Meet the AARP New York Executive Council

New York: About Your State Office

Source: AARP.org | February 23, 2007

Lois Aronstein, AARP New York State Director

Lois Aronstein, of Manhattan, is the state director of the New York State Office of AARP, the nation's leading organization for people fifty and over. AARP New York, through its two state offices in Manhattan and Albany and a worksite in Rochester, provides information and resources to its 2.6 million members in the state; engages in legislative advocacy on the state and national levels; and assists its members in serving their communities to help older New Yorker age with dignity and independence.

Through Aronstein's leadership, AARP New York helped New York State pass landmark legislation that requires prescription drug prices from all New York pharmacies to be posted on the Internet so that consumers can have access to affordable medications. She also led AARP in advocating for a new law that creates oversight and consumer protections for residents in assisted living facilities and a new law that provides support to grandparents raising grandchildren. Aronstein is a frequent television, radio, and print spokesperson for AARP on national and state issues affecting older New Yorkers, including prescription drug affordability, Social Security, Medicaid, and consumer protections.

Aronstein initially directed AARP operations in six New England states before she was named director for AARP's New York State Office at its establishment in 1993. Prior to joining AARP, Ms. Aronstein served as the executive director of the Framingham Council of Aging in Massachusetts and has held numerous other leadership positions on boards and advisory councils in Massachusetts and New York.

Aronstein currently serves on the Advisory Boards of the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs and IPRO, the Island Peer Review Organization. She is also a trustee of the Aging in New York Fund and served on the Board of Trustees of At Home, Inc., of the Visiting Nurse Association of Brooklyn.

Madeleine Moore, AARP New York President

Madeleine Moore, of Manhattan, was named AARP New York President in October 2005. In this lead volunteer position, Moore chairs the organization's volunteer Executive Council which helps set AARP's state agenda and programs for its 2.6 million members. She will hold this term for two years and will be eligible for reappointment for two additional terms.

Moore is a marketing/communications specialist and founder of Moore Creative, a marketing firm that has launched identity campaigns for several major New York Hospitals and provides concepts and training tools to such organizations as The Association of Junior Leagues International and the National Urban League. Presently, her national ad campaign for Anheuser Busch has launched a coast-to-coast screening and community-based outreach program targeting at-risk African American men for prostate cancer prevention.

Moore has developed numerous scholarships, funds, and role model initiatives for inner-city young adults. She is a founder of the 21st Century Women's Leadership Center, a ten-year-old multicultural collaboration of the New York Coalition of One Hundred Black Women, One Hundred Hispanic Women, and Asian Women in Business. She is also president emeritus of the New York Coalition of One Hundred Black Women.

Moore graduated from New York University, holds a Master's degree from Columbia University, and an Honorary Doctorate from CUNY.

Alejandro Garcia, AARP New York Executive Council

Alejandro Garcia, of Syracuse, is director of the School of Social Work in the College of Human Services and Health Professions at Syracuse University. He is a recognized leader in aging and issues that affect the Latino elderly population with a particular emphasis in Social Security and prescription drug affordability. Alejandro also chairs AARP's National Policy Council, which is comprised of 25 lead volunteers from across the country who advise AARP on its public policy agenda.

Garcia joined the SU faculty in 1978 and currently teaches in the areas of social policy, aging, and human diversity. He also serves as vice president of the New York State Communities Aid Association and is past chair of the board of the National Hispanic Council on Aging.

Garcia is the recipient of numerous national and statewide honors including a Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Association of Social Workers and SU's Scholar/Teacher of the Year. He was elected a Gerontological Society of America Fellow and was a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging in 1981 and 1995. He is a frequent editorial columnist in the Syracuse Post-Standard and other newspapers around the nation.

Garcia is on the editorial board of the Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare and is the book review editor of the Journal of Multicultural Social Work. He has also served as co-editor and reviewer on numerous other articles and book chapters on ethnic and race relations, social policy, and gerontological issues.

Garcia earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master's of Social Work degree from the California State University at Sacramento, and a Ph.D. from Brandeis University.

Bob O'Connell, AARP New York Executive Council

Bob O'Connell, of Clifton Park, has a rich professional career as a social worker and advocate in the field of aging. He was regional administrator at the U.S. Administration on Aging from 1998 to 2004 and for twenty years held leadership positions with the New York State Office for the Aging. He was also director of services for the aged for the New York State Department of Social Services and commissioner of the Rensselaer County Department for the Aging.

With AARP, O'Connell continues to advocate for and develop positive health and social support systems for older New Yorkers and their caregivers. O'Connor is a frequent media spokesperson for AARP on prescription drug affordability and utilities issues. He is a graduate of Siena College and holds a Master's in Social Work from Syracuse University.

Cesar Perales, AARP New York Executive Council

Cesar Perales, of Manhattan, is the co-founder, president, and general counsel of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF). His extraordinary record of public service includes his nomination by President Jimmy Carter and confirmation by the U.S. Senate to serve as Assistant Secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services. As commissioner of the Department of Social Services under Governor Mario M. Cuomo, he managed New York State's largest budget. He went on to serve as Deputy Mayor of New York City during the administration of David N. Dinkins.

After leaving public service, he joined the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center as senior vice president. The Community Health Care system he developed for that hospital during his tenure has received national recognition.

Perales is a graduate of the City College of New York and the Fordham University School of Law. He is also the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate degree from Lehman College.

Phyllis Hill Slater, AARP Executive Council

Phyllis Hill Slater, of Great Neck, joined the AARP New York Executive Council in April 2006. She is president of Hill Slater, Inc., an engineering and architecture firm on Long Island. Hill Slater is a devoted business advocate and leader whose wide-ranging efforts have been recognized by national, state and local government officials, professional groups, major corporations, and nonprofit and civic organizations.

Hill Slater is a trustee for North Shore / LIJ Health System and WLIW - Channel 21 Public Broadcasting Television and a former trustee for SUNY Stony Brook University and SUNY Old Westbury University. She serves on numerous professional boards including Allstate Insurance Company of New York, Intramerica Live Insurance Company, the Institute for Student Achievement, Town of Hempstead Women & Minority Revolving Loan Program, Long Island Association, and the Long Island Development Corporation.

Her notable accomplishments and affiliations also include her work as former national president of the National Association of Women Business Owners, chair and co-founder of Black Women Enterprises, co-founder and executive global chair of Euro-American Women's Forum, and her work on the President's Advisory Board of SUNY Farmingdale and the Advisory Board to Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi. She was also appointed by President George Bush to Secretary Elaine Chao's 21st Century Workforce Committee.

Hill Slater has been interviewed frequently for her professional perspective by national media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Washington Post, "Good Morning America," CBS, NBC, and CNN.

Marilyn Pinsky, AARP New York Executive Council

Marilyn L. Pinsky of Jamesville, is the former commissioner of the Onondaga County Department on Aging and Youth. She retired from that position in June 2006. Pinsky has devoted her career to leading the county's aging and youth services programs and she is a former consultant with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Pinsky has been a columnist on aging issues for the Sunday Herald-American in Syracuse and Prime Newspaper for seniors. She is a devoted advocate and leader in her community and serves on many boards, including the Community Foundation of Central New York and she is a Congressional Delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. She has also served on the boards of the NYS Association of Area Agencies on Aging, NYS Advisory Council on Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities, and the Governor's Conference on Aging.

Pinsky holds both a bachelor's and a master's degree from Syracuse University.