AARP Foundation Board of Directors

Robert “Bob” Blancato of Alexandria, Va., is president of Matz, Blancato and Associates, a public and government relations firm.  He spent 17 years on the staff of the U.S. House Select Committee on Aging and has participated in four White House Conferences on Aging, including as the Executive Director of the 1995 White House Conference on Aging.  With over 30 years of deep experience in the field of aging and public service, he is executive director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs and the National Coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition.

As a volunteer, Bob serves on the Board of the National Hispanic Council on Aging.  From 2016 to 2018, he chaired the American Society on Aging (ASA).  He is a former volunteer State President of AARP Virginia and served six years on the Board of the National Council on Aging.  He is a former president of the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. 

In 2019, he was appointed by HHS Secretary Alex Azar to the National Advisory Council on Rural Health and Human Services.  Bob was named to the ASA Hall of Fame in 2020. He was knighted by the Republic of Italy in 2011.

Elaine Boltz

Member, AARP Foundation Board of Directors

Elaine Boltz is a transformational leader, recognized for driving impactful, large-scale change for top retail and consumer businesses. She has more than 15 years of growing revenue for companies ranging from $1 billion to $25 billion in global sales. In her most recent role as Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Operations and Transformation Officer for Crocs Inc., she led the revolution of the company’s global supply chain, technology, and inventory planning, enabling revenues to triple during her tenure. Prior, Boltz served as President of TJX Digital, a stand-alone operating division of TJX Companies that launched ecommerce. She also served as SVP, Direct-to-Consumer for Chicos FAS and EVP, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at Ann Inc., where she developed and executed brand differentiation for Loft and Ann Taylor. Elaine was a partner at BCG’s Consumer and Retail practice, where she now serves as a senior advisor. Elaine served on the board of Brinker Int’l, owner of Chili’s restaurants, and was also an independent director for private equity-owned Purpose-Built Brands, a household product company.

Elaine earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Claire Casey

AARP Foundation President

As president of AARP Foundation, Claire Casey guides the strategic direction of the nation’s leading organization committed to reducing poverty for older adults. In her first year, the Foundation worked with more than 1 million older adults with low income, who earned $913 million through new jobs, benefits or tax refunds, and it fought for their rights all the way up to the Supreme Court. Working with staff and partners, Claire also led the development of a roadmap for how AARP Foundation can reach even more people and change more lives.

Under her leadership, the Foundation is investing in technology and research and capitalizing on expertise built over 60 years helping older adults access economic opportunity to advance effective, scalable solutions. It’s embracing volunteerism to drive social change, building on a base of more than 27,000 committed volunteers who power the Foundation’s Experience Corps and Tax-Aide programs.

Claire joined the Foundation from Economist Impact, where she was the global head of policy and insights. She managed teams on five continents, driving awareness and action on critical global issues such as food security and global aging. She also founded FP Analytics, the research and analysis division of the FP Group and publisher of Foreign Policy magazine, where she pioneered a new kind of thought leadership platform combining independent public policy research with the creativity and reach of a respected media brand.

She has more than two decades of experience leading organizations through transformation and growth and providing evidence-based strategic advisory services to Fortune 100 corporations, foundations, governments and international institutions. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Financial Times, International Economy, Americas Quarterly, The Telegraph, and Foreign Policy. She holds a master’s in international economics and international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a bachelor’s in international politics and economics from Middlebury College. Claire is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Sailesh Chutani

Member, AARP Foundation Board of Directors

Sailesh Chutani is a senior executive with over 30 years of experience in technology, health care, and telecommunications in the Fortune 500 companies as well as startups. He has a track record of bringing significant innovations to the market that have served millions of customers and created billions of dollars in value.

Most recently Sailesh was the CTO of Logitech ($5B+ public company) reporting to the CEO.  He helped the company grow from $3B to over $5B in revenue, through the development of new businesses, products, and capabilities. Prior to that he had executive roles at Amazon and Microsoft and was the CEO of a pioneering digital health company Mobisante.

At Amazon, as an EIR, Sailesh developed opportunities in consumer robotics, sustainability, and circular economy-based approach for the clothing industry. As the CEO of Mobisante, he led the company through initial product creation, FDA clearance, financing, GTM, revenues, and sale to private equity. He managed a $220M+ P&L at Microsoft after turning it around, and a $100M investment portfolio focused on early-stage technologies. Sailesh was in the founding team of Transarc (acquired by IBM) that became a multi-billion-dollar business.

Sailesh is currently an independent board director and advisor to several companies in healthcare, sustainability, carbon removal, and AI.

Sailesh and his work have been featured in the New York Times, Economist, CNN, MIT Technology Review, and TEDMED and won global recognition such as the GSMA award for innovation. IBM Figures of Progress and Rainmakers TV have profiled him. His book “Technology at the Margins” received a foreword by the Nobel Laureate Dr. Yunus. He has international experience, having lived, and worked in the US, Switzerland, and India. He is multi-lingual and fluent in English, French and Hindi.

Sailesh has a PhD in Computer Science from the Swiss Federal institute of Technology in Switzerland.

Gregory J. Dyson 

Member, AARP Foundation Board of Directors

Gregory J. Dyson of Olney, Md., is currently the Chief Operating Officer of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), the nation’s leading non-profit promoting a just economy for all through wealth creation, housing opportunities, community development and racial equity. He is a member of NCRC’s Senior Executive Team with oversight of Strategic Planning, Human Resources, Operations and Innovation.

Previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of the ANA Enterprise, the family of organizations composed of the American Nurses Association (ANA), American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and American Nurses Foundation. ANA represents the interests of the nation’s 4+ million registered nurses.

Gregory has 25+ years of experience leading marketing and operations for both the public and non-profit sectors. In addition, Gregory possesses a deep understanding of the needs of and challenges faced by the aging population, having spent 15 years in senior executive-level positions at the ICMA Retirement Corporation (ICMA-RC), a $53 billion plan administrator and retirement services provider to state and municipal employers operating within the U.S. Throughout his career, Gregory has effectively spearheaded efforts to improve member/customer experiences including investing in technology enhancements, partnership development, and brand innovations. Gregory is an experienced Board member; he has served in numerous leadership capacities and has facilitated an organization’s fundraising, leadership transition, and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Noreen Gillen

Member, AARP Foundation Board of Directors

Noreen Gillen is a Wealth Management Advisor and oversees the Wealth Planning experience for a boutique-style banking and investment group inside of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Manhattan, New York. She and her team advise on complex financial issues to help clients achieve their long-term goals. Areas of focus include investment strategy, cash flow analysis, pre-transaction planning, estate and tax planning, risk management, wealth transfer and charitable planning.

She holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. and holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor ™ (CRPC®) designation. Noreen also earned the Certified Exit Planning Advisor® (CEPA®) designation offered by the Exit Planning Institute, which educates and certifies qualified professional advisors in the field of exit planning for privately held business owners. Exit planning is a process that educates the owner on all of the potential exit options available while at the same time addressing the business, personal and financial needs of the owner. This knowledge leaves her with a strong understanding of what is needed in preparation for the transition of an owner's business while also planning for any potential liquidity event as a result of the sale of their business. Noreen's experience in advising entrepreneurs has garnered her a strong understanding of the intricacies of their needs as well as their families.

Prior to Merrill Lynch, Noreen worked at Sony BMG Entertainment where her responsibilities included financial oversight of the royalties for its various record labels, artists, and joint venture deals. She earned her B.S. in Finance from NYU Stern School of Business.

In the community, Noreen has several philanthropic endeavors, with a focus on creating multi-generational wealth in underserved communities. She is a frequent speaker on the topics of financial literacy and business succession planning. Noreen serves as a mentor to the CEO's in the Stanford University Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, a business scaling executive curriculum for Latino/Hispanic CEOs of privately held/family owned companies. Noreen also serves on the board of the Latino Corporate Directors Education Foundation (Board Ready Institute), whose strategic mission is to prepare, position, and grow the supply of Latino C-Suite executives prepared for corporate board service. Additionally, she is a Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) alumnus and an advisory board member of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

Betty J. Hudson

Member, AARP Foundation Board of Directors

Betty J. Hudson of Fort Worth, Texas is President, Hudson & Associates and an award-winning communications industry leader with more than four decades of experience in every aspect of corporate and strategic communications including consumer, employee, financial, and cause-related marketing, as well as brand and communications management. Betty’s career was spent in Fortune 500 companies and media conglomerates, including the National Geographic Society, where she was part of the leadership team that transformed the iconic brand from domestic magazine publisher to the world’s largest science, research and education organization with multiple content platforms and consumer services.

Betty has consistently been able to contribute deep knowledge in technology transformation to innovate consumer brands and deliver new products. She continues to support major enterprises as a strategic communications consultant.

Rosanna A. Márquez

Member, AARP Foundation Board of Directors

Rosanna A. Márquez served from 2014 to 2021 as AARP Illinois State President, helping to shape and drive AARP Illinois advocacy at the state and local level. From 2002 to 2014, she was President and CEO of Eleanor Foundation, leading its transformation into a research-oriented grant-making foundation focused on economic self-sufficiency for working women of modest means. 

Márquez was the Midwest regional administrator for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Earlier, she was Director of Programs in the Chicago Mayor’s Office, a Cabinet-level position, where she oversaw and coordinated federal, housing and community issues. She was a litigation associate at the law firm, Mayer Brown. 

Márquez serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Metropolitan Housing Development Corporation. She holds a BA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne and a JD from Harvard University Law School.