Meet the AARP Kansas Executive Council

By: State: Kansas | Source: AARP.org

AARP would not be able to do its work in the state without its network of volunteers. Leading those volunteers is the AARP Executive Council which meets regularly to set goals and ensure that AARP is responsive to its Kansas members.

Heading the Council along with AARP State Director Maren Turner, is State President David Wilson of Overland Park. In addition to his work with AARP, Wilson is employed full-time as Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Kansas. He has more than 35 years of experience in the communications field and also served as Executive Director of the Kansas Arts Commission and worked for Village Shalom retirement community in Johnson County.

Other members serving on the Council include:

Mae Lovell of Topeka is a registered nurse providing care for patients in a variety of settings over the past 33 years. She currently teaches Tai Chi for the Arthritis Foundation and at Stormont-Vail's Cancer Center in Topeka.    

Toni Wellshear of Topeka brings a passion for older workers to the Council. For 24 years Toni worked for several different state agencies specializing in workforce issues. Wellshear currently serves on the Kansas Older Worker Task Force and is a member of the AARP Topeka Advocacy Group.

Walter Rivera of Topeka brings more than 20 years of experience working for the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS). He currently serves as a Public Service Administrator II with SRS Disability Determination Services.

Mitzi McFatrich of Lawrence served as Executive Director of the Foundation on Aging for four years before becoming the Executive Director of Kansas Advocates for Better Care. Both the Foundation and KABC are non-profit organizations with a primary focus on advocating to improve choice and quality of services available to older adults.

Arneatha Martin of Wichita is a certified Advanced Registered Nurse Practioner (ARNP) who has served the health community in many capacities throughout her professional career and continues to do so as a volunteer. In addition Martin is a retired Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Stephen Miller, MD, of Parsons is a retired physician who served as the attending surgeon at the Labette County Medical Center from 1979-2005. Earlier in his career, he was a U.S. Army flight surgeon in Viet Nam and also served as flight surgeon for NASA at the Johnson Space Center.

Maren Turner of Lawrence is the Senior State Director of AARP Kansas where she directs a staff of four who oversee the work of AARP Kansas in the areas of advocacy, communications, community service and operations.