About Us

Meet the SeniorNavigator Staff

Katie Benghauser, Director of Database Resources, Gerontologist

Katie began working for SeniorNavigator while the site was still in development. As the Director of Database Resources, she oversees the database of over 22,000 listings for services to seniors, adults with disabiliities and those who care for them. Prior to joining SeniorNavigator, Katie spent 23 years in the financial services industry before returning to school to earn her Masters in Gerontology from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Karen Chernack, Project Manager

Karen holds a MS in Gerontology from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Allied Health Professionals and a BBA in Finance from The College of William and Mary. Karen has expertise in aging well across the lifespan with a focus on healthy lifestyle behaviors and social support. She also has over 7 years of experience in the financial services industry. As Project Manager, Karen is responsible for several of SeniorNavigator’s grant funded projects, Ask an Expert, and assisting with the development of website content.

Jan Cox, Office Manager

Jan joined the SeniorNavigator team in August of 2005 and brings 30 years of administrative and management experience with her. Jan oversees employee benefits and accounting processes and provides administrative and grant support to staff. To further enhance her professional skills, Jan completed numerous accounting and computer courses at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and Thomas Nelson Community College.

Susan House, Technical Support Specialist

Susan has been a member of the Data Team since November 2006. She develops technical tools for the staff that will facilitate, track, and validate the information and data provided on the SeniorNavigator website. Susan comes to SeniorNavigator with 22 years as a technical manager and computer expert in the Federal government. Her work included managing large projects, planning and purchasing server hardware for a large government facility, helpdesk support, programming, system administration, setting up hardware, loading software, and supporting technology for people with visual disabilities.

Adrienne Johnson, Director of Website Operations, Gerontologist

Adrienne received her MS in Gerontology with a concentration in Health Administration from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University and holds a BS in Sociology from the University of Connecticut. Adrienne is a former licensed nursing home administrator in Virginia and has worked in various aging related positions throughout her career. As Director of Website Operations, Adrienne is responsible for the overall management of the SeniorNavigator, VirginiaNavigator and disAbilityNavigator websites and development of website content based on consumer needs and current issues and trends in aging. Adrienne also serves as project and grant manager for several of SeniorNavigator's key initiatives.

Maggie Menard, Data Specialist

Maggie joined SeniorNavigator prior to launch as one of SeniorNavigator’s first full-time employees. Maggie’s history with SeniorNavigator provides a valuable perspective in understanding the evolution of the database. Maggie is responsible for updating information both on-line and by phone and assists in educating providers how to input changes regularly. In addition, Maggie has served as bookkeeper and has overseen leave and benefits for the past two years. She attended the University of Mississippi and has completed several business and computer courses designed for non-profit agencies.

Bonnie Scimone, Community Specialist Coordinator

Bonnie has over 20 years of experience in sales, training, and relationship development. Before joining SeniorNavigator, Bonnie had a proven record of success in marketing communications. Previously, as an independent business owner, she designed and implemented comprehensive incentive programs and facilitated training programs focused on career development and team-building. She graduated from Longwood College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics and received her Elementary Education Teaching Certificate from Virginia Commonwealth University. Bonnie has been with SeniorNavigator for 5 years and serves as Coordinator for the Community Specialists throughout Virginia and as the community specialist for Central and Southside Virginia.

Kim Tarantino, Director of Communications and Community Partnerships

Kim joined the SeniorNavigator team in September 2003. As Director of Communications and Community Partnerships, she is responsible for several key initiatives in which SeniorNavigator is involved including the No Wrong Door and the Local Government Partnership Programs. She works in partnership with the Virginia Department for the Aging and Area Agencies on Aging throughout the state and provides training and help desk support to private agencies involved with the No Wrong Door project. Additionally, she produces E-QUICKTIPS and other written communication pieces, coordinates special events, and assists in developing and executing new marketing materials to promote SeniorNavigator. Kim earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication at Mary Baldwin College where she was a member of both the National Communication Honor Society and the National Academic Honor Society.

Erika Yssel, Director of Product Development

Erika worked on the initial site development as a contractor and joined the team full-time in June 2001, four months after launch, with sixteen years experience as an Information Systems professional. In her original position of Web Administrator for SeniorNavigator, she provided the back-end systems support for changes on the website, oversaw the technology contracts for server support, and was responsible for managing all web development. Currently, in her role as Director of Product Development, Erika oversees projects related to the development of new features and interactive tools on SeniorNavigator, and manages- the operation and functionality of the website. Erika's background includes: web development and website administration, system development and support on various platforms, network administration, and end-user support including application training.

Meet the Regional Community Specialists

Northern Virginia Area, Donna Foster (donna@seniornavigator.org)

Donna Foster received her Bachelors of Social Work from Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida and her Masters of Social Work from Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana. Her work history includes 35+ years experience in Fairfax County government human services including the Health Department, Department of Social Services and Family Services and served as the founding director of Fairfax Area Agency on Aging. As a Community specialist for SeniorNavigator and disAbilityNavigator she covers the five Northern Virginia Counties educating consumers and professionals on the use and applications of these two web sites. She does this by attending resource and health fairs, teaching at senior centers, libraries, churches and community centers. She also visits and supports the many SeniorNavigator Centers in her region.

Roanoke Valley-New River Valley, Katie Zawacki (kzawacki@seniornavigator.org)

Katie Zawacki received BA in Psychology/Sociology from Mary Baldwin College. She worked for the Community Service Board for the Roanoke Valley as a Certified Prevention Professional for 15 years. As a Community Specialist for SeniorNavigator, Katie is responsible for building relationships with partners, supporting local SeniorNavigator Centers and promoting SeniorNavigator in the Roanoke & New River Valley, Allegheny & Bath County.

Southwest Virginia, R. Allen Slagle (allen@seniornavigator.org)

R. Allen Slagle was educated in the Bristol, Virginia School System, attended Criminal Justice Class and obtained certification as a Crime Prevention Specialist by the Department of Criminal Justice Services and the International Society of Crime Prevention Practitioners. Allen created the Crime Preventions Unit for the Bristol Va. Sheriffs Office and has developed a number of programs for Seniors that recieved State Awards and served the State Triad Board in Southwest, Va. As a Community Specialist for SerniorNavigator, Allen covers Southwest Virginia from Carroll County to Lee County which includes relationship management and support of forty-two SeniorNavigator Centers and three Local Govertment Partnerships.

Shenandoah Area , Richie Urtz (richie@seniornavigator.org)

Richie Urtz received her BS in Art from Towson State University. She has worked as an advertising executive, and graphic designer and illustrator. More recently, Richie was a member of the development team at Randolph College and managed creative services for Presbyterian Homes & Family Services in Lynchburg, VA. Richie travels throughout the Shenandoah Valley educating individuals and institutions about the easy-to-access resources and information available through SeniorNavigator.

Tidewater Area, Kim Van Eck (kvaneck@seniornavigator.org)

Kim Van Eck received her MS in Gerontology from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, a BS in Human Resource Development with a specialty in Human Services from Oakland University in Rochester, MI, and extensive coursework in Accounting and Finance from Canada before moving to the U.S. Her work history includes financial management positions within healthcare settings, and a long history of volunteering in nursing homes and hospice organizations with marketing, education outreach, direct patient care, bereavement support, and respite care. She currently is involved in grant funded research and community education through The Center for Excellence in Aging and Geriatric Health in Williamsburg. As a Community Specialist for SeniorNavigator, Kim is responsible for building relationships within the Tidewater region of Virginia among community partners, while promoting and supporting local SeniorNavigator Centers.

Meet the SeniorNavigator Board

Robert B. Blancato

Mr. Blancato has been the President of Matz, Blancato & Associates, Inc, a firm integrating public relations, government affairs and advocacy services, since 1996. He served as the Executive Director of the 1995 White House Conference on Aging, appointed by President Clinton and is the former Staff Director of the House Select Committee on Aging’s Subcommittee on Human Services and Senior Advisor. Mr. Blancato serves as the Chairman of the National Silver Haired Congress Advisory Council, is the Special Advisor to the Board of Generations United and is the President of the National Committee to Prevent Elder Abuse. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the American Society on Aging and the Greater Washington Urban League. Mr. Blancato is a previous member of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. World Assembly on Aging in 1982 in Vienna.

In December 2000, he launched CaregiversCount.com, an online resource for up-to-date, non-partisan information on legislation and activities impacting caregivers and their families. Additionally, in 1998, Mr. Blancato founded the Boomer Agenda, the first bi-partisan political action committee for baby boomers.

The American Society on Aging (ASA), the nation’s largest association of professionals in the field of aging with 8,500 members, awarded Blancato with the ASA Award in February, 1999 for outstanding contributions to the field of aging.

Sandra D. Bowen

Sandra Bowen most recently served as Secretary of Administration in the Cabinet of Mark R. Warner, former Governor of Virginia where she oversaw general government operations to ensure efficient and effective management of the people's resources. In this position, she was responsible for ten state agencies within the Secretariat that include human resources, procurement, capital outlay, property management, and elections, among others.

Before joining the Warner administration, Ms. Bowen served for 12 years as senior vice president of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. During the 1980's, she served as Special Assistant to Governor Charles S. Robb and as Secretary of the Commonwealth during the administration of Governor Gerald L. Baliles. She was the Director of Gubernatorial Transition between the Robb and Baliles administrations. She also has been a public school teacher and guidance counselor.

Ms. Bowen is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and received a master's degree in political science from the University of Richmond. Over the years, she has served and held leadership positions with a variety of civic, educational, and religious organizations at the state and local levels.

John H. Hager

John Hager graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and from Harvard University with a Master's Degree in Business Administration. He served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves, rising to the rank of Captain. He is a member of the American Legion. A lifelong athlete, Hager has participated in many wheelchair races and marathons.

Hager married the former Margaret Dickinson Chase in 1970. Maggie and their two sons, Jack and Henry, have long supported John's quest to build a better Virginia.

A business executive who started at the bottom of the career ladder, John rose quickly through the ranks of The American Tobacco Company to the position of Executive Vice President. After a near-fatal bout with Polio, John rebuilt his life and his career. He continued to work for the Company in several capacities and retired as Senior Vice President for Leaf and Specialty Products when the corporation was sold in 1994. During this time he also expanded his service role across Virginia and led some 30 civic charity and community organizations.

Hager was elected to Virginia's second highest office, that of Lieutenant Governor, in 1997 and served in that position for four years. His election proved that perseverance and determination in the face of daunting obstacles lead to victory in an election or in one's life. Hager's full time approach to serving the people of Virginia redefined the role of Lieutenant Governor for that state. He served as Chairman or Vice-Chairman of five active state Commissions and continued to lead many statewide initiatives.

Hager became the Director of Homeland Security for Virginia soon after the events of September 11, 2001 and served in that position until May 1, 2004. Initially serving with Governor James Gilmore, Hager led the transition and then assumed the Cabinet level position of Assistant to the Governor for Commonwealth Preparedness under newly elected Governor Mark Warner, He was responsible for the management, structure and organization of and funding for the state's security. Under his guidance, Virginia's security strengthened in many areas and became a role model for other states.

He was nominated by President George W. Bush on June 1, 2004 to the position of Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and confirmed by the Senate on November 21, 2004. In his position of Assistant Secretary, he was responsible for the Office of Special Education, the Rehabilitative Services Administration and the National Institute of Disability Research with a Budget of some $13 Billion dollars. He worked closely with all the states and pioneered an aggressive approach to transition of young people with disabilities to independence and a better life and a national emphasis on the use and reuse of assistive technology. Hager completed his work with the Department of Education on August 1, 2007.

He was elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia on July 27, 2007 and served to complete the unexpired term of Ed Gillespie in June 2008. He led the party to financial stability and a rebirth of grassroots emphasis. Hager now serves on non-profit Boards and travels widely with his wife Maggie.

David H. Hallock, Jr.

David Hallock is Vice President and Counsel in the Richmond office of Kemper Consulting. He specializes in representing clients before state and local governments, including legislative lobbying work with the Virginia General Assembly and Executive Branch in the areas of health care, transportation, finance, natural resources, economic development, technology and public safety.

Previously, Mr. Hallock served in the office of Governor Mark R. Warner as Deputy Director of Policy and Deputy Counselor. Additionally, he served as an attorney in the Government Group of Williams Mullen where his legal practice included all aspects of government law, from administrative/regulatory to legislative practice before state and local government. He also worked for the Virginia General Assembly and for the Albemarle County Attorney's Office.

As an active member of the community, Mr. Hallock serves on the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council, Board of Directors of the Richmond Forum, and the Board of Directors of the National Kidney Foundation of the Virginias.

Mr. Hallock received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia.

Bradford S. Hammer

Recently retired with twenty years of local government experience in Chesterfield County, Brad Hammer served as Deputy County Administrator for Human Services. In this position, he oversaw 13 departments which included social services, health, and community mental health. Within this capacity, he served on many non-profit community boards, including the Area Agency on Aging, the Health Planning Agency, and the Chesterfield County Health Center Commission. Prior to serving in this position, Mr. Hammer was Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Management Services and directly supervised the departments of budget and accounting, general services, purchasing, and internal audit, in addition to others.

Prior to working with Chesterfield County, he served local governments in Alexandria, Newport News, Williamsburg, and Fairfax in various capacities as Deputy City Manager, Administrator/Chief Budget Officer, Executive Director, and Budget Analyst-Federal State Coordinator. Additionally, he served in the Governor's Office in Charleston, West Virginia.

A graduate of West Virginia University, Mr. Hammer received an undergraduate degree in political science and a master's degree in public administration. Throughout the years, he has served in leadership roles on various community boards within the Commonwealth.

Richard W. Lindsay, M.D.

Dr. Richard W. Lindsay is Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine and Family Practice at the University of Virginia and former Head of Geriatric Medicine at the University. Dr. Lindsay’s first faculty responsibility was to develop the Department of Family Medicine. As Acting Chairman, he was selected as one of the first seven Geriatric Medicine Academic Awardees by the National Institute of Aging and developed the geriatric curriculum, fellowship training program and continuing education program in geriatrics.

He served as the President of the American Geriatrics Society, and then Chairman of its Board of Directors. He served as a member of the former Governor’s Advisory Board on Aging for the Commonwealth Virginia under 5 Governors and as its Chairman, under Governor Allen.

A recipient of numerous honors and teaching awards, Dr. Lindsay continues to be involved in the teaching of geriatrics to medical students and residents. He is also a sought after speaker and expert on aging issues at the National level. He has testified before the United States Senate on aging issues and the problems of shortages of providers.

Dr. Lindsay recently participated in a national TV course on Caregiving and the responsibilities of the caregivers. This is currently available on Public TV. He is also co-hosting a TV series from Harrisonburg on the WVPT on Aging.

He serves as a member of the Steering Committee of the Jefferson Area Board for the Aging’s (JABA) 2020 campaign and also served as a member of the Health subcommittee and was recently elected to the Board of Directors of JABA.

Deborah D. Oswalt

Since graduation from Rutgers University School of Law in 1979, Debbie Oswalt has worked on issues related to health and human resources. Her Richmond work began at the Virginia Poverty Law Center, where she worked as a staff attorney for four years. She then served as Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources in the Cabinets of Governors Baliles and Wilder. For seven years she worked closely with state agencies that regulate, deliver and monitor health services, including the Departments of Health, Health Professions, Medical Assistance Services (Medicaid), and Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services; as well as the Health Services Cost Review Council.

In 1992, she became the founding Director of the Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF). Created as a public-private partnership by the Virginia General Assembly and its Joint Commission on Health Care, VHCF’s mission is to increase access to primary and preventive health care for uninsured and medically underserved Virginians. Under Ms. Oswalt’s leadership, VHCF has funded 172 projects providing health services to 476,000 medically underserved and uninsured Virginians.

James C. Roberts, Chair

Jim Roberts is one of Troutman Sanders’, LLP senior litigators, with more than 43 years experience in trial and appellate practice Mr. Roberts has developed and maintained a reputation as one of Virginia's most skilled trial attorneys, often called upon by other lawyers, within the state and elsewhere, to assist with major trials and appeals. His trial experience includes handling significant civil and criminal cases in every field of law. He possesses extensive experience in the state and federal courts in Virginia and has substantial appellate experience before the Court of Appeals of Virginia, the Virginia Supreme Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

A Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Roberts is also active in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American Bar Foundation, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. A former president of the Virginia State Bar, he is listed in the Best Lawyers in America under the categories of business litigation, corporate law, criminal defense, and personal injury litigation. In a recent Virginia survey of his peers, Mr. Roberts was voted Virginia's best litigation attorney. Mr. Roberts is active on the Boards of numerous community and professional organizations.

He received an LL.B. from the University of Richmond in 1957 and a B.A. from Hampden Sydney College.

Katie M. Roeper

Katie Roeper serves as Assistant Commissioner for the Virginia Department for the Aging. Her focus is to expand resources for the Aging Network, assist with community-readiness and age wave planning, and expand Virginia’s ADRC initiative called “No Wrong Door” in order to increase access to services, promote person-centered practices, and maximize independence and quality of life.

Previously she served as Executive Director of SeniorNavigator for six years where she worked in partnership with the public, non-profit, and private sectors and was responsible for marketing, development, and overall operations of the organization.

Holding a B.A. in Communications from Syracuse University, Ms. Roeper has a strong background in marketing and public relations having previously owned and managed a full-service marketing firm which centered on non-profits and public-service agencies. Her creative direction produced award-winning campaigns and publications and she has been honored for her in-kind contributions to the non-profit sector.

Additionally, she served as the Marketing Chair and Website Co-Chair on the Board of Directors of The Virginia Foundation for Women; a member of the Marketing Advisory Committee for the Richmond Hospital Hospitality House; and has facilitated local, regional, and national workshops on membership recruitment and retention and marketing non-profits.

Karla M. Sorensen

For the past 22 years, Karla Sorensen has served as Vice-President of both Alban Development Corporation and Sorensen Construction Corporation in Woodbridge, Virginia. The companies are residential land developers, homebuilders, and residential marketing specialists. Certified as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Ms. Sorensen has served on numerous community, medical, and educational boards including the Virginia Health Care Foundation, the Virginia Hospital Centers, the Board of Visitors of Marymount University; Visiting Nurse Home Care, Inc., the Arlington Health Ventures Group, Inc.; and the University of Virginia, School of Nursing Advisory Board.

Ms. Sorensen is a graduate of Marymount University, the University of Virginia, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

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