For Immediate Release March 5, 2009	Contact: Todd Kluss This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (202) 587-2839

Internal Promotions Bolster GSA Management Team

Three staff members at The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) have been promoted to senior leadership positions by Executive Director James Appleby, RPh, MPH. GSA is the nation’s premier membership organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging.

The new appointees are Deputy Executive Director and Senior Director, Professional Affairs Linda Harootyan, MSW; Senior Director, Finance and Administration Christopher Yoder; and Senior Director, Membership and Marketing Paul Stearns.

“My over-arching goal is to enhance the Society’s influence, image, and income,” said Appleby, who took the reins as executive director on October 1, 2008. “Linda’s overall mission will be to strengthen our influence in the field; Christopher’s skills will be used to boost our income; and Paul is charged with portraying a positive and dynamic image.”

As senior director, professional affairs, Harootyan will oversee governance, policy issues, awards, major grants, and new business development. In this new expanded role, she will serve as the point of contact for the many professional organizations with which GSA collaborates; oversee governance operations; and provide oversight to GSA’s policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society. Harootyan will continue to act as the Society’s deputy executive director, a position she has held since 1996. She joined the staff in 1980.

Yoder, in his capacity as senior director, finance and administration, will provide leadership on all fiscal matters and oversee office management at the Society’s Washington, DC, headquarters. His portfolio will include accounting, budget planning, information technology, customer service, human resources, and development of policies and procedures. Yoder has been with GSA since 2001.

The job of senior director, membership and marketing, will place Stearns in charge of ensuring that GSA delivers a consistent image appropriate for the organization’s rich heritage. He will oversee membership development and retention, meetings development and implementation, education, publications, communications, and websites. He is now responsible for integrating all of GSA’s existing business ventures to achieve maximum returns for the Society. Stearns began working for GSA in 2006.