What We Learned: Rising Leaders Who Are Shaping the Future of Aging, 08.29.26 Transformation Tuesday

https://youtu.be/WFEVk3682qg

What does it take to change the future of aging?

Sometimes, it starts with a young person who discovers a movement and decides to carry its mission forward. Sometimes, it starts with a caregiver who realizes just how much power they have to protect—or diminish—a person's dignity. Sometimes, it starts with an artist, an advocate, a student, or a community leader who simply refuses to accept that “this is the way things are.”

On August 25, Gray Panthers NYC's Transformation Tuesday introduced us to an extraordinary group of people who are doing exactly that: the 2026 Gerson Award honorees.

The conversation, Rising Leaders Who Are Shaping the Future of Aging: Meet the Winners of the 2026 Gerson Award, was a powerful reminder that leadership isn't defined by a person's age. As Michelle Arnot shared, a “rising leader” might be 25—or 75. What matters is the energy, ideas, courage, and action they bring to the challenges facing our communities.

And this year's honorees are bringing plenty of all four.

Here are some of the lessons we took away:

1. Leadership isn't defined by age. It's defined by action.

The five recipients of the 2026 Gerson Rising Leader Award demonstrate just how broad the movement for a better future of aging can be:

🎵 Lauren Latessa, founder and artistic director of the Iris Music Project, is using music and creative expression to bring purpose, connection, and dignity to people living in long-term care.

🌍 Shakira Adel Khawaja, founder of Sukun Kenya, is working to rethink how communities support people as they age and demonstrating the importance of building new systems of care and connection.

🏳️‍🌈 James Austin, SAGE Trans Program Manager at Services & Advocacy for LGBTQ Elders (SAGE), is advocating for the visibility, inclusion, and dignity of transgender older adults and reminding us that every older person deserves to be seen and supported for exactly who they are.

🧠 Raaha Salamutu Vasanth, founder and president of the Mindcare Medics Club at West Shore Junior Senior High School, is demonstrating how young people can recognize challenges around aging, mental health, and caregiving—and turn that awareness into action.

🤝 Arielle Galinsky, co-founder of The Legacy Project, is creating opportunities for people of different generations to connect, learn from one another, and recognize the value of the stories and experiences we carry forward.

Five leaders. Five very different paths. One common thread: they saw something that needed to change, and they decided to do something about it.

2. One meaningful connection can change the course of a life.

Hadia Miriam's story is a beautiful example.

After discovering the story of Gray Panthers founder Maggie Kuhn while making a documentary, Hadia reached out to Gray Panthers NYC—and eventually became a volunteer and intern.

That one connection introduced her to a movement and gave her an opportunity to become part of it.

It is a reminder that movements don't simply continue because organizations exist. They continue because people invite other people in.

3. Dignity lives in the small moments.

Lori Porter, recipient of the Courage and Compassion Award, spent decades advocating for certified nursing assistants and the direct care workforce, including as co-founder and CEO of the National Association of Health Care Assistants.

Her message was both simple and profound: the people providing hands-on care have enormous power over a person's experience of aging.

A caregiver can make someone feel invisible—or valued.

They can make someone feel like a burden—or like a human being whose life, choices, and dignity matter.

That means creating a better future of aging isn't only about policy and systems. It is also about how we treat one another every single day.

4. We have to listen to the people closest to the work.

Lori's advocacy has consistently centered the voices of direct care workers—people who understand the realities of aging and caregiving because they experience them every day.

Too often, decisions about aging and long-term care are made without the people who actually provide or receive that care having a meaningful voice at the table.

If we're serious about changing the system, we need to listen to the people who know it from the inside.

5. The arts can transform how we experience aging and care.

Lauren Latessa's work with the Iris Music Project reminds us that aging isn't simply about managing decline or meeting physical needs.

Music can create connection. It can awaken memories. It can give people a way to express themselves and participate in something meaningful.

Creative expression isn't an extra. It can be part of what makes a life feel full.

6. Intergenerational connection isn't a nice idea. It's essential.

This year's honorees repeatedly demonstrated why Gray Panthers NYC has always believed in bringing generations together.

Rachel Bennett, one of this year's Above and Beyond Award recipients, has built an extraordinary intergenerational movement through Caring by Card, sending nearly 40,000 handmade cards to residents of nursing homes and creating opportunities for young people to connect with older adults.

Her work with Gray Panthers NYC and NYC Girl Scouts through Age and Youth in Action is another example of what happens when generations stop seeing one another as separate groups and start seeing one another as partners.

The future of aging belongs to every generation.

7. Aging is a global issue—and we need global solutions.

Shakira Adel Khawaja's work with Sukun Kenya expands the conversation beyond the United States.

The challenges and opportunities surrounding aging may look different from country to country, but the need for connection, dignity, support, and community is universal.

If we're going to build better systems for aging, we need to learn from one another across borders and cultures.

8. Representation matters.

James Austin's work with transgender older adults highlights something that can easily get lost in broad conversations about “older adults”: there is no single experience of aging.

• Identity matters.

• History matters.

• Community matters.

And people who have spent their lives navigating discrimination deserve to have their experiences recognized when we talk about what it means to age with dignity.

A better future of aging must be one where everyone can see themselves in it.

9. Personal experiences can become powerful advocacy.

Many of these leaders didn't begin their work because they set out to become advocates.

• They encountered something that moved them.

• They experienced something that changed them.

• They met someone whose story stayed with them.

• And then they chose to act.

That is how movements grow: one personal experience becomes one person's commitment, which inspires another person's action.

10. We cannot be afraid to use our voices.

Lori Porter spoke about the importance of continuing to advocate fearlessly, echoing the spirit of Maggie Kuhn herself.

That may be one of the most important lessons of all.

Changing the future of aging requires people willing to question the status quo, challenge ageism, speak up when something isn't right, and imagine something better.

You don't have to wait until you're older to advocate for older adults.

You don't have to have a particular title to be a leader.

And you don't have to wait for someone else to give you permission to make a difference.

Celebrating the people who are building what's next

A huge congratulations to our 2026 Gerson Rising Leader Award recipients: Lauren Latessa, Shakira Adel Khawaja, James Austin, Raaha Salamutu Vasanth, and Arielle Galinsky.

And congratulations to our Above and Beyond Award honorees, Hadia Miriam and Rachel Bennett, whose work demonstrates the extraordinary impact that can come from showing up, making connections, and caring deeply.

We also extend our deepest appreciation to Lori Porter, recipient of the Courage and Compassion Award, for her decades of advocacy on behalf of caregivers, older adults, and the dignity of care.

And a special thank-you to Meg LaPorte and Sophia Casale for the thoughtful work they put into reviewing this year's nominations and helping us recognize this remarkable group of leaders. As Meg shared, Sophia did the “heavy lifting” of compiling the nominations, and together they faced the difficult task of choosing among an exceptional group of nominees.

And, of course, our heartfelt thanks to Jill Gerson for her continued commitment to honoring the spirit of the Gerson Awards and celebrating the next generation of leaders who are helping shape a more connected, compassionate future of aging. 

And as Michelle Arnot reminded us at the close of the conversation:

“They say isolation kills. So let's stay together. Let's band together.”

That may be the most important lesson of all.

Stay connected. Stay curious. Keep showing up. And keep building the future together.