Meet Our Team

Laura Poskin (she/her/hers)

Executive Director
laura@agefriendlypgh.org | 412-365-1449

  • Laura is a gerontologist who started her career in media, with editorial roles at People, Jane and Good Housekeeping magazines. Before her current position, she led older adult initiatives at United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania and wrote a column for AARP.org about intergenerational solidarity. She holds a Master’s degree in Population and Social Gerontology from Miami University in Ohio and Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2020, Laura was named one of Pittsburgh Magazine’s 40 Under 40. Her TEDx Talk “Reimagining Communities for All Ages” has 4,800+ views.

Cassandra Masters (she/her/hers)

Associate Director
cassandra@agefriendlypgh.org | 412-532-7144

  • Cassandra is passionate about building livable communities, with a keen interest in intergenerational connections, disability issues and transportation accessibility. She is no stranger to Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh. She was a former PULSE Fellow with Age-Friendly from 2018-2019, and has since worked with Age-Friendly partners ACCESS Transportation and the Alzheimer’s Association. Hailing from the Chicago area, she received her BA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2018.

Randi Vega (she/her/hers)

Community Engagement Manager
randi@agefriendlypgh.org | 412-439-2025

  • Randi (she/her/hers) has more than 20 years of management experience in organizational leadership and relationship building. She has previously worked as the Director of Cultural Affairs at the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts and the Executive Director of the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce. Randi also works part-time at UPMC St. Margaret. Randi has a BA in Studio Art from Connecticut College and an MA in Arts Administration from Goucher College.

Dan Singleton (he/him/his)

Communications Coordinator
dan@agefriendlypgh.org

  • Dan is a writer, educator and political organizer with a passion for telling stories that inspire people and create communities. Before coming to Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh, he earned a Ph.D. in English with specialization in film and media studies from the University of Rochester. He has taught courses about film, media and writing at colleges across the country, including the University of Iowa, SUNY Brockport and St. John Fisher College. He has also worked with nonprofits including the George Eastman Museum, New York College English Association and the New Pennsylvania Project.

Susan Swarthout (she/her/hers)

Community Engagement Manager
susan@agefriendlypgh.org

  • Susan’s initial career was in theatre, media and the arts including as the Executive Director for Discovery Theater at the Smithsonian Institution and Education Director of the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills, CA. In Pittsburgh, Susan has worked as a teaching artist, teaching youth, adults with disabilities and recent refugees in various community venues. Susan's passion for community engagement includes serving as Education Coordinator for the ReNew Festival, and her current role as the Community Outreach Chair for the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Rafael Engel (he/him/his)

Director of Research

  • Rafael Engel is an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. He received a PhD in social welfare from the University of Wisconsin as well as an MSW from the University of Michigan and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. Engel coordinates the School of Social Work’s Gerontology Certificate Program and is the principal investigator for the John A. Hartford Practicum Partnership Program in Aging Education. With Jeff Shook and Sara Goodkind, he oversees the Pittsburgh Wage Study. He has authored journal articles on a variety of topics including poverty in later life, welfare benefit levels, and depressive symptomatology, and has written monographs reporting agency-based evaluations.

Steering Committee

Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh is an initiative by Southwestern Pennsylvania Partnership for Aging and University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. Our Steering Committee includes representatives from these two entities, as well as community representatives. The Steering Committee provides guidance and oversight to the Age-Friendly initiative.

Steering Committee Members

Linda Doman, representing SWPPA

Paul Winkler, representing SWPPA

Dr. Ray Engel, representing Pitt School of Social Work

Dr. Fengyan Tang, representing Pitt School of Social Work

Elaine Jenkins, Community Representative

Anette Nance, Community Representative

Mary Phan-Gruber, Community Representative