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