Alumni Stories

Maribeth Bersani earned her master of science in gerontology in 1978 from the USC Leonard Davis School. Today, she’s the Senior Vice President of Public Policy for the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) in Alexandria, Virginia.

USC Leonard Davis: Hi Maribeth. Could you describe the work of ALFA?

MARIBETH BERSANI: The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) was founded in 1990 to serve as the voice for providers of senior living communities and the seniors and families those communities serve. Advocacy is an essential component of ALFA’s public policy program.

How would you describe your work?

As the Senior Vice President for Public Policy, I help ALFA and our members champion consumer-driven public policy to promote choice, independence, dignity and quality of life for America’s seniors. We serve as a resource to elected officials and policy makers at the federal and state level, and help educate and inform them about senior living.

What made you choose the USC Leonard Davis School?

When I was a senior in high school my grandmother with diabetes had to have her leg amputated. She went to a nursing home for rehabilitation services. I had never been in a nursing home before but after that first exposure I decided I wanted to help the seniors living in nursing homes. I volunteered my senior year and then worked at the nursing home in the activities department during my summer vacations. My undergraduate degree was in psychology but my college had recently started offering courses on aging. Paul Kershner from USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology came to speak to our class. I knew I wanted to study gerontology and quite frankly at the time (1976) there were only a few schools that offered the degree. USC had the master-level degree and that is what I wanted.

How did you learn about your current position?

I have been working in the field of aging for over 30 years. About 17 years ago I switched from being a public sector employee working for the New York State Office for the Aging to the private sector working for Sunrise Senior Living. That opportunity helped me learn the business of senior living. Sunrise Senior Living was the founder of ALFA and I had always worked closely with the organization. When I had to opportunity to join ALFA six years ago, it was an opportunity to broaden my scope and work on behalf of all providers, not just one company.

How did your USC Leonard Davis School experience help prepare you for your career?

The USC Leonard Davis curriculum was multi-disciplinary. It provided a well-rounded education on all issues related to aging. At the time we did an internship that enabled students to pursue particular interests in direct service, public policy or other areas related to aging and long-term care. I can still remember sitting in class seeing the demographic charts showing the growth of the elderly population that was expected in 2010 and thinking that was a lifetime away.

What advice would you offer current or prospective USC Leonard Davis students?

My advice to anyone thinking about studying at the USC Leonard Davis School is to do it! There are so many career opportunities in the field of aging. There are today and will continue to be many doors open for people with a degree in gerontology. Opportunities exist in public policy, direct care, legislative, regulatory and legal fields to name a few. In 2031, the first of the baby boomers will be 85 years old. Take it from someone who thought 2010 was a lifetime away: it will be here before you know it.

Finding a job, especially in this economy, can be daunting for many new grads, but thanks to his creativity, training and support from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, recent alum Peter Lancellotti is living his dream.

After graduating with his graduate certificate this past summer, Lancellotti started a new career in business development with Blue Marble Game Company, becoming the company’s resident gerontologist.

“We are creating an innovative, comprehensive and cost-savings digital health game ecosystem,” he said. “Our strategy is to combine the strengths of empirical evidence with entertainment to provide a low cost method of therapy for health and wellness.”

Part of what attracted Lancellotti to Blue Marble was their focus on creating fun video games that could serve as valuable cognitive and physical therapy tools, especially the development of a suite of games aimed directly at helping with fall prevention.

“Helping older adults age in place is paramount in my personal and career goals. Another aspect of my gerontological goal is a strong desire to help older adults obtain and maintain health/wellness, while improving their quality of life,” he said. “My education at the USC Leonard Davis School has also afforded me the opportunity to educate a software development company to ensure that the design matches the needs of older adults.”

Crediting his mentors at the USC Leonard Davis School for their assistance, particularly Elizabeth Zelinski, PhD, Lancellotti advised students and job-seekers to focus on networking proactively and creatively as a key element to making the sometimes-rocky post-academic transition.

“Talk to everybody about what you want and what you do,” he said. “For example, if it weren’t for Dr. Zelinski, I would have never met the CEO of Blue Marble Game Company.”

With more than 20 years of experience in sales and marketing for the telecom and technology industries before he decided to return to school, Lancellotti was initially drawn to gerontology so that he could better understand the needs of his older partner as well as his mother. Born out of this interest came his increasing desire to help improve the health and wellbeing of all older adults despite the numerous limitations, obstacles and difficulties they may face.

“Blue Marble is working to provide solutions to all of these concerns by offering a method to provide low-cost healthcare through the use of video games that are highly motivating and thereby improving adherence, allowing remote access and easy communication with therapists after discharge,” he said. “Not to mention, the games are motivating and fun!”

With the opening of this new chapter, Lancellotti is proud to get one step closer to fulfilling his personal dream of reaching his full professional potential, and points to his alma mater as a crucial step in helping him achieve it.

“The USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology has the best program in the U.S. and quite probably the world,” he said. “Having internationally renowned professors at the top of their field, I received the highest level of expertise and an educational experience unmatched by any university in an environment that fosters and cultivates creativity.”

Peter Lancellotti