Meet Our Founders
Founding Director, UMAC
Professor Phyllis Moen
Phyllis Moen is a life course scholar, professor of sociology, and holder of a McKnight Endowed Presidential Chair at the University of Minnesota, recruited there in 2003 after 25 years at Cornell University.
In addition to her work with UMAC, Dr. Moen directs the Life Course Center and serves as a board member of Encore.org founded by social entrepreneur Marc Freedman.
She was elected president of the Eastern Sociological Society; president of an international association, the Work and Family Research Network; and fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Gerontological Society of America, and the National Conference For Families.
Professor Moen is also part of the Work, Family and Health Network, an interdisciplinary group of scholars established by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to examine the effects of working conditions on the health of women and men of all ages.
The author of numerous articles and books, including the award-winning Career Mystique: Cracks in the American Dream (2005), Professor Moen published Encore Adulthood: Boomers on the Edge of Risk, Renewal, and Purpose (2016). In it she addresses the challenges of this emergent “encore” life stage for individuals and families, communities, employers, and governments.
Executive Director, UMAC
Dr. Kate Schaefers
Kate Schaefers, PhD, LP, is a psychologist, coach, and educator. She coaches professionals who are transitioning into new roles, jobs, and careers, and organizations that are exploring ways to tap the talent of a multigenerational workplace.
Dr. Schaefers is volunteer state president for AARP-MN, and a founding board member of SHIFT, a Twin Cities nonprofit facilitating career change in the second half of life.
She has taught graduate level classes at the University of Minnesota and University of St. Thomas. She is a past president of Minnesota Career Development Association, and received the Jules Kerlan Outstanding Achievement Award in 2012 for contributions to the field of career development.
Dr. Schaefers has a PhD in counseling psychology from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Minnesota.
k-scha@umn.edu
Twitter @KateSchaefers
UMAC Coordinator
Jane Peterson
Jane Peterson coordinates the learning opportunities and schedules events and speakers throughout the year. She assists in the development and monitoring of short- and long-term plans as part of the Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation team.
jampeter@umn.edu
612-624-4842