Sessions and Speakers
TRACK 1: SELF-DISCOVERY — TRANSITIONING INTO RETIREMENT
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Breakfast Plenary Session
• Easing the Transition into Retirement
Keynote speaker: Dr. Cynthia Barnett, author, Prime Time Makeover
Dr. Cynthia Barnett, author of Prime Time Makeover, spent 30 years in the Norwalk Public School system before retiring to “Re-Fire” her life and reinvent herself. Her credentials include a Bachelor’s Degree from New York University and a Doctorate from Columbia University. Her most recent studies have been with luminaries in the field of “Happiness.” She was recently featured in Time Magazine about women in midlife who have reinvented themselves.
10:15 a.m.– 11:45 a.m. Breakout Sessions
• Breakout A: Finding Purpose and Passion in Retirement
Speaker: Dr. Cynthia Barnett, author, Prime Time Makeover
Dr. Cynthia Barnett, author of Prime Time Makeover, spent 30 years in the Norwalk Public School system before retiring to “Re-Fire” her life and reinvent herself. Her credentials include a Bachelor’s Degree from New York University and a Doctorate from Columbia University. Her most recent studies have been with luminaries in the field of “Happiness.” She was recently featured in Time Magazine about women in midlife who have reinvented themselves.
• Breakout B: Becoming a Lifelong Learner
Speaker: Kali Lightfoot, National OLLI Resource Center
Kali Lightfoot is Executive Director of the National Resource Center for Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes and Coordinator for the Maine Senior College Network. She holds a B.A. from Western Michigan University and an M.S. from the University of Washington. Originally a teacher at the high school and college levels, Kali left the teaching profession in 1979 for Elderhostel. Over the years at Elderhostel she managed the New England Region, was Associate National Program Director, then managed international homestay, service-learning, and intergenerational programs. She has also worked for the Experiment in International Living, was a Wilderness Ranger for the U.S. Forest Service, delivered singing balloongrams in a chicken suit, and was self-employed for a time. In 2000 Kali moved to Maine to become Director of the Senior College at University of Southern Maine (USM). Shortly thereafter, USM Senior College became the first Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and USM was then chosen by the Osher Foundation to create and manage the National Resource Center.
• Breakout C: Preparing for Relationship Changes in Retirement
Speaker: Dr. Lori Russell-Chapin, Bradley University
Dr. Lori Russell-Chapin is presently Professor and Associate Dean of the Bradley University College of Education and Health Sciences and was the chairperson of the Department of Educational Leadership and Human Development for 11 years. She teaches graduate level counseling courses. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming. Dr. Russell-Chapin is co-owner of Chapin and Russell Associates, a private counseling and consultation agency. She has presented workshops locally, regionally, nationally and internationally on issues of diversity, diversity management, stress management, gender communications, assertiveness, conflict resolution, developmental concerns for women and grief and loss. She is published in state, national, and international journals. Lori has authored three books, co-authored three books, and written extensively on supervision issues. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and a certified clinical supervisor (ACS). Dr. Russell-Chapin was the first recipient of the William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence and a University Putnam Award winner for excellence in teaching.
• Breakout D: Retirement Investing and Planning
Speaker: Bill Kwon, First Vice President, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Bill Kwon is First Vice President and a Wealth Advisor with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney's Global Wealth Management division, responsible for investments and retirement planning for high net worth clients and small businesses. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Business Administration. Bill teaches retirement planning at Bradley University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and senior level marketing classes at the University. He is currently completing his graduate studies in Estate Planning with The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He is a multiple Morgan Stanley Director's Club member, President's Club member, and National Sales Director Award Recipient, and has received the highly selective International Wealth Advisor Designation with his firm. Bill frequently travels to speak to and educate other Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors across the country on topics of client development and financial planning excellence. In 1998, he received the 40 Leaders Under 40 award from Peoria InterBusiness Issues. He has contributed financial articles for numerous periodicals, including Peoria Metropolitan Magazine and has served as financial editor for Illinois and Indiana Agri-News. Fortune magazine described Bill as the "embodiment of the American Dream" in a cover story in 2008.
TRACK 2: FINANCIAL MATTERS — CREATIVE RETIREMENT IN TURBULENT TIMES
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Luncheon Plenary Session
• Preparing for the Retirement Boom
Keynote Speaker: Tom Rowley, Van Kampen Investments
Thomas Rowley is an Executive Director with Van Kampen Investments and a member of the Van Kampen Strategy Group. He is responsible for analyzing the evolving retirement landscape and for developing actionable strategies to help investors and financial advisors maximize their retirement planning opportunities. Tom’s insights reflect more than 20 years of experience in the investment industry. He brings a lively and deeply knowledgeable perspective to retirement planning, and explains the complexities of legislative, investing, tax, and societal issues with straightforward clarity. He shares his economic and market analyses through regular personal appearances and web-based commentaries. Prior to joining Van Kampen in 1996, Tom was a 401(k) regional sales director. His experience also includes seven years in retirement plan operations, which included three years at the head of a brokerage firm’s “retirement answer desk.” Rowley began his career in the Treasury bond futures pit at the Chicago Board of Trade. Tom earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois. He holds Series 7 and 63 securities registrations.
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions
• Breakout A: Retirement Investing and Planning
Speaker: Bill Kwon, First Vice President, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Bill Kwon is First Vice President and a Wealth Advisor with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney's Global Wealth Management division, responsible for investments and retirement planning for high net worth clients and small businesses. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Business Administration. Bill teaches retirement planning at Bradley University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and senior level marketing classes at the University. He is currently completing his graduate studies in Estate Planning with The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He is a multiple Morgan Stanley Director's Club member, President's Club member, and National Sales Director Award Recipient, and has received the highly selective International Wealth Advisor Designation with his firm. Bill frequently travels to speak to and educate other Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors across the country on topics of client development and financial planning excellence. In 1998, he received the 40 Leaders Under 40 award from Peoria InterBusiness Issues. He has contributed financial articles for numerous periodicals, including Peoria Metropolitan Magazine and has served as financial editor for Illinois and Indiana Agri-News. Fortune magazine described Bill as the "embodiment of the American Dream" in a cover story in 2008.
• Breakout B: Estate Planning and Planned Giving
Speaker: Jim Benckendorf, Benckendorf & Benckendorf, P.C.
Mr. Benckendorf has been a practicing attorney in the Peoria area for more than 20 years, concentrating his practice in the areas of Estate Planning and Elder law. Jim works primarily out of the firm’s Morton Office, but also sees clients in its Peoria and Eureka locations. Mr. Benckendorf is a graduate of Northern Illinois University Law School and is licensed with the U.S. Tax Court, and has been a speaker at many Estate Planning seminars for various professional organizations in central Illinois. He addresses all matters of Estate and Tax Planning, establishing and overseeing Trusts, and works with clients on many areas of Elder Law Planning. Mr. Benckendorf is the current President of the Morton Economic Development Council, a Board member of the Morton Chamber of Commerce, a Trustee of the Morton Community Foundation, and has been the Vice-Chairman of the Morton United Methodist Church Building Committee overseeing the construction of its new facility. Mr. Benckendorf has also chaired the Estate Planning and Giving Committee for the Morton United Methodist Church since 1999.
• Breakout C: Navigating Medicare
Speaker: Nancy Bell, Central Illinois Agency on Aging
Nancy Bell will lead a panel of three Senior Health Assistance Program (SHAP) and Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) representatives, all of whom specialize in prescription assistance and long term care insurance programs.
• Breakout D: Understanding Your 50+ Body
Speaker: Marjorie Getz, Bradley University Center for Learning Assistance
Marjorie has been a Gerontological Practitioner since 1993 and specializes in health psychology. She assists men and women lead their best lives after the age of 50. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, a Master’s Degree in psychology from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and a Master’s Degree in epidemiology and public health from Yale University. Marjorie teaches an adult development and aging course at Bradley University, which successfully integrates undergraduate students with members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
TRACK 3: HEALTH CARE CONCERNS — Proactive Approaches to Healthy Living
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Afternoon Plenary Session
• Mental and Physical Effects of Retirement
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Larry Lindahl, OSF Institute on Aging
Dr. Lindahl, Director of Geriatric Services for the OSF Institute on Aging, has more than 30 years medical experience. In 2006 and 2007 he earned the Outstanding Teacher Award for the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. In 1989, he developed geriatric outpatient services at OSF, which provides multidisciplinary geriatric consultation, outpatient rotations for residents and fellows, consultation to nursing homes, and continuing education lectures to health care providers throughout Central Illinois. Dr. Lindahl has been an investigator for many clinical drug trials for Alzheimer’s Disease treatment, and is a member of the Alzheimer’s Association Board of Directors, Central Illinois Region, and the Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Committee for the Illinois Department of Public Health.
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions
• Breakout A: Blueprinting Your Future: Map the Next Chapter in Your Life
Speaker: Robin Albright, Zinger Zanger, Inc.
Robin Albright, CPCC, of Zinger Zanger, Inc. began her speaking career in 1999 with topics such as Customer Service and Leadership. After attaining a Life Coaching Certificate from Coaches Training Institute in November of 2008, Robin began speaking on whole life topics such as Detox Your Thoughts, Coaching 101 & Life Mapping, helping clients step beyond the limits of their everyday thoughts. Robin’s background includes: retail corporate trainer, district manager, sales manager, newspaper reporter, and freelance writer. Now she spends her time as a life coach & speaker, Zinger Zanger-ing through life, opening up new pathways of thought, focusing on the best in others, and encouraging them to own up to it.
• Breakout B: Understanding Your 50+ Body
Speaker: Marjorie Getz, Bradley University Center for Learning Assistance
Marjorie has been a Gerontological Practitioner since 1993 and specializes in health psychology. She assists men and women lead their best lives after the age of 50. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, a Master’s Degree in psychology from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and a Master’s Degree in epidemiology and public health from Yale University. Marjorie teaches an adult development and aging course at Bradley University, which successfully integrates undergraduate students with members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
• Breakout C: Emotional Well-Being in Retirement
Speaker: Donna Nordwall, MSW, LCSW, Proctor Counseling Center
Donna Nordwall earned her bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Until 1999, she worked as a therapist for older adults with a focus on outpatient mental health. She has also worked with elementary age children and their families as a social worker in an in-school health program. After a ten-year leave of absence to raise her children, Donna returned to her favorite position as an outpatient mental health therapist. She currently works with all ages and sees individuals, couples, and families in an outpatient setting at Proctor Hospital Counseling Center.
• Breakout D: Becoming a Lifelong Learner
Speaker: Kali Lightfoot, National OLLI Resource Center
Kali Lightfoot is Executive Director of the National Resource Center for Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes and Coordinator for the Maine Senior College Network. She holds a B.A. from Western Michigan University and an M.S. from the University of Washington. Originally a teacher at the high school and college levels, Kali left the teaching profession in 1979 for Elderhostel. Over the years at Elderhostel she managed the New England Region, was Associate National Program Director, then managed international homestay, service-learning, and intergenerational programs. She has also worked for the Experiment in International Living, was a Wilderness Ranger for the U.S. Forest Service, delivered singing balloongrams in a chicken suit, and was self-employed for a time. In 2000 Kali moved to Maine to become Director of the Senior College at University of Southern Maine (USM). Shortly thereafter, USM Senior College became the first Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and USM was then chosen by the Osher Foundation to create and manage the National Resource Center. Kali is a graduate of Leadership Maine, past Chair of the Lifetime Education and Renewal Network of the American Society on Aging, and a grandmother.
5:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Complimentary cocktail reception and booksigning
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Last updated: 09/17/2009