M.T. Connolly

MT Connolly, a leading national expert on elder justice, was awarded a MacArthur "genius" grant for her work shaping research, policy and practice. She was founding head of DOJ’s Elder Justice Initiative, architect of the federal Elder Justice Act, and lead author of the Elder Justice Roadmap, setting priorities for the field. That work, and her research for "The Measure of Our Age: Navigating Care, Safety, Money and Meaning Later in Life," led her to co-design teams that provide more holistic, hopeful, and evidence-based services aimed to reduce trouble and enhance connection as we age, like the innovative "RISE" program. First pilot-tested in Maine, and now expanding elsewhere, RISE services are “person-centered” and can include support for caregivers and others. MT grew up in Rochester, Minnesota and the Northwoods of Wisconsin, graduated from Stanford and Northeastern University School of Law, is adjunct faculty at USC's Davis School of Gerontology, and lives in Washington, DC.