Associate Professor Dr. Keren Brown Wilson receives Gerontological Society of America's 2005 Maxwell A. Pollack Award.

Dr. Keren Brown Wilson of the Jessie F. Richardson Foundation has been chosen by The Gerontological Society of America to receive its 2005 Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Productive Aging. Brown Wilson earned her Ph.D. from the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University with gerontology as her field of choice.

"Part of the reason I am grateful to PSU is that it provided an environment in which we were encouraged to think outside the box. I was able to marry intellectual curiosity with an active involvement in the world in which we live."

Brown Wilson's career spans a broad range of academic and professional activities in aging and long-term care, including teaching, research, program design, and implementation. Her work encompasses service at the community, state, national, and international levels. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to bridging the gap between research and practice, with emphasis on practical applications and mentorship opportunities. Since 2000 she has been president of the Jessie F. Richardson Foundation in Portland, Oregon.

Her Oregon-based assisted living companies have provided development and management services to over 200 projects in 17 states with more than 7,000 residents, many of which serve specialized populations, including Native Americans, Spanish speakers, African Americans, the deaf, the mentally ill, and urban low-income individuals.