Michele Markus Appointed Board Chair of Alliance for Aging Research

Former three-term chair James G. “Jim” Scott to remain as Board member

Washington, D.C. – The Alliance for Aging Research today announced that Michele Markus has been appointed as its new Chair of the Board of Directors.

Markus, the Board’s former vice chair, is Head of Global Health Accounts, Worldwide Enterprise Lead for Omnicom, a leading worldwide marketing and communications company based in New York City. A healthcare professional with more than 20 years of experience, she currently oversees the largest health clients across private, public, policy, genomics and technology sectors for Omnicom.

“In the era of misinformation about medical science and our nation’s federal health agencies, the Alliance’s work is more important than ever to cut through the noise and serve as a reliable voice on health information and public policy,” said Markus. “Collaboration is the Alliance’s superpower, and I’m optimistic that our work with partners across the public and private sectors is changing the national conversation about access to healthy aging for all.”

The Alliance’s Board of Directors sets the strategic direction of the organization and guides its mission to accelerate the pace of scientific discoveries and their application to vastly improve the universal human experience of aging and health.

“The Alliance is grateful to welcome Michele Markus as our Board Chair,” said Alliance President and CEO Sue Peschin, MHS. “Michele spends her days advising on how to create and use effective communication to positively impact health. Her expertise will be invaluable in our work to tackle health ageism, improve equitable access to research and care, and engage older adult patients and family caregivers to better advocate for themselves.”

Markus succeeds three-term Board Chair James G. “Jim” Scott, President and CEO of Applied Policy, LLC, who will remain on the Alliance’s Board as a member.

“As our Board Chair for the past five years, Jim has served as a positive and motivating force to the Alliance in many invaluable ways, including generously sharing his CMS regulatory expertise to help us promote expanded coverage and access for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries,” said Peschin. “He helped us pivot and refocus our goals through the COVID-19 crisis, as we worked to address some of the most serious health challenges older adults had ever experienced.”

Markus added, “I am grateful for Jim’s thoughtful leadership and his personal mentorship to me as I prepared to become his successor.”

Also at the September 27 Board meeting, the Alliance took the following actions via unanimous vote:

• Mark Simon, Partner and Co-Founder of Torreya Partners, LLC, appointed as Vice Chair;
• Karen Gally, Associate General Counsel at Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Inc., appointed as Secretary;
• Dorothy Ouchida, ASCP Foundation Board of Trustees Chair, appointed as a new Board Member.

View the full Board roster here.

About Alliance for Aging Research

The Alliance for Aging Research is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the pace of scientific discoveries and their application to vastly improve the universal human experience of aging and health. The Alliance believes advances in research help people live longer, happier, more productive lives and reduce healthcare costs over the long term. For more than 30 years, the Alliance has guided efforts to substantially increase funding and focus for aging at the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration; built influential coalitions to guide groundbreaking regulatory improvements for age-related diseases; and created award-winning, high-impact educational materials to improve the health and well-being of older adults and their family caregivers. Learn more about the Alliance at www.agingresearch.org.

##

To interview Michele Markus, email Katie Riley, Vice President of Communications, at [email protected].