The American Society on Aging (ASA) unites, empowers and champions everyone working in the field of aging. Leanne Clark-Shirley, PhD, is Vice President of Programs and Thought Leadership at ASA. She oversees ASA’s programs and publications, and builds new strategic partnerships and offerings. Dr. Clark-Shirley is a social gerontologist with nearly 20 years of experience working in aging-related nonprofit, consulting and academic environments. Before joining ASA, she was AARP’s Senior Evaluation Advisor, responsible for strategic planning, building internal evaluation research capacity and applying impact measurement expertise at the departmental and enterprise levels. Prior to that, she led the Aging and Disability research practice at IMPAQ International, a think-tank and policy research firm. Clark-Shirley is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, teaches courses on policy and aging and regularly mentors students interested in non-academic careers in aging. She received her doctorate in Gerontology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

"I love helping people think differently about our own aging, and changing the social narrative from a focus on decline to one of possibilities and growth.

 As ASA is largely reimagining and rebuilding its programs, we felt this was the perfect time to bring on a different, unique perspective to help shape our work. Having Pallavi Podapati's knowledge and experience in disability is adding so much value to our work on the intersections of ageism and ableism."

Yes, I'm open to being contacted by a Princeton Graduate Student for an informational interview!