Two Prestigious Leaders Appointed to Alliance for Aging Research Board of Directors
Published October 29, 2025
Digital and Regulatory Policy expert, former Administration on Aging Deputy Assistant Secretary will lend expertise
Washington, D.C. – The Alliance for Aging Research announces two new members appointed to the organization’s Board of Directors: Carla Cartwright and Edwin Walker. The two were formally approved for the positions at the Alliance’s Fall 2025 Board meeting.
Carla Cartwright leads the Digital and R&D policy group for Johnson & Johnson’s Worldwide Government Affairs & Policy (WWGA&P) team across the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors. She drives work on a variety of policy issues including AI and data ethics, cybersecurity, and regulatory modernization and represents GA&P in several internal and external for a
including the Johnson & Johnson AI Council and OECD Expert Group on AI and Health. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Cartwright was an attorney and team leader in FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel where she advised the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research on legal and policy issues.
“I am thrilled to join the Alliance and its dedicated Board in efforts to help advance policies and strategies in support of healthy aging and equitable access,” said Cartwright. “As we leverage new technologies and enhanced access to healthcare data, the Alliance will be critical in educating patients, caregivers, and policymakers on implications for aging Americans and elevating their concerns to facilitate positive health impacts.”
Edwin Walker was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging at the Administration on Aging within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where he guided the development of home and community-based long-term care and elder justice programs, policies, and research enabling older adults and their caregivers to age with dignity and independence and be free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Prior to his federal service, Walker directed the Missouri Division of Aging, overseeing comprehensive services for older adults and individuals with disabilities.
“I am delighted to join the board of the Alliance for Aging Research, the premiere organization with a distinguished history of advancing the positive aspects of aging well through science-based research, education and information. I look forward to contributing my more than 40 years of experience in developing, administering, and advocating for aging policies and programs and promoting the best approaches in fostering the independence, dignity, and well-being of older individuals and their caregivers,” said Walker. “The Alliance’s Board of Directors sets the strategic direction of the organization and guides its mission to change the narrative to achieve healthy aging and equitable access to care. The Alliance strives for a culture that embraces healthy aging as a greater good and values science and investments to advance dignity, independence, and equity.”
“We are so pleased to welcome Carla Cartwright and Edwin Walker to our Board of Directors,” said Michele Markus, Board Chair and Head of Global Accounts for Omnicom Group. “Carla’s wealth of digital expertise in this evolving time where AI is being applied to information that is critical to managing one’s health and care. And Edwin’s decades of experience on aging topics will be invaluable as we continue to navigate the exciting opportunities and challenges ahead. We look forward to their contributions and are confident that they will enhance our ability to achieve our strategic goals and help us to advocate for older adults even more effectively.”
“The Alliance is thrilled and grateful to welcome Carla Cartwright and Edwin Walker to our Board,” said Alliance President and CEO Sue Peschin, MHS. “These exceptional individuals are true changemakers for older adults—Carla, with her focused expertise on data ethics and AI health policy issues, and Edwin, for his decades of public service leadership in the aging network. I look forward to working with them as we increase our engagement in preserving critical senior services and adapting to new technologies meant to serve them.”
The Alliance believes advances in research help people live longer, happier, more productive lives and reduce healthcare costs over the long term. For nearly 40 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 Carla Cartwright or Edwin Walker, email Katie Riley, Vice President of Communications, at [email protected].