Alana Wright will begin her service as the Minnesota Gerontological Society (MGS) Executive Director on Sept. 13. Alana comes to MGS with 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership focused on equity, aging services, public/community health, and philanthropy.

“Her passion is to provide aging services education to improve knowledge, performance, and outcomes. Not only is Alana dedicated to our mission of bridging research and practice to create meaningful impact for older Minnesotans, she has worked tirelessly to build relationships with professionals in community-based and government organizations. These important connections will help her to effectively advance MGS' mission”, says MGS President Pam Zimmerman.

Alana currently serves as the Director of Equity and Operations for the Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging. In her new role, she will become the MGS delegate on the Leadership Council and continue her role as Convenor of the Minnesota Diverse Elders Coalition.

Alana will replace Tom Hyder, who is retiring from the MGS executive director position effective Sept. 30. Tom served as Executive Director since 2014.

“I am thrilled that Alana will be the new ED. She will guide MGS towards a diverse and inclusive future. I have great respect for her,” said Hyder. “MGS started as a part-time encore career for me. It immediately became a true mission because of the dedicated Board, passionate volunteers, and the growing importance of providing quality education to the aging services network through our webinars and conferences.”