Founder
Barbara Rose Brooker—is a native San Francisco author, activist for human justice, performer and teacher. She has an MA in creative writing, and a BA in painting. She has published fiction with Morrow and other presses. A journalist, she wrote Suddenly Sixty, a column for the SF Marina Times and other papers. Currently, she teaches writing seminars to adults over forty at SFSU/OLLI-and at private seminars! Her newest novel, The Viagra Diaries, is about love, sex, and aging after sixty. HBO has bought the rights for a television series.
She has performed her first one-woman show, The Viagra Diaries, monologues from The Viagra Diaries at the Commonwealth Club of California on October 19, 2009, and is booked to perform again on November 23, 2010. She works with Wayne Harris, a performer and director at the SF MARSH THEATER. Her show was filmed by KGO HD and has aired several times and by request is going to air again.
She is at work on a new book and currently writes a column about seventy plus for the JWEEKLY-SF. She also writes a blog for The Bay Citizen.
Brooker says that the march will be in Los Angeles, 2010, Washington and in New York in 2011. She hopes that eventually this movement will be in every city in the country. “Age is not about a number. It is about living life to the fullest, asking new questions and always forming new goals,” Brooker says.
Read the j. article about the Age March.
Advisors
Nader Shabahangi, PhD, President & CEO, AgeSong Senior Communities
Nader received his Doctorate from Stanford University, is a licensed psychotherapist, and is cofounder of AgeSong. His multicultural background has fueled his passion for becoming an advocate for marginalized groups and for creating programs with the purpose of caring more comprehensively for elders. As CEO, Nader ensures that the company’s vision drives its decisions and plans for elder care services. In 1992, Nader also founded the Pacific Institute, a nonprofit organization that defines its mission as one of helping elders live meaningful lives. Nader is a frequent guest lecturer, including presenting at international conferences focusing on aging, counseling, and dementia. In 2003 he authored Faces of Aging, a book challenging stereotypical views of the aging process and of growing old. In 2008 he co-authored Deeper Into the Soul, a book aimed at de-stigmatizing and broadening our understanding of dementia. In 2009 he co-authored Conversations With Ed, a book challenging readers to look at dementia in different ways.
Organizers
Patricia (Pat) Harden is the founder of Harden Communications Partners, LLC, an award winning boutique public relations firm in Oakland, California, serving Bay Area and national clients.
In a career that includes senior corporate and agency roles, Pat has designed and led scores of successful PR campaigns, specializing in healthcare, financial services and professional services. An accomplished media trainer and corporate strategist, Pat works with management teams to create compelling messaging for new product launches, crisis issues, positioning and corporate visibility. Pat serves on the board of the San Francisco Public Relations Roundtable and is a member of the Financial Women’s Association of San Francisco, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the Arthur Page Society.