Age-Friendly Task Force

Since 2009 she has been involved in both the private and public sectors dedicated to advocacy, civic engagement, and program development in the field of aging.

In addition to focusing on positive aging, she believes in fostering community and that those who have served the University will continue to have the support of the University.

Ayesha holds both a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Gerontology from USC, and a BA in Sociology from Temple University. Ayesha continued her passion for gerontology by creating innovative programming; such as intergenerational events, facilitating therapeutic art initiatives, and creating community-centered events.

Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris is a Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning, and a core member of the UCLA Urban Humanities Initiative.

She has also served as UCLA’s Associate Provost for Academic Planning from 2016 to 2019, as Associate Dean for the Luskin School (2012-2022), and as the Chair of the UCLA Urban Planning Department (2002-2008). She holds degrees in architecture and urban planning. Her research integrates social and spatial issues and emphasizes the need in planning, urban design, and policymaking to understand the perspectives of those who live and work in a community, and especially those of the most vulnerable populations.

Fernando M. Torres-Gil’s multifaceted career spans the academic, professional, and policy arenas. He is a Professor of Social Welfare and Public Policy at UCLA, an Adjunct Professor of Gerontology at USC, and Director of the UCLA Center for Policy Research on Aging. He has served as Associate Dean and Acting Dean at the UCLA School of Public Affairs, and most recently Chair of the Social Welfare Department. He has written six books and over l00 publications, including The New Aging: Politics and Change in America (1992) and Lessons from Three Nations, Volumes I and II (2007). His academic contributions have earned him membership in the prestigious Academies of Public Administration, Gerontology and Social Insurance. His research spans important topics of health and long-term care, disability, entitlement reform, and the politics of aging.

Alan Castel is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He studies learning, memory, and aging. He is interested in how younger and older adults can selectively remember important information. He lectures internationally to people of all ages. His work has been featured in the New York Times and Time Magazine. His new general audience book is entitled Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging. He received his PhD from the University of Toronto, did a fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, and has been on faculty at UCLA since 2006. He has received the Springer Early Career Award from the American Psychological Association, a Fulbright Scholar Award, and the UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award. His research has been supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Hsu brings a diverse background and experience to inform his research and teaching. With training in both engineering and epidemiology, he has applied methods such as program optimization and modeling to the areas of risk assessment, mild traumatic brain injuries (concussions), and the role of firearms in homicide-suicide events. Recent projects have included a needs assessment of gang intervention workers, evaluating community-based programs for violence prevention, and investigating the role of culture and other factors in minority health. In addition to his epidemiology classes (Principles of Epidemiology, Environmental and Social Determinants of Violent Injury), Dr. Hsu also serves as a co-faculty lead on Frontiers in Human Aging, one in a number of undergraduate honors “clusters” that together have been nationally-recognized. Topics and seminars have included the epidemiologic transition of the population, health promotion among the elderly, and Public Health and Aging: Epidemiology, Ethnicity, and Geography.

For nearly half of UCLA’s existence, Al has been a service provider and influential member of the campus community. His work has been recognized with the Chancellor’s Excellence Award, the Bruin Caucus Advocate of the Year Award, the UCLA Award for University Service, UCLA Staff Assembly President’s Award, He has also received proclamations from the Cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood. The University Credit Union has created a $5,000 Al Aubin scholarship which is offered annually to a student who has advocated for underrepresented populations. The Al Aubin Leadership Award is given annually at UCLA’s Lavender Graduation Scholarship.

In retirement, Al celebrates aging and remains involved with the University Credit Union, East West Players Theatre, Internship Alumni Network, Town & Gowns Affiliates, and the Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education.

After a 40-year career at UCLA, Renee retired in 2021 as Executive Director, Events & Transportation. In that role she oversaw the Events Office; Parking; Commuter Services; Fleet & Transit; and Traffic systems. Her other positions include Capital Programs Principal Planner and Business & Transportation Services Associate Director. She was co-chair of the BeWell pod of the UCLA Healthy Campus Initiative. Her favorite activities are events, gatherings and luncheons with fellow retirees. She thinks the best thing about retirement is having time to get outside and enjoy nature in the garden, at the beach, and in the mountains and foothills. (It's also pretty sweet to be free of nonstop emails and messages that need a response!)

He retired from UCLA in 2007 after 32+ years in External Affairs, the School of Engineering, Corporate Financial Services, and (most recently) Academic Planning and Budget. John is active in CUCRA, the Council of University of California Retiree Associations. His favorite activity is serving on the UCLA Retirees Board. He thinks his connection to UCLA retirees is the best thing about retirement.