About

Uche Akobundu, Nutritionist

Dr. Akobundu is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and serves as the Senior Director of Nutrition Strategy at Meals on Wheels America where she leads the development and implementation of the Association’s strategy on senior nutrition programs and services. This work includes the design and execution of projects that demonstrate the evidence base for senior nutrition programs, as well as leading varied initiatives that strengthen and contemporize the portfolio of local service offerings. In addition, she works collaboratively at the national level to build knowledge and skills among nutrition and aging professionals in business acumen development, program evaluation, and food service management arenas. Dr. Akobundu holds a M.S. in Nutrition with a concentration in public health from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Ph.D. in Nutrition from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Laura Gottlieb, PhD, Professor of Family and Community Medicine

Dr. Gottlieb is a Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research explores health care sector programs and policies related to identifying and addressing social risk factors in the context of care delivery. She is the founding co-director of the Social Interventions Research and Evaluation Network, a national research network that advances research on health care strategies to improve social conditions. Dr. Gottlieb is also Associate Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Evidence for Action National Program Office

Joan Kwiatkowski, CEO

Joan Kwiatkowski is the CEO of the PACE Organization of Rhode Island. PACE is an at-risk insurance model specifically designed for older adults challenged by complex health and social needs who wish to remain living safely in their communities.  Joan has over 25 years’ experience as a senior executive in health care organizations.  She serves on local Statewide committees like the COVID Advisory Council as well as nationally serving as Treasurer for the National PACE Association.  Joan completed her undergraduate degree at Boston College and advanced degrees from Boston University and Stanford.

William Lavery, Meals on Wheels, Volunteer Driver

Bill Lavery is a retired real estate broker and a resident of the Hudson Valley region of New York State. Prior to his retirement he owned and operated his own residential real estate brokerage firm for over twenty years. Bill has been a Meals On Wheels volunteer for the past twelve years. His other interests include tennis, gardening and history.

Bruce Leff, M.D.

Dr. Leff is Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he directs the Director of the Center for Transformative Geriatric Research. His research focuses on novel models of care delivery for older adults, issues related to multi-morbidity, risk prediction, performance measurement, and quality measurement and improvement, with an emphasis on home and community-based models of care. He cares for patients in the acute, ambulatory and home settings, and is an award-winning teacher and mentor.  He has served as past -President of the American Academy of Home Care Medicine and currently serves as the Chair of the Geriatric Medicine Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and Chair of the ABIM Council and serves on the editorial board of the Annals of Internal Medicine.  

Rose Mollitor, MPA - Executive Director

Rose Mollitor is the Executive Director of Medicare Product Innovation and Strategy for Aetna, a CVS Health Company. Prior to joining Aetna, Rose served as the Senior Medicare Program Examiner for the White House Office of Management and Budget. She received her MPA in Economics and Public Policy at Princeton University.

Jennifer Raymond, JD, MBA - Chief Strategy Officer

Jennifer Raymond, JD, MBA is the Chief Strategy Officer for AgeSpan (formerly Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and North Shore), an Area Agency on Aging serving 28 cities and towns in Massachusetts.  She is an experienced strategic thinker, coalition builder, and change leader. Driven by the desire to create healthy communities for all, she takes pride in aligning social missions with business acumen, providing the best approaches to sustainability possible. As Chief Strategy Officer, she builds cross-sector partnerships, creates shared alignment around a vision, and translates that vision into action. Jennifer holds a juris doctorate and a master’s in business administration and serves on the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative, the Steering Committee for Food is Medicine – Massachusetts (FIMMA) and the board of directors for the Evidence Based Leadership Collaborative.

Andrew Renda M.D., Vice President

Dr. Andrew Renda is currently the Vice President of Humana’s Bold Goal and Population Health Strategy. He received his medical degree and a diploma in clinical psychiatry from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, followed by a Masters in Public Health from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. A published researcher and speaker in the fields of population health, social determinants of health and chronic disease, Dr. Renda’s work strives to inform co-created solutions to improve community health.  He was named one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Healthcare Innovators, and was a 2021 Leadership Louisville Bingham Fellow

Sarah L. Szanton, PhD, ANP, FAAN, Dean

Sarah L. Szanton, PhD, ANP, FAAN is the Dean and Patricia M. Davidson Health Equity and Social Justice Endowed Professor. She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  Her main research strands are improving health equity among older adults, aging in community, the effects of financial strain on health, and structural racial discrimination and resilience. She co-developed the CAPABLE program which has been tested in randomized trials and scaled to 45 new sites in 23 States. She was a 2019 Heinz Award winner for the Human Condition and is a PBS Organization’s “Next Avenue Influencers in Aging.” She has published more than 150 papers and been Principal Investigator on more than $20 million in grants. Szanton completed undergraduate work in African-American Studies at Harvard University and earned a bachelor’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She holds a nurse practitioner master’s degree from the University of Maryland and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. She is Core Faculty at the Center on Aging and Health, the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions and Adjunct Faculty with the Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy. She has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the John A. Hartford Foundation, the Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation, the St. David’s Foundation, and the AARP Foundation.

Lucy Theilheimer, Meals on Wheels, Chief Strategy and Impact Officer

Lucy joined Meals on Wheels America in January 2016 as Chief Strategy and Impact Officer. She is responsible for strategy and planning, research, and efforts to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Prior to joining the Association, Lucy served in multiple roles at AARP. Most recently she served as SVP for Organizational and Management Effectiveness and, prior to that, as SVP for Enterprise Strategy. She also has many years of experience in aging, health and long-term care at AARP, as well as other health and aging non-profit Associations. Lucy received a B.A. in Sociology from George Mason University and an MA in Health Care Administration, Policy and Planning from George Washington University

Grace Thomas, Meals on Wheels, Volunteer Driver

Grace Thomas is a retired educator living in northern Georgia. She is the daughter of a former Meals on Wheels client, who was able to remain in her home with the support of Meals on Wheels until the age of 98. Mrs. Thomas now volunteers with her husband to deliver meals in a rural community every week. She says “ to see first-hand how my Mother benefited from the program and currently witness how it is impacting older individuals in our rural community is a wonderful feeling.”

Emma Tucher, Doctoral Student and Meals on Wheels, Volunteer Driver

Emma Tucher is a PhD student at Brown University, where Emma studies interventions to improve the outcomes and experience for high-need individuals and the social determinants of health with a particular focus on food insecurity. Emma has also volunteered as a Meals on Wheels driver for over two years serving older adults within the Providence community. 

Carolin Anderson, MOW Driver

Carolin has been working for Meals on Wheels for about 8 months. In that time, she has made herself indispensable by delivering meals to client homes; helping with mail delivery services; and assisting with MOW catering deliveries. Carolin decided to work with MOW after seeing the MOW cars around her neighborhood and recognizing this was a great way for her to help people. She has an affinity for working with the elderly and hopes to continue helping them through this project.

Michael Beckman, MOW Driver

Michael joined Meals on Wheels shortly after retiring from a 50-year career in manufacturing management. His trajectory from Foreman to Vice President of Manufacturing moved him from Connecticut, to California, and then finally to Texas where he joined VNA Dallas. While delivering meals, Michael makes an extra effort to put a smile on his clients’ faces as he has learned that he is often the only person they see all day. In his free time, Michael enjoys organic gardening, reading and hiking.

Amy Dawson, MOW Driver

Amy officially joined Meals on Wheels in the winter of 2022 but had already served as a volunteer for two years.  She has driven for Meals on Wheels in both the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) area and Charlottesville VA, Amy worked as a business leader in the DFW metroplex for 25 years, guiding teams of business analysts and project managers.  She retired during COVID and discovered her love for service work when the world started re-opening.

Deshawn Jackson, MOW Driver

Deshawn Jackson was raised in a military family and lived in many, many places until he decided San Antonio would be his forever home. Prior to joining Meals on Wheels, he was working as a manager for a rental car company. When COVID-19 disrupted the industry, he started a new career as a driver supervisor at the MOW San Antonio program. Now a Driver Senior Manager, he is so glad to have made the change. “Working at MOW, you can make a difference everyday”, says Deshawn.

Robert Johnson, MOW Driver

Robert has been working with Aging True for almost one year. Delivery services have always suited him for work - whether he is delivering shower doors or meals on wheels. He grew up in a military family and is used to moving around quite a bit. However, he was born in Florida and eventually chose to stay in his home state where he built his own family. Robert has a wife, 4 kids and one grandchild. He enjoys spending time with his family and interacting with the clients on his route. He knows they look forward to seeing him and “they always put a smile on my face”. 

Rodrick James, MOW Driver

Rodrick started working with Aging True in October 2021. A pastor with a big heart, the role instantly suited him and he was promoted to Lead Ambassador within his first month. Rodrick saw firsthand the impact of meal services since his wife’s grandmother was a Meals on Wheels recipient. He was inspired by the care and attention she always received from her drivers. Robert is proud that his program looks beyond hunger and also focuses on a client’s health and other environmental needs. Observes Rodrick, “You got to have a heart for it”.

Victoria Laguardia, MOW Client

Victoria, 87, is a San Francisco native and lifelong Californian. Prior to retirement, she worked as a realtor and also a pet sitter.  Victoria loves animals and has rescued several cats and dogs. She volunteered for many years as a Pink Lady at a local hospital, visiting patients with her rescue dog. Victoria joined our panel because she "loves to volunteer" and help others - she has even previously swung a hammer for Habitat for Humanity!

Luis I. Martinez, MOW Recipient

Luis was an active duty member of the Army where he was injured in Bosnia. He also served his country through the National Guard and Navy. He has a BA in criminology and a Master’s degree in counseling. Retired since 2001, Luis has been a Meals on Wheels client for several years and has seen many operational changes over that time. He is interested in helping to improve the services for other disabled and retired seniors.

Troy Meyer, MOW Driver

Troy has lived in the Golden State his whole life. An avid skier, he enjoys the mountain areas and has been a recurring volunteer with ski patrols. Around the start of COVID-19, he started volunteering for Meals on Wheels San Diego where he helps with daily deliveries on different routes. Troy sees firsthand how his deliveries bring more than a meal to an isolated senior. He joined the panel hoping to better promote and understand the socialization aspects of home meal deliveries.

Evelyn Millan, Caregiver

Evelyn retired in 2015 from the U.S. Postal Service after 37 years of service. She is currently a full time caretaker for her husband who is a disabled Veteran. She is also raising two spirited Boxer pups. In her free time, Evelyn enjoys making homemade greeting cards that she gives to the staff at the VA and the Meals on Wheels drivers who visit their home. She sincerely appreciates the help her family receives from these programs and hopes to give back through her service on the panel.

Margie Reed, Caregiver

Margie was born in California and now lives in Texas. She is a certified Medical Assistant and Phlebotomist. Margie stepped away from her career in healthcare to become a full-time caregiver to her mother and brother. She has witnessed first-hand the positive benefits of Meals on Wheels services, noting how her mother looks forward to the extra human connection each delivery day. Margie and her family are looking forward to her first grandbaby this summer!

Oralia Romero, Caregiver

Oralia has always had a flair for bringing people together. When her son was little, she would plan such elaborate and beautiful parties for him that her friends insisted she consider making it a career. Oralia eventually started her own business planning weddings, birthdays, baby showers, debuts, and even the occasional “divorce party”. She still helps her community decorate for the holidays each winter but her main focus for the last 12 years has been to be a caregiver. Oralia will be contributing her keen organizational skills and warm community spirit to this project.

Corrine Starkweather, MOW Recipient

Corie is a 95 year-old retired elementary school teacher living in Carlsbad, California. She studied French at UCLA where she earned her degree in 1949. She has volunteered extensively with community based organizations including the Junior League and the Red Cross. She is excited to lend her “senior viewpoint” to this project and looks forward to improving the research experience for other seniors receiving meals.

Melvin Swartout, MOW Client 

Melvin is a retired entrepreneur in his nineties. He used to own and run his own business manufacturing trailers and installing hitches. He also taught swimming classes and did some commercial diving. The first to own a pool in his neighborhood, he became known as the go-to person to everyone who later got a pool and he would offer them useful tips and maintenance assistance. He has been scuba diving all over the Caribbean. Not much of a cook himself, Melvin really appreciates the meals he receives from MOW over the last few years and looks forward to giving back through this project.