Healthcare veteran Emily Tisdale selected as Executive Director of UIndy’s Center for Aging & Community
The University of Indianapolis announced today that Emily Tisdale, M.Ed., has been named as the executive director of UIndy’s Center for Aging & Community (CAC), one of Indiana’s leading centers for aging studies. With a mission to enhance the quality of life for all people as they age, the CAC provides research and consulting services to nonprofits, businesses and community organizations who serve older adults across Indiana and beyond.
Tisdale brings more than two decades of experience in healthcare, aging services and community-based initiatives to the role. She has served in leadership roles across hospital systems, long-term care and home and community-based services. For the last four years, she has taught as an adjunct faculty in both the College of Health Sciences and the School of Business.
“This is my dream job,” said Tisdale. “What excites me most about the Center for Aging & Community is that we get to work on behalf of the entire aging community and those who serve them to understand their needs and help meet them. We play a vital role in ensuring that not just our providers and partners but the entire state of Indiana has the right projects and initiatives for all—and I truly believe the reach that we can have and the impact we can make as a University is untapped.”
The CAC has overseen $2 million in grant revenue over the last three years. Notable projects have been completed in both Central Indiana as well as across the country including a large-scale evaluation of the CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions program as well as an assessment and proposal to improve quality of life and quality of care for long-term care facilities across the state of Tennessee. Tisdale hopes to expand the Center’s research by leveraging deep expertise in project management, applied research and community partnerships.
“We are one of the best-kept secrets on campus as well as around the city and state and it’s time to change that,” said Tisdale. “I want us to be a Center for Aging and Community that is nationally known. Our independence—distinct from any company or interest group—allows us to be responsive, innovative and mission-driven in ways that are both evidence-based and impactful.”
Tisdale believes it is important to use CAC resources to delve deeper into preventative solutions, proactive strategies as well as research regarding aging initiatives.
“We want the CAC to have a seat at the table when conversations about aging and community happen,” said Tisdale. “Right now, those tables are filled with organizations that have a financial stake in the outcomes. It’s vital that mission-driven organizations like CAC are also represented so that community needs, equity and lived experience can help shape how funding and policy decisions are being made.”