Chapin begins AARP national policy council term

LAWRENCE — AARP recently welcomed Rosemary Kennedy Chapin, professor of social welfare, to its National Policy Council. Chapin will serve a two-year term.

“I am honored to join the AARP National Policy Council,” Chapin said. “It is an organization committed to service, inspiring social change and ensuring that people of all backgrounds age with dignity and respect. I look forward to serving AARP members and the broader 50-plus population.”

Chapin, of Lawrence, is a nationally recognized leader and expert on aging policy, with particular expertise in long-term services and supports. She is the founder and current Director of the Center for Research on Aging and Disability Options (formerly the Office of Aging and Long Term Care) in the School of Social Welfare. Her textbook, Social Policy for Effective Practice, is in its third edition. Chapin was a delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging and a visiting scholar at AARP International. She recently received the Steeples Service to Kansas Award and the Statland Award for Research and Scholarship for her policy practice work and research on behalf of older adults.

Chapin holds a bachelor's in sociology from Kansas State University and master’s and doctoral degrees in social work from the University of Minnesota.

The AARP National Policy Council (NPC) is a 25-member, all-volunteer policy analysis and advisory body to AARP’s Board of Directors. As a member of the NPC, Chapin will help develop and make policy recommendations to AARP’s Board of Directors. She is charged with ensuring that public policies reflect members' concerns and interests, examining polling research and policy trends and analyses, and representing the NPC in national issue forums.

AARP received a large number of applications from members all over the country to serve on the NPC. An independent review committee evaluated the submissions and sent its recommendations to the Board for approval.