LIVING OUR BEST LIVES
The Challenges and Joys of Aging
Join us for a community symposium that invites an open and thoughtful conversation about aging well. We’ll explore both the realities and the possibilities of this stage of life—including growth, reinvention, purpose, and planning for the future.
APRIL 14th, 2026 1:00 - 4:30PM
MONTCLAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY
50 South Fullerton Avenue Montclair, NJ 07042 Street Parking Available/North Fullerton Parking Deck
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: ALLISON GILBERT
Allison Gilbert is one of today's most influential authors and speakers on human connection and social health. An Emmy Award-winning journalist, she's known for translating complex research and personal stories into meaningful insights that audiences can use immediately. She is co-author, with the late American icon Dr. Ruth Westheimer, of the national bestseller The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life.
Allison also hosts Connecting Lives, the signature conversation series at 92NY that explores how we create and sustain meaningful relationships in today’s world.
Allison has been featured on the TODAY show, Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, and NPR. She began her career in television news, producing investigative and law-changing stories for CNN, MSNBC, and other outlets. Today, she delivers hundreds of talks and workshops on social health and connection for audiences at Amazon, Google, the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and numerous other companies, organizations, and wellness retreats.
Watchung Booksellers will pre-order books for either pick up at Watchung Bookseller: 54 Fairfield Street, Montclair, NJ or pick up at Symposium.
MODERATOR: Paula Span
Paula Span, a veteran journalist, has since 2009 written the New Old Age column for the New York Times. Her book, “When the Time Comes: Families with Aging Parents Share Their Struggles and Solutions,” was published in 2009 and remains available as an e-book. In 2021, she adapted her occasional Times column about grandparenting for an Audible work, “The Bubbe Diaries.”
She is currently at work on a book about octogenarians, tentatively titled “The Ninth Decade,” for Penguin Random House. A former staff writer for the Washington Post and a freelance contributor to many magazines and newspapers, she helps prepare the next generation of journalists at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
PANELISTS
Ashley Ermer, PhD, CFLE is an associate professor in the Family Science and Human Development department at Montclair State University. Dr. Ermer specializes in family gerontology, and her research primarily focuses on examining how the social environment matters for older adults. Her research focuses on three main areas: 1) the interplay of older adults’ social relationships and well-being; 2) the role of marital status and marital histories among older adults; and 3) ageism and older adults in the community. She recently co-edited the book, An Introduction to the History of Family Science and Human Development. She has published over 25 peer-reviewed publications. Her research has been featured in mainstream publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Today.com, and Psychology Today.
Debra Rapoport, Artist does what she calls “DRESSING UP, OVER AND AGAIN” It is based on my ABC’s ...Assembling Building and Constructing using Color, Texture and Layering with my body as my armature. To Debra, Style is Healing. Dress to DE-stress. Debra believes Frugality is Fun and loves working with sustainable materials which she has been doing for more than 50 years. There are creative solutions throughout life. Where there is creativity there are NO rules, where there are NO rules, there is no fear.
It is wonderful to age with more freedom and vitality, wisdom and experience and eccentricity and elegance. IT IS better with AGE! Debra has been featured in the film, "Advanced Style" as well as the 3 Advanced Style books. She has also participated in a TEDx Talk (Amsterdam 2014) with Ari Seth Cohen the creator of Advanced Style.
Dan Gill was born and raised in New York City. He graduated from Iona College with a B.A. in psychology. He served in Vista, the national peace corps. During this time, he counselled young inmates at Rikers Island Prison. He attended Columbia University and graduated with a master’s degree in urban education and curriculum. Mr. Gill came to the Montclair School System in September of 1970 and retired in 2023 after completing 53 years of teaching. He was part of the committee to redesign the middle schools of Montclair to desegregate the schools to comply with a court order. In retirement his illustrated children’s book “No More Chairs” was published in July 2025. It was selected by the National Education Association for their Read Across America program.
Jonathan A. Marshall aims to help people gain a sense of belonging, empowerment, and dignity – by changing culture through mutual aid. The goal is to build connections and communities of sharing, support, care, and trust. This defies today's culture of isolation, division, hostility, dehumanization, tyranny, invisibility, and vulnerability.
Dr. Marshall has helped develop and run local volunteer projects through BEAM (Building Essex Area Mutuality) and MtcMA (Montclair Mutual Aid) to support people with work issues, share free food and clothing, connect art creators for collaborations, share equipment for hurricane cleanup, clear snow, distribute free air conditioners, distribute donated funds for urgent needs, plan local shuttle transportation, and publish assistance resources information.
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COMMUNITY PARTNERS
