Addie Abushousheh, PhD, Assoc. AIA, EDAC
Research Associate, The Center for Health Design
Addie Abushousheh is a gerontologist, researcher, and consultant for organizational and environmental development in long-term care. She explores cultural and bio-psycho-social perspectives, organizational structures and processes, physical environments, workforce models, and regulatory and financial frameworks in relation to decision making, resource management, and quality improvement. With combined expertise in architecture, organizational development, aging and applied research, Dr. Abushousheh advances comprehensive and translational agendas related to quality assessment and performance improvement. Addie is a Research Associate with The Center for Health Design, an Adjunct Faculty member at Kent State University, and a Senior Living Advisor for Abacus Institute.
Dr. Allen Power
Internist, Geriatrician, and Schlegel Chair, Aging and Dementia Innovation, Schlegel — University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging
Dr. Allen Power is an internist, geriatrician, and Schlegel Chair in Aging and Dementia Innovation at the Schlegel — University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging in Ontario, Canada. He is also clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester, NY, and an internationally recognized educator on transformational models of care for older adults, particularly those living with changing cognitive abilities.
Dr. Power’s book, Dementia beyond Drugs: Changing the Culture of Care was named a 2010 Book of the Year by the American Journal of Nursing. His second book, Dementia Beyond Disease: Enhancing Well-Being was released by Health Professions Press in 2014 and the second edition of Dementia Beyond Drugs was released in 2017.
Dr. Power is also a trained musician and songwriter with four recordings. Peter, Paul and Mary performed his song of elder autonomy, “If You Don’t Mind”, and Walter Cronkite used his song, “I’ll Love You Forever” in a 1995 Discovery Channel profile of American families. He also recently co-write the songs for singer/songwriter Anne Hills’ 2021 album, Accidental August, and their song, “Witness” was composed for the 2022 Pioneer/Green House conference.
Dr. Power is currently working with Dr. Jennifer Carson and Pat Sprigg on a new book about creating inclusive communities for people living with dementia.
Sydney Kopp-Richardson
Director, SAGE’s National LGBTQ+ Elder Housing Initiative
Sydney Kopp-Richardson is the Director of SAGE’s National LGBTQ+ Elder Housing Initiative, working to reshape the housing landscape nationally and increase the availability of safer LGBTQ+ affirming elder housing through public education, advocacy, and housing development. Previously, Sydney worked in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City in direct service, organizing and advocacy, and policy analysis around affordable housing development. Sydney brings a reverence for the expertise and legacies of LGBTQ+ elders in the formation of policies and programming developed to serve them in the fight for collective liberation, and she brings this to SAGE’s national housing work.
Karmen Cheung
Senior Developer, Pennrose, LLC
As Senior Developer for Pennrose, Karmen Cheung leads and manages the development and completion of a full complement of real estate development projects in the New England region. She responsible for multiple projects in varying stages of development - overseeing and orchestrating the completion of multiple developments and the activities of the development team.
Karmen joined Pennrose in 2017 as Associate Developer after having interned with the company during the Summer of 2016. She was promoted to Developer in 2020 and Senior Developer in 2023. While at Pennrose, she has closed on affordable housing developments totaling over $150 million and almost 320 units, including the closing and development oversight of The Pryde, Boston’s first LGBTQ+ friendly senior housing project totaling more than $40 million in development cost. She led the development and completion of two historic rehabilitation affordable housing developments in Auburn, MA, Julia Bancroft School and Mary D. Stone School, which was the AHF Readers’ Choice Historic Rehab and Overall winner in 2022. She also spearheaded the selection of Pennrose for the Horace Strong School in New Haven, CT, and a development in Naugatuck, CT.
Karmen has a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Yale University and a Master of City Planning and Master of Science in Real Estate Development, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She serves as the Vice President for the Association of Asian American Yale Alumni.
Nsenga Bansfield-Maathey, AIA
Healthcare Designer, HOK
Nsenga Bansfield-Maathey is a healthcare architect and master planner in New York with over twenty years of experience in her field. Working on many of the leading health systems in the tristate area has given Nsenga intimate insight into the working of the New York health system and its services, while her national work has provided a broader view of trends and best practice in the design, planning and execution of a range of healthcare projects.
In addition to practicing architecture, Nsenga has participated in panels, given talks, volunteered at schools and colleges, written papers and articles, and mentored young architecture professionals, particularly women of color. The focus of her professional work is the optimization of the built environment to address healthcare inequities in the urban context.
Nsenga holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University. She is currently a senior associate at HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm of 1,700 employees. She is a New York State registered architect, a LEED Green Associate, a WELL Building Advisor, and a member of the American Institute of Architects.
Christine Vandover IIDA, LEED AP
Principal / Senior Project Interior Designer, HOK, New York
Christine brings creative knowledge and critical thinking to her interior design work at HOK. She is driven by a curiosity of fresh ideas and visuals and excels at motivating and inspiring integrated teams to deliver superb creative work. Her projects are as much about beauty as they are about health and wellness— whether an office, hospital or hotel, an interior environment should bring happiness and inner calm. She has led interior design for several NewYork-Presbyterian hospital projects, including the new David H. Koch Center and the Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns, among several other high-profile corporate and healthcare projects. Her work has been awarded by AIA, IIDA, Interior Design, and Design & Health, and published in HCD, Contract, Interior Design and Metropolis magazines. Her design expertise also includes product design, backstage dressing at NY Fashion Week, and she is passionate about sustainable design. Christine developed a finish tracking tool that is embedded into the firm’s design process and is leading the firmwide HOK Interiors Sustainability Initiative. Her furniture design for the IOA Portico collection was featured at the ICFF Opening Night Party at the MoMA and her design for Allsteel’s Reflect chair with BMW Designworks was awarded the Interior Design Best of Year award for Contract / Lounge.
Shirah Kasongo Cahill, RLA
Associate | Landscape Architecture Manager, SWBR
Shirah is landscape architect with over 14 years of experience working in the design of public space. Shirah spent the first eight years of her career working in urban design and sustainable neighborhood development in Mexico. During the last eight years, she has worked for SWBR in Rochester, NY specializing in the design and planning of senior environments and affordable housing. She was the first recipient of Society for the Advancement of Gerontological Environments’ (SAGE) David Green Award in 2019, elected to serve on the SAGE Board of Directors in 2021, and as SAGE Secretary in 2022. She has served on multiple national design juries and volunteers her time to work with architecture students at the college and graduate school level. Shirah has lived in five countries and is passionate about fostering diversity in the design professions.
Amanda Loomis, CID, WELL AP
Associate | Certified Interior Designer, SWBR
Amanda was inspired to be a part of the design community from a young age. She has always had a strong inclination towards creativity, art, and a passion for helping others. Throughout her career at SWBR she has had the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects including K-12, higher ed, housing, and senior living environments. This experience sparked a growing passion in developing a specialty in designing senior living environments. For Amanda, it’s about much more than design, it’s about creating places that help elders lead full and meaningful lives.
Dustin Julius
Associate Partner, RLPS Architects
Dustin, Associate AIA, focuses on design aspects of senior living projects, working closely with clients to translate program objectives into the best possible design solutions. As a lead architectural designer, he has developed a broad acumen for digital modeling and rendering as a means of exploring a myriad of design solutions in order to express ideas in a highly understandable format, ultimately aiding clients in the decision-making process. His curiousity extends to the integration of new tools in the planning process as a means of exploration, always seeking opportunities for thought leadership across the design landscape. He enjoys sharing his unique perspective and insights as a speaker at state and national conferences. Dustin holds a Master of Architecture degree from Penn State University, where he graduated with honors.
Brent Stebbins
Architectural Designer, RLPS Architects
Brent Stebbins has more than 28 years of experience as an architect and designer. He works with clients to transform their objectives into innovative design solutions. Brent attended North Carolina State University where he earned a Bachelor of Architecture as well as a Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture. He is also a graduate of Pennsylvania College of Technology with an Associate Degree in Architectural Technology.
Brent currently serves as an Advisor and guest critic to their School of Construction and Design Technology. During his career, Brent has compiled a diverse portfolio including many award-winning designs. He is an NCARB Registered Architect and a member of the American Institute of Architects. Brent’s philosophy is that informed architecture builds off the shoulders of giants, past and present. He has a passion for studying the works of notable architects to continually develop his own skillset and design vision.