Speaker Highlights

Ashton Applewhite
Do not miss out international keynote speaker-all the way from New York City!

Author and activist Ashton Applewhite is the author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism

In 2016, she joined PBS site Next Avenue's annual list of 50 Influencers in Ageing as their Influencer of the Year and Lifetime Arts recently awarded her their 2018 Game Changer Award. Ashton has been recognised by the New York Times, the New Yorker, National Public Radio, and the American Society on Ageing as an expert on Ageism. She blogs at This Chair Rocks, has written for Harper's, the Guardian, and the New York Times, and is the voice of Yo, Is This Ageist? Ashton speaks widely, at venues that have ranged from universities and community centres to the TED mainstage and the United Nations. She s a leading spokesperson for a movement to mobilise against discrimination on the basis of age.

Photo courtesy of Adrian Buckmaster

Dr Jane Barratt

Dr Jane Barratt is the Secretary General of the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) comprising government and non-government members in 62 countries and representing some 50 million older people. She brings to this position over 35 years of experience in both public and private sectors in the fields of public health, community and aged care, and ageing and disability.

Jane strives to strengthen the roles and relationships between government, NGOs, academia and industry in order to help shape and influence policy to improve the quality of life of older people. In her leadership position, she is responsible for the role of the IFA in the World Health Organization (WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly cities and communities and is a member of its Executive Committee setting the global strategic direction.
She represents the IFA at the United Nations Economic and Social Council and is directly responsible for the formal relations with the Ageing and Life Course Department, World Health Organization. Jane holds adjunct academic positions, executive and board positions on ministerial, government and non-government organisations including the Global Agenda Council on Ageing, World Economic Forum.

Dr Catherine Barrett

Dr Catherine Barrett has dedicated her professional career to working with older people - as a clinician, academic, researcher, educator and capacity builder.

In 2016 she left her position as a Senior Research Fellow to establish the Celebrate the Ageing Program. The Program is a social enterprise challenging ageism (gerontophobia) and building respect for older people. The Program utilises art and narrative based approaches to create real cultural change. At the heart of the Program is the Elder Leadership Academy, which offers older people fellowships to co-lead innovations. The Program includes projects addressing dementia stigma, empowering older LGBTI people, challenging ageist beauty myths, addressing sexual rights and preventing the sexual assault of older women.
In 2018 Dr Barrett was a finalist for the Australian Human Rights Medal for this work and is the Australian Association of Gerontology's Glenda Powell Travelling Fellow.

Dr Kathleen Brasher

Dr Kathleen Brasher is a social gerontologist with significant experience as an academic, clinician and policy officer in the health sector.

She is currently managing a collaborative project to develop an Age-Friendly Health System in northeast Victoria, funded by Better Care Victoria. Kathleen has advisory roles with the WHO Strategy Advisory Group Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities, and Building an Age-friendly USA. She has provided advice to local, state and national governments here and in New Zealand, and worked closely with advocacy groups to create age-friendly communities.

Peter Kenyon

Peter refers to himself as a community enthusiast and social capitalist. He is motivated by the desire to help create caring, healthy, inclusive, connected and enterprising communities, where all community members feel 'they matter, belong and can contribute', and where communities discover and mobilise their strengths and transform themselves.

Peter has had a background as a youth worker, teacher, youth education officer, tertiary lecturer and senior public servant. His employment experiences have included Director of Employment in Western Australia, Manager of the Community Employment Development Unit in New Zealand, Coordinator of the Natal KwaZulu Job Creation and Enterprise Strategy in South Africa and international youth and employment advisor to 26 countries in Africa, Pacific, Middle East, Asia and Europe.
Through his organisation, the Bank of I.D.E.A.S (Initiatives for the Development of Enterprising Action and Strategies), Peter has worked with over 2500 communities across Australia, New Zealand, Southern Africa and North America and undertaken work assignments in 59 countries helping communities spark their own ideas and invest themselves in building sustainable futures.
Peter has a strong interest in supporting ageing residents to continue to be active contributors in their communities. He is part of the Establishment Committee of the Darling Range Seniors Hub, supporting the development of Seniors Hub initiatives in six other communities and Patron of Retirees WA.

Dr Marlene Krasovitsky

Marlene Krasovitsky is the Campaign Director, Older Australians, with The Benevolent Society (TBS). Prior to this role, Marlene was the Director of Willing to Work, the National Inquiry into Employment Discrimination Against Older Australians and Australians with Disability with the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). This Inquiry was led by The Hon, Susan Ryan AO, former Age and Disability Discrimination Commissioner.

Marlene was formerly Research Director with the AHRC's Review into the Treatment of Women in the Australian Defence Force, and subsequent Cultural Reform Program, supporting Elizabeth Broderick AO, former Sex Discrimination Commissioner.
Marlene has worked in Commonwealth and State Government in a range of executive, policy and operational roles.