
Encore Public Voices Fellowship
The Encore Public Voices Fellowship is a collaboration among The OpEd Project (OEP), a think tank and leadership organization that accelerates the ideas and public impact of underrepresented voices, including women; Encore.org, a nonprofit dedicated to bridging generational divides; and Ann MacDougall (Senior Advisor, Encore.org). The fellowship is part of The OpEd Project’s national Public Voices Fellowship initiative to change who writes history.
The fellowship is a prestigious initiative to accelerate the ideas and impact of new and necessary thought leaders, all working at the intersection of aging, longevity, intergenerational connection and social justice.
Announcing the 2020-21 Encore Public Voices Fellows
There is a critical need for new voices.
Many parts of the world are rapidly aging. In the U.S., we’ve added more than 30 years to life expectancy in the past century, but not across the board. Whites live longer than people of color. Women live longer than men. And the richest Americans live 10-15 years longer than the poorest. Today, for the first time ever, there are more people over the age of 60 than under the age of 18. The ripple effects of these shifts will affect every aspect of society. We need better and faster ideas from a more diverse set of people of all ages, including those who are most impacted by the uneven implications of these realities, and thus most likely to see new solutions and envision a more just future.
Fellows will receive a full year of support, skills and mentoring to ensure their ideas shape the greater public conversation. Members of the first two groups of fellows have been featured at SWSW, on Good Morning America, and in publications including the New York Times, USA Today, Fast Company, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and more.
See this infographic for details about the first 41 fellows and the impact they’ve had.
Members of the fellowship’s Advisory Council include Ellen Goodman (Chair), Sylvia Brown, Mary C. Curtis, Ken Dychtwald, Raymond Jetson, Katie Orenstein, Trabian Shorters and Lester Strong.
Here’s a brief introduction to the group. Stay tuned for more ways to get to know each of them in the coming months.
Alison McCrary, Social justice lawyer
Arianna Nassiri, Member, San Francisco Youth Commission
Christopher Tyson, President & CEO, Build Baton Rouge
Ernest Gonzales, Associate Professor, New York University
Frankie Huang, Writer
Dr. Imani Woody, Founder & CEO, Mary’s House for Older Adults, Inc.
Janine Vanderburg, Initiative Director, Changing the Narrative
Jonathan Collie, Co-founder The Age of No Retirement CIC, Creator of The Common Room purpose model
Kasley Killam, Founder of Social Health Labs
Dr. Kitty Oliver, Author and oral historian
Laura Nova, Artist and Associate Professor of Creative Arts and Technology, Bloomfield College
Mistinguette Smith, Principal Consultant at M Smith Consulting and Executive Director at Black/Land Project
Peter Slatin, Founder and President, The Slatin Group LLC, and Co-Founder, Slatin Media Group LLC
Rey Castuciano, Executive Director & Founder, Table Wisdom
Sandra Barnhill, Founder and CEO, Foreverfamily, Inc.
Sasha Johfre, Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology, Stanford University
Serena Bian, Community Strategist, Systems Designer and Neighbor
Sian-Pierre Regis, Director/Producer, Duty Free
Susanne Stadler, Principal, Stadler & Architecture and Executive Director & Co-Founder, At Home With Growing Older
Tim Carpenter, CEO/Founder, EngAGE
Uma Menon, Student and author, Princeton University
FAQs
These FAQs relate to all Public Voices Fellowships managed by The OpEd Project. For additional questions regarding the fellowship, contact Aanchal Dhar at [email protected].
The Fellows, 2018 and 2019

Adell Brown
(2019-20)
Project Director, Collective Healing Initiative, 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge: Baton Rouge, LA
Alexis Ortega
(2019-20)
Director of Community Engagement, The LGBT Community Center of the Desert: Palm Springs, CA
Co-Director, Brown Institute for Media Innovation, Stanford University: Burlingame, CA
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Programming, Jumpstart: Charlottesville, VA
Cal J. Halvorsen
(2018-19)
Assistant Professor of Social Work, Boston College: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Julianne Taaffe
(2018-19)
English as a Second Language Specialist, Ohio State University: Columbus, OH
Dr. Karen D. Lincoln
(2018-19)
Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Southern California: Los Angeles, CA
Kate Hoepke
(2019-20)
Executive Director, San Francisco Village Chair, Village Movement California: Oakland, CA
Maria Heidkamp
(2019-20)
Director, Program Development and Technical Assistance, Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University: New Brunswick, NJ
Dr. Marlon A. Smith
(2018-19)
Founder and CEO, Black Greeks Speak Social Justice and Human Rights Council: Houston, Texas
Mick Smyer
(2018-19)
Professor of Psychology, Bucknell University and Founder, Graying Green: Lewisburg, PA
Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz
(2019-20)
2019-2020 Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Founder, New Mexico Women of Color Nonprofit Leadership Initiative: Santa Fe, NM
Dr. Onita Estes-Hicks
(2018-19)
Retired Professor of English, State University of New York at Old Westbury: New York, NY
Dr. Sharon Inouye
(2019-20)
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Director, Aging Brain Center, Hebrew SeniorLife: Newton, MA
Terry Kaelber
(2019-20)
Director, Institute for Empowered Aging, United Neighborhood Houses of New York: Brooklyn, NY
Fellows in the Media
The Fellowship Experience
Watch this short video to hear how the first 20 Encore Public Voices Fellows describe their experiences.
Resources for Thought Leaders
“What does it mean to have a society with more older people than younger ones?” by 2018-19 Fellow Cal Halvorsen.
EPVF Thought Leadership Resources: This document includes useful research, data and reports related to aging, longevity and intergenerational issues.
Up your game in thought leadership: Whether you’re just establishing your voice or looking for new ways to reach more people, these resources will get you started.
From The OpEd Project:
- “Write to Change the World”: These workshops are based on time-tested models of transformational learning, and are designed to unlock knowledge in powerful and unexpected ways (scholarships are available here).
- “Ask a Journalist”: This webinar takes place every Thursday at 5 pm ET. Think of it as office hours with a journalist who is rooting for you. They rotate topics, but all webinars have live discussion and Q&A.
- The OpEd Project posts free resources on their website, including submission and contact info for hundreds of outlets, scripts and sample language for pitching, and an FAQ.