Community Advisory Board

Without consistent, direct input from members of the community, researchers can face challenges trying to design cognitive measures that are relevant and applicable to wider population demographics. The OMNI ADRD Community Advisory Board provides structured input on OMNI activities and priorities from community members and stakeholders, including individuals with lived experience and professionals from relevant organizations.

Ralph Carmona

Ralph Carmona, PhD, was a former adjunct professor at the University of Southern California Institute of Politics and currently teaches courses at Southern Maine Community College. Carmona was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in 2014, and has since participated in multiple clinical trials for Alzheimer’s research, including the Hope Study and a Lecanemab trial.

Leah Farley

Leah Farley, MSW, is a member of the Alzheimer’s Association Board of Directors. For more than two decades, she worked with children, adolescents and their families, including as a social worker for New York Public Schools and as a substance abuse counselor for a state-run agency. She was also an advocate and behavioral educator for daycare children and staff in Massachusetts. Farley was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in 2023.

Carl Hill

Carl V. Hill, PhD, MPH, is the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for the Alzheimer’s Association, overseeing strategic initiatives to strengthen the Association’s outreach to all populations. Dr. Hill also develops cross-functional partnerships with organizations to advance awareness efforts on Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and to deliver disease education to those who are disproportionately impacted and underserved.

Ronald Hogrefe

Ronald Hogrefe is an author and full-time caregiver to his wife, Cheryl. Hogrefe was one of the 2024 Citizen Scientist Collaborator Award honorees for his research advocacy and work to develop resources for other caregivers.

Lisa McGuire

Lisa McGuire, PhD, is a nationally recognized leader at the intersection of public health with aging and Alzheimer’s. She is the Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Practice Innovation at the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). As a former caregiver for her mother with mixed dementia, Dr. McGuire is professionally and personally passionate about caregiving and dementia-related issues.

Oanh Meyer

Oanh Meyer, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at the UC Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Meyer directs the Research Education Component at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and co-directs Integrating Special Populations into Research at the Clinical and Translational Science Center. She studies cognitive and mental health disparities in racial and ethnic minorities and older adults at the individual and population level. Dr. Meyer is currently the Principal Investigator of the NIA-funded Vietnamese Insights into Cognitive Aging Program.

Shielia Nesci

Shielia Nesci is a passionate research advocate for patients diagnosed with currently untreatable diseases. Nesci previously had a successful publishing career and was married to Bill Nagley for 22 years when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, before he passed away in 2020. As his caregiver, Nesci concluded that drug trials offered her husband a greater chance of recovery. Nesci also participated in research herself and has recruited several other participants. Nesci recently remarried and now co-leads a support group for women whose spouses have been diagnosed with dementia.

Marc Norman

Marc Norman, PhD, is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego Health. Dr. Norman’s primary research interest is in neuropsychological functioning in cognitively normal adults and adults with neurological or psychiatric disorders. He is involved with ongoing studies in assessing cognitive and memory performance in healthy adults, especially senior African Americans.

Juan Rodriguez

Juan Rodriguez, PhD, MPH, MS, is an epidemiologist with more than 20 years of experience in chronic disease prevention and population health research and practice. He serves as AARP’s Vice President of Brain Health, where he leads efforts to generate and synthesize research on brain health risk factors, population needs, and effective approaches.

Jill Smith

Jill Smith, MA, CCRC, has over 20 years of experience in neurology-based research, serving multiple roles within academia and the VA healthcare system including project manager, regulatory coordinator, clinical rater, and team director. She supports the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation (GAP) Participant Services program and the growing team of liaisons who work hands-on with GAP-Net site to engage and recruit volunteers for neurodegenerative trials.

Adrienne Stith

Adrienne Stith, PhD, is the Head of Science at the American Psychological Association (APA) where she leads programs and initiatives to advance and promote psychological science. Prior to joining APA, she served as director of the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences (BBCSS) at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Nancy Treaster

Nancy Treaster, CCC, is a retired software industry executive and Certified Caregiving Consultant who co-founded The Caregiver’s Journey with longtime friend Sue Ryan, after both experienced the challenges of dementia caregiving for multiple family members. Together they co-host an award-winning podcast that reaches tens of thousands of subscribers worldwide. Nancy delivers practical, experience-based strategies that help caregivers build confidence, anticipate challenges, and find effective solutions.

CAB Reports

OMNI ADRD CAB Meeting Summary March 2026