Joint Meeting of the RAISE Family Caregiving and Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Advisory Councils
January 20th, 2026; 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm, Eastern Time
Agenda*
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM: Call to Order and Welcome Remarks
Mary Lazare
Principal Deputy Administrator, serving as the senior official performing the duties of the ACL Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging
Rani Snyder, President, John A. Hartford Foundation
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Review of the 2025 Discussion Guide Findings to the Joint RAISE-SGRG Councils
Carol Zernial, RAISE Co-chair
Jonathan Cottor, RAISE Co-chair
Keith Lowhorne, SGRG Chair
1:30 PM – 1:45 PM: Break
1:45 PM – 3:15 PM: National Caregiver Strategy Progress since 2022: The National Caregiver Support Collaborative Grantees
Goal One: Amplifying Caregiving Voices (Sheree Keitt, Community Catalyst)
Goal Two: Caregivers as Partners in Care Teams (Anna Chodos, UCFS)
Goal Three: Bolstering Caregiver Resources (Meredith Hanley, USAging)
Goal Four: Caregiver Financing and Workplace Security (Donna Benton, USC)
Goal Five: Caregiving Research and Evaluation (George Kueppers, NAC)
Caregiver Navigation (Sara Maloney, USAging)
Moderator: Jonathan Westin, ACL, Aging Services Programs Specialist
3:15 PM – 3:45 PM: Direct Care Workforce Strategies & Next Steps
Caroline Ryan, ACL, Deputy Director, Center for Innovation and Partnership
Nicole Howell, Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center
Discussant: Kezia Scales, RAISE Council Member
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM: Next Steps and Adjourn
Kari Benson, ACL
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging
*Subject to change