The Virginia Governor's Conference on Aging (VGCOA) is hosted by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services and the Virginia Association of Area Agencies on Aging. VGCOA has postponed their meeting until 2021, but is now offering free monthly webinars. The next webinar in the series focuses on the issue of social isolation in long term care facilities.
*The link to register is at the bottom of this page.
The panel will be compromised of the following experts:
Melissa Andrews
President & CEO, LeadingAge Virginia
Melissa Andrews joined the LeadingAge Virginia staff as President & CEO in 2016 after 14 years with LeadingAge (national). LeadingAge Virginia is an association of not for profit aging services providers, serving the entire continuum, expanding the world of possibilities for aging. Their vision of positive aging for each Virginian is one they seek to attain through advocacy, education, and establishing a leadership position within the Commonwealth.
Melissa leads the overall affairs of the association, works closely with the Board of Directors, and is responsible for the implementation of the strategic plan, oversight of financial resources, leading the team and raising the visibility of the association in pursuit of its vision to impact older Virginians wherever they live.
Under Melissa’s leadership, Dementia Friendly Virginia was launched in collaboration with the Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services and the Dementia Friends initiative was launched in Virginia. The pillars of LeadingAge’s strategic plan are workforce, impact and capacity building.
Prior to joining the LeadingAge Virginia team, Melissa served as the Vice President, Board Development & Member Relations at LeadingAge (national), facilitating board development retreats and strategic planning processes around the country. Melissa continues to serve as a governance resource in her current role, facilitating leadership retreats nationally.
Melissa is a frequent speaker at conferences, educational events and has been featured in media interviews about dementia and aging issues.
Melissa was a class of 2010 LeadingAge Larry Minnix Leadership Academy fellow. In 2012, she received the BoardSource© Certificate of Nonprofit Board Education, and in 2013, Melissa received The Coalition for Leadership in Aging Services’ Certified Aging Services Professional national certification.
Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Boston College. She lives in Richmond, VA with her husband, daughter, stepchildren and French Bulldog. Her “why’s” in life are her family and positively impacting the aging experience both in Virginia and across the nation.
Sarah Lineberger, MPH
Virginia Department of Health
Sarah Lineberger is the Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Program Manager in the Office of Epidemiology at the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). She served as the VDH HAI Epidemiologist before moving into the program manager role in December 2016. She currently oversees a team of clinicians and epidemiologists working to protect patients receiving healthcare in Virginia by preventing healthcare-associated and antimicrobial-resistant infections.
Sarah completed a CDC/CSTE HAI Applied Epidemiology Fellowship at the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health before joining VDH six years ago. She has a Master of Public Health in Global Epidemiology from Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Wake Forest University. She is on the Young Professional Leadership Council for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Virginia Chapter, and is the current President of the Wake Forest Richmond Alumni Group.
Secretary Richard Prudom
Secretary, Florida Department of Elder Affairs
In January 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Richard Prudom as Secretary for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA), the State Unit on Aging, whose mission is to help Florida’s 5.5 million elders remain healthy, safe, and independent.
Secretary Prudom has more than 30 years in executive leadership with the State of Florida where he has worked to develop, implement, and lead public policies and programs that improve the lives of Florida families. Since 2011, he has served at the Department of Elder Affairs as Deputy Secretary and Chief of Staff.
Prudom received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. In September 2014, Prudom took the oath to become an American citizen and now enjoys dual citizenship with the United Kingdom.