise noted.
For questions or more information, please send an email to executivedirector@nccoalitiononaging.org.
October 23, 2026
November – No Meeting
December 4, 2026
Closed-Captioning & American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreters are provided at these meetings
Health Equity Committee Speaker Series 2026
HOT TOPIC!
Rural Health Transformation in NC – September 18, 2026
To View Meeting Recording Click Here
Speaker: Maggie Woods, Director
Discussion includes a general overview on the RHTP, the ROOTS Hubs, confirmed projects, how folks can get involved and other important information to help attendees know more about this important initiative.
Advanced Care Planning For All – June 12, 2026
To View Meeting Recording Click Here
To View Slide Presentation Click Here
Speaker: Betsy Barton, MPH, CT – Director of Special Projects at Transitions LifeCare
Advance Care Planning Resources
VIDEO – An Act of Love: Talking With Your Family About Serious Illness and End of Life: Community Resources – Transitions LifeCare
Hot Topic!
Building Healthy Brain Habits: Taking Care of Your Cognitive Health – May, 8, 2026
To View Meeting Recording Click Here
To View Slide Presentation Click Here
Speaker – Lindsey Golden, Territory Government Relations Director | Alzheimer’s Association – Lakes to Coast
Learn modifiable risk factors & activities people can do in their daily lives to improve cognitive health. Information presented from the US POINTER study, which was led by Wake Forest University.
March 13, 2026 Meeting Recording
Healthy Aging for All: Addressing Health Disparities and Strengthening Health Literacy in North Carolina
Speakers are Sandie Leathers, Juan Ortiz and Denita Nash
from the NCDHHS Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities
Past Membership Meetings
June 26, 2026 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
Presentation:
Housing Programs and Services for Older Adults and Persons with Disabilities
Detra Purcell, Section Chief of Housing and Homelessness – NCDHHS Division of Aging
AND
Josh Walker, Olmstead Housing Director – NC Department of Health and Human Services
May 15, 2026 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
Presentation:
2026 Legislative Short Session Perspectives
David Heinen, Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy
North Carolina Center for Nonprofits
(Click Here for Highlights of Recent Public Policy Developments Affecting
Nonprofits)
AND
Abby Carter Emanuelson, Executive Director
North Carolina Alliance for Health
(Click Here for Presentation Slides)
April 24, 2026 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
Presentation:
NC SNAP and HR1 Impact
Jill Simmerman Lawrence, Chief of Staff and Sr. Advisor
Opportunity and Well-Being – North Carolina DHHS
March 27, 2026 Membership Meeting
Meeting Minutes
Meeting Recording
Partner Presentation:
Empowering the Aging Community: Addressing Nutrition and Food Insecurity Across North Carolina
Dr. Rashim Gupta, Community and State Medical Director with the North Carolina UnitedHealthcare Community Plan
(Click Here for Presentation Slides)
Presentation:
Assisted Living in North Carolina and Its Role in the Continuum of Care
Frances Messer, President and CEO – NC Assisted Living Association
(Click Here for Presentation Slides – NCALA)
and
Stacy Massey, Chief Executive Officer – NC Senior Living Association
(Click Here for Presentation Slides – NCSLA)
February 27, 2026 Membership Meeting
Meeting Minutes
Meeting Recording
Presentation:
Supporting Older Adults in the Public Mental Health and Substance Use Services System
Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW – Director, Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services
(Click Here for Presentation Slides)
January 23, 2026 Membership Meeting
Member Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
Presentation: Highlights from the Caregiving U.S. 2025
Kim Cantor, Chief External Affairs Officer – National Alliance for Caregiving
Elaine Dalpiaz, Vice-President for Government Affairs and Policy – National Alliance for Caregiving
Slides – Family Caregiving U.S. 2025 Report Highlights
———————————————-
Presentation: Supporting Caregivers Under New Federal Medicaid Requirements
Edem Hado, Senior Policy and Research Manager – AARP Public Policy Institute
Brendan Flinn, Director, Long-Term Services and Supports – AARP Public Policy Institute
Slides – Protecting Family Caregivers Under OBBBA’s Medicaid Community Engagement Requirements
Other Links of Interest:
Full Caregiving in the US Report: 2025
Caregiving in the US 2025: Family Caregiving Across States
Data Profile on Caregiving in North Carolina
Medicaid Work Requirements: Protecting Family Caregivers
Advocacy Resources Toolkit| Caregiver Nation Coalition
2025 Meetings
December 5, 2025 Membership Meeting
Member Meeting Minutes
Presentation: NC Olmstead Plan – Going Forward
Deb Goda, Director – NC Olmstead Office
Dr. Tamara Smith, Associate Director – NC Olmstead Office
Theresa Young, Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC)
Slides – Olmstead Plan for NC
October 24, 2025 Membership Meeting
Member Meeting Minutes
Meeting Recording
Member Spotlight: NC Adult Day Services Association, Teresa Troup
Slides – NC Adult Day Services Association
Presentation: Dr. Lawrence Greenblatt – NCDHHS State Health Director and
Chief Medical Officer
Slides Dr. Lawrence Greenblatt 10.24.25 Coalition on Aging
August 22, 2025 Membership Meeting
Meeting Minutes
Presentation: Digital Equity and Increasing Older Adult’s Connectivity
Slides – AADN Presentation by Lucas Heller, Digital Navigator, Mid-East Commission Area Agency on Aging
Slides – Digital Technology – Maggie Woods, Director, Office of Digital Opportunity, NC Dept. of Information Technology
June 27, 2025 Membership Meeting
Presentation: Caregiving documentary film
Meeting Minutes
Bills Passed of Relevance to Older Adults 2025
May 16, 2025 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
Member Spotlight: Betsy Barton, Community Engagement – Transitions LifeCare
Slides – Transitions LifeCare at a Glance – May 2025
Presentation: Mark Hensley, Associate State Director, Community Outreach & Advocacy – AARP North Carolina | Triad Region
AARP Powering Livable Communities NCCOA 5-16-2025
April 25, 2025 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
Presentation: Divya Venkataganesan, MPH – Section Chief-Planning and Caylee Weaver, Planner/Evaluator
Division of Aging – NC Department of Health and Human Services
All Ages All Stages NC Slides
March 28, 2025 Membership Meeting
Special Guest: Dr. Dev Sangvai, Secretary of the NC Department of Health and Human Services
Meeting Recording
Q&A with DHHS Secretary Dev Sangvai at NC Coalition on Aging March 2025 meeting
NCCOA Meeting Minutes 032825
February 28, 2025 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Member Spotlight: Melinda Munden, Director and Deputy Commissioner – NC Dept of Insurance, Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP)
Slides
January 28, 2025 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
Member Spotlight: Kathie Smith Senior VP of Home Care and State Relations, Association for Home and Hospice Care of NC
Presentation One: Andy MacCracken, Director, NC Center on the Workforce for Health, Health Care Workforce Stabilization
Slides
Presentation Two: Demarcus Andrews, Associate State Director of Advocacy, AARP NC, State Facilitated Privately Operated Retirement Savings Program
Handout
Slides
Presentation Three: Jeff Horton, Executive Director, NC Senior Living Association, Special Assistance Rates Rebase
Handout 1 and Handout 2
Slides
January 10, 2025 Health Equity Committee Meeting
Meeting Recording
Presentation: Lindsey Golden, Director of State Affairs, Alzheimer’s Association of NC, Alzheimer’s/Dementia and Health Equity
Slides
2024 Meetings
December 6, 2024 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
Membership Spotlight: Dylan Bondy, Head of Outreach for Solace Health
Slides
Presentation: David McLennan, Professor of Political Science, Meredith College and Director of the Meredith Poll, 2024 Elections and Implications for N.C. and National Politics
Slides
November 8, 2024 Health Equity Committee Meeting
Meeting Recording
Presentation: Kylie Foley, Digital Inclusion Initiative Specialist from the Institute for Emerging Issues, Digital Inclusion Throughout the State
Slides
October 25, 2024 Membership Meeting
Meeting Agenda
Membership Spotlight: Heather Hooper, Executive Director of Dementia Alliance of North Carolina
Slides
Presentation: Sarah Maness- Richardson, Adult Services Program Manager for the NC Division of Social Services, NC Adult Protective Services Program
Slides
September 13, 2024 Health Equity Committee Meeting
Meeting Recording
Presentation: Tara Muller, Disability Rights Attorney, DRNC’s Role in Advancing Health Equity for Older Adults
Slides
August 23, 2024 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Membership Spotlight: Stephanie Watkins-Cruz, Director of Housing Policy for the NC Housing Coalition
Slides
Presentation: Gina Upchurch, Executive Director for Senior PharmAssist, Senior PharmAssist- The Senior PharmAssist Model, Replication, and Relevant Medicare Policies
Slides
June 28, 2024 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Membership Spotlight: Nadia Mazza, Senior Project Manager for Healthy Aging NC at the NC Center for Health and Wellness
Slides
Presentation: Ellen Bailey, Senior Project Manager for Falls Prevention with the NC Center for Health and Wellness & Divya Venkataganesan, Section Chief, Planning with the Division of Aging, NC Falls Prevention Coalition –Standing Strong NC: It Takes a Village to Prevent Falls- Learn how it is working to unite NC for falls prevention
Slides
May 28, 2024, Consumer Fraud
Meeting Recording
Presentation: John Maron, Director, of Investor Protection & Education Services Secretary of State’s Office, Guarding Your Assets in a Scary
World
Slides
May 17, 2024 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Membership Spotlight: Kay Castillo, Executive Director Friends of Residents in Long Term Care
Slides
Presentation One: Toni Gingerelli, Director of Policy and Advocacy with the National Alliance for Caregiving, National Strategy for Caregiving
Slides
Presentation Two: Amanda Swanger, Family Caregiver Support Program Consultant with the Division of Aging, Programs Available through the NC Division of Aging to Support Family Caregivers
Slides
May 10, 2024 Health Equity Committee Presentation
Meeting Recording
Presentation: Dalton Bailey, Research and Data Manager NC Rural Center, Older Adult Trends
Slides
April 26, 2024 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Presentation: Mary Bethel, Coalition Board Chair, May 7, 2024 Aging Advocacy Day Orientation
Presentation: Laura Wells, CEO Hope NC, Inclusive Communities-What Are They and Why Are They Needed in NC?
Slides
April 26, 2024 The Legislative Process
Meeting Recording
Presentation: Chris Brandenburg, Manager of State and Federal Advocacy with AARP NC, The Legislative Process
Slides
March 22, 2024 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Presentation: Jan Withers, Director- Division of Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing NCDHHS, Communication Equity for Older Adults with a Particular Focus on How Hearing Loss Impacts an Individual
Slides
Meeting Agenda
March 8, 2024 Health Equity Committee Presentation
Meeting Recording
Presentation: Joseph Wheeler, Professional Consultant on DEI Training/Formerly with SAGE, Why older LGBTQ+ adults learned to distrust the healthcare system, current views of health equity, and how the system can work to overcome the myth and the reality of the system moving forward.
February 23, 2024 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Presentation: Dr. Bryle Henderson Hatch, Director of People, Culture and Belonging at NC DHHS, Building Belonging: Exploring the Principles of DEI
Slides
January 26, 2024 Membership Meeting
Meeting Recording
Presentation: Dalton Bailey, Research and Data Manager, NC Rural Center a Look at the State’s Older Rural Population
Slides