The Center for Medicare Advocacy is pleased to announce the additions of Julia Evans-Starr and Charles P. Sabatino to our Board of Directors.
Julia Evans-Starr, MSW, Senior Fellow at the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being at George Mason University, is a leading authority on issues affecting the growing and diverse population of older adults. Her work transcends the branches of government (Executive, Legislative and Judicial) as well as municipalities and a vast network of community providers.
Ms. Evans-Starr led Connecticut’s Legislative Commission on Aging for over twenty years, until it was defunded by the legislature in 2016. She now serves as an aging, disability and health policy consultant. Through her work she has identified emerging trends, promoted best practices and sought responsible solutions. She has served as a credible source of information for decision-makers in all levels of government and the private sector. Among other achievements, she worked with the Connecticut General Assembly to pass comprehensive reforms to prevent elder abuse and to establish and implement a Connecticut for Livable Communities initiative.
As a consultant, Ms. Evans-Starr has been tapped by several state agencies, nonprofits and municipalities to lead and/or assist many major initiatives. Most recently, she was enlisted to help lead the development of Connecticut’s No Wrong Door initiative entitled My Place CT.
A frequent keynote speaker and panelist, Ms. Evans Starr hosts a regular WTIC-AM radio program, regularly guest-spots on WNPR and television shows and contributes to newspaper, magazine and blog articles on topical issues. She has been an Adjunct Professor at Smith College and UConn School of Social Work for several years. Ms. Evans-Starr earned her Master's Degree at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.
Charles P. Sabatino, J.D. has been the Director of the ABA Commission on Law and Aging, located in Washington, DC, since 1984. The Commission is a policy and practice research, education, and advocacy body within the ABA, focused on the rights of older adults. Mr. Sabatino’s work focuses on research and project development in the areas of health law, long-term care decision-making, and legal services delivery. He is a nationally recognized expert in recognizing the desires and rights of older and disabled people, especially people with serious illnesses and at the end of life.
In addition to his role at the ABA Commission, Mr. Sabatino is an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he has taught a seminar on law and aging since 1987. He is a Fellow and past president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (2001-2002) and is past chair of its public policy committee.
Prior to joining the ABA, Mr. Sabatino was the elder law project attorney and managing attorney of the Arlington, Virginia branch of Legal Services of Northern Virginia. He is a member of the District of Columbia and Virginia bar associations. Mr. Sabatino received an A.B. from Cornell University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington.
The Center is grateful for Ms. Evans-Starr and Mr. Sabatino’s dedication to health care and elder justice, and looks forward to working with them to improve access to Medicare and health care.