Karen R. Adams

Vice President
kadams@gsi.org

Karen Adams has worked in the field of aging research and development since 1977 when she graduated from The Pennsylvania State University and began a year of housing research under M. Powell Lawton at the Philadelphia Geriatric Center. She continued her graduate studies in the dual degree program of Urban Planning and Gerontology at The Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California.

Karen served as Vice President of GSI from its inception in 1982 until 1993 when she joined the AAHSA Development Corporation (ADC) for eight years, as a Director and as the Vice President in charge of the program. ADC is a subsidiary of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. Karen worked with investment banking firms, affiliated State Associations, development and design firms and non-profit, long-term care and senior living organizations to develop services and programs. Karen provided technical assistance in finance issues to policy and advocacy staff, assisted providers in planning, development and finance, and worked to retain finance vehicles at the national level. She was awarded the AAHSA Chair’s Citation for her service to the Association.

Karen’s diversified experience brings added expertise to the GSI team. She works nationally with a wide variety of clients, and has pioneered planning efforts in the areas of healthy aging and environmental awareness in the development process. She works extensively with the GSI data sets and incorporates these findings into trend analysis.

Education

• University of Southern California, M. Planning, Masters of Science, Gerontology, Course work completed
• The Pennsylvania State University, Bachelor of Science, Man-Environment Relations:  Environmental Planning

Professional and Community Memberships

• Adult Day Health Services, Nevada City, CA, Board of Directors
• California Associations of Homes and Services for the Aging, Board of Directors
• California Associations of Homes and Services for the Aging, Organizing & Planning Development
• The Lutz Center Adult Day Services, Board of Directors
• National Federation of Municipal Analysts, Strategic Committee Member
• Senior Health and Peer Counseling Center, Program Committee
• Heal the Bay, Vice President of the Board of Directors
• Expert Witness, Retirement Communities in Age Discrimination Law Suits
  

Awards and Honors

• American Association of Homes for the Aging, Chair’s Citation, 1972
• Southern Section APA Award
  
• 1979 Scholarship Award in Environmental Design presented by the Irvine Company
  

Testimony and Lectures

• MASS Aging Conference
  
• LSN Annual Convention
  
• WAHSA 57th Annual Summer Conference
  
• AAHSA Conference on the Future of Aging Services
  
• American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging Annual Conference
  
• Texas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging Annual Conference
  
• Oregon Alliance of Senior and Health Services Annual Conference
  
• American Hospital Association
  

Books and Articles

• “Applying Aging Trends and Demographics to Planning,” (2004), An AAHSA Quality First Educational Resource
  
• Direction and Coordination of Publications of the AAHSA Development Corporation, including:  “Undertaking a Tax Exempt Bond Issue”; “Tax Exempt Bond Financing for Long-Term Care Projects”; “Financing Options for Development of Affordable Housing”; “Using Tax Credits for Housing of Older Adults”; “Understanding the Development Process”