DURHAM, N.H. – The Center on Aging and Community Living (CACL), a collaboration between the Institute on Disability (IOD) and the Institute for Health Policy and Practice (IHPP) at the University of New Hampshire, has announced that Jennifer Rabalais, will be its new Co-Director. She has served as the lead of the CACL communications committee, assisted CACL branding efforts, and supports the NH Alliance for Healthy Aging.
“Jennifer has been an active member of CACL since its inception,” said Linda Bimbo, Acting Director for the Institute on Disability. “She has proven leadership in the aging arena and we are delighted that she has agreed to step into this role.”
Jennifer received a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University. She joined the staff of the Institute on Disability (NH’s University Center for Excellence in Disability) in 2010 and provides leadership, project management, and facilitation across multiple projects focused on providing supports to older adults that allow them to live and age in communities of their choice. Jennifer has over 20 years’ experience working on programs for older adults, individuals with developmental disabilities, as well as chronically and acutely ill populations in community based settings. Her responsibilities have included program design, implementation, evaluation and general oversight. Jennifer currently serves as Coordinator for the NH Alliance for Healthy Aging and is a member of the NH Coalition for Substance Abuse, Mental Health and Aging, and the Elder Rights Coalition.
“I am honored to be given the opportunity to play a leadership role in CACL and through that role hope to continue to engage partners, both within and outside the University, in creating communities and systems that fully support and utilize the strengths of NH’s older population,” shares Jennifer Rabalais.
The CACL is a trusted university-based resource for applied research, evaluation and technical assistance, which will improve knowledge, policies and practices that guide New Hampshire citizens and policy makers in preparing for the aging of the population. A partnership between the IOD and IHPP, the two centers provide ongoing support in designing, implementing and evaluating systems change initiatives to the Division of Community Based Services, the Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services, the ServiceLink Resource Center Network and various other partners in the Aging Network. By maximizing available resources and providing assistance, CACL ensures that New Hampshire will benefit from an integrated center of applied research, evaluation, and training relevant to aging and community living.
The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Its mission is to promote full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons by strengthening communities and advancing policy and systems change, promising practices, education, and research.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.
