Katherine Freund
Founder, President, Transportation Activist


Honors and Awards

  • 2009 AARP Inspire Award Honoree
  • 2006 Maxwell Pollack Award, Gerontological Society of America
  • 2006 Social Enterprise Alliance Award for Leadership in Innovative Enterprise Ideas
  • 2005 Excellence Award, Northeast Transportation Safety Conference
  • 2004 Archstone Award for Excellence in Program Innovation, Gerontological Health Section, American Public Health Association Geriatric Best Practices, South Carolina Hospital Association and the Duke Endowment
  • 2000-2002 Fellow, National Transit Institute, Rutgers University
  • 1998 Giraffe Project Award, Sticking Your Neck Out for the Common Good
  • 1996 Nationwide Insurance on Your Side Highway Safety Award
  • 1992 National Endowment for the Arts Grant Award, for Heritage Conservation, Design Arts, Greater Portland Landmarks Award for Citizen Activism in Historic Preservation

Invited Speaker

  • Keynote Speaker, Roundtable on Seniors Transportation, Alberta Motor Association, Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2009.
  • Keynote Speaker, Roundtable on Seniors Transportation, Alberta Motor Association and ElderNET Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, May 21, 2009.
  • Keynote Speaker, Roundtable on Seniors Transportation, Alberta Motor Association, Alberta Health Services and South Eastern Alberta Traffic Safety Coalition, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, May 19, 2009.
  • Speaker, Johns Hopkins Tayback Conference on Social Isolation among Older Adults, Baltimore, MD, December 17, 2008.
  • Speaker, International Longevity Center USA Brown Bag Series, New York, NY, December 11, 2008.
  • Speaker, Atlantic Philanthropies Lecture Series, New York, NY, December 10, 2008.
  • Speaker, Harvard Kennedy School, David Gergan Center for Public Leadership, Cambridge, MA, December 1, 2008.
  • Speaker, Empowering Communities Conference, New York State Office for the Aging, Saratoga Springs, NY, November 13, 2008.
  • Speaker, New England Bioneers Conference, Portland, ME, October 19, 2008.
  • Speaker, Rhode Island Senior Agenda Coalition Conference, "Aging in an Elder-Friendly Community," Newport, RI, October 16, 2008.
  • Speaker, Capstone course: Aging, Public Policy and Management, University of Maryland, Erickson School, Baltimore, Maryland, September 13, 2008.
  • Speaker, Seniors’ Alternative Transportation Roundtable, BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, June 12, 2008.
  • Featured Speaker, "Imagine No Barriers: Inclusive Transportation Forum," Community, INC (formerly Valley Disability Partnership Society), Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, June 3, 2008.
  • Keynote Speaker, "Are We Licensed for Life?" Transportation and Driving Issues in an Aging Society, 2008 Annual Friedman Conference, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, May 13, 2008.
  • Speaker, The Role of Government in Supporting Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship: A Briefing on New Approaches to Addressing Social Problems, The Aspen Institute, Washington, DC, April 29, 2008.
  • Speaker, NonProfit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay, University of Tampa, Sykes College of Business, Tampa, Florida, March 10, 2008.
  • Keynote Speaker, Roundtable on Senior Transportation, Alberta Motor Association and the Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, November 29, 2007.
  • Speaker, Maxwell Pollack Award Presentation, Gerontological Association of America, San Francisco, California, November 18, 2007.
  • Speaker, St. Luke’s Elder Solutions of Central CT, Middletown, CT, October 18,2007.
  • Speaker, Iowa Association of Senior Centers Annual Conference, Des Moines, Iowa, October 12, 2007.
  • Speaker, NonProfit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay, University of Tampa, Sykes College of Business, Tampa, Florida, March 5, 2007.
  • Speaker, Capstone course: Aging, Public Policy and Management, University of Maryland, Erickson School, Baltimore, Maryland, September 29, 2007.
  • Speaker, Policy Academy of the National Governor’s Association, Annapolis, Maryland, July 24, 2007.
  • Keynote Speaker, "Closing the Gaps" Conference, Brisbane, Australia, May 2007.
  • Speaker, Northeast Transportation Safety Conference, South Portland, Maine, April 25-26, 2007.
  • Guest Speaker, Irish Gerontological Society, Dublin, Ireland, June 2006.
  • Keynote Speaker, 7th Gathering Social Enterprise Alliance, Atlanta, Georgia March 2006.
  • Speaker, Northeast Transportation Safety Conference, South Portland, Maine, April 21, 2005.
  • Speaker, White House Conference on Aging Listening Session, MIT, April 14, 2005.
  • Speaker, White House Conference on Aging Listening Session, American Society on Aging, Philadelphia, March 10, 2005.
  • Speaker, North American Conference on Elderly Mobility, Detroit, Michigan, September 2004.
  • Speaker, New Jersey Foundation for Aging Annual Meeting, September 2004.
  • Conference Session Chair and Speaker, High Priority Issues Facing Community Based Alternative Transportation for Senior, Transportation Research Board, January 2004.
  • Keynote Speaker, Turning Plans into Action, Saferoads, Melbourne, Australia, July 16-17, 2002.
  • Speaker, National Conference on Aging & Mobility: Senior Mobility in the 21st Century – What Can We Do to Prepare? Scottsdale, Arizona, March 25-27, 2002.
  • Speaker, The Many Faces of Aging, New Hampshire State Conference on Aging, May 2001.
  • Speaker, Aging in the Community: Living Arrangements and the Community, International Conference on Aging and Mobility, Heidelberg, Germany, Penn State University and Heidelberg University, April 2001.
  • Featured Speaker, Senior Transit Workshops, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Mackinaw City, Michigan, September 2000.
  • Speaker, Governor’ Highway Safety Conference, Appleton, Wisconsin, June 2000.
  • Speaker, St. Louis Transportation Consortium for Older Adults, General Motors, March 10, 2000.
  • Speaker, "Ride, Drive or Walk: Successes in Senior Transportation," Detroit, Michigan, June 1999.
  • Speaker, International Year of Older Persons, Connecticut Department of Social Services, May 1999.
  • Speaker, Older Driver Symposium, Parker Jewish Institute, New York, May 1999.
  • Discussant, "Social Structures and Mobility in the Elderly," the limitations of mass transportation and individual vehicle systems for older persons. Penn State Gerontology Center, October 12-14, 1997.
  • Speaker, "ITS Contributions to the Accessibility of Older People, Transportation Alternatives in Later Life," ITS America conference, Washington, DC, June 4, 1997.
  • Speaker, Identification of Impaired Drivers: A Statewide Conference for Health Care Providers, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, March 22, 1996.
  • Speaker, Identification of Impaired Drivers: A Statewide Conference for Health Care Providers, University of Massachusetts Medical Center; April 29, 1995.

Invited Panelist

  • Panel Member, Enhancing Transportation Options for Seniors in Maryland, Maryland Research Consortium, Linthicum, MD, January 2008.
  • Panel Member, Transportation Research Board, Conference Session: Twentieth Anniversary Special Report 218: Transportation in an Aging Society, Where We Are and Where We Will be, Part 1, Washington, DC, January 2008.
  • Panel Member, Making Connections Conference, Getting There: The Challenges of Transportation, Donors Forum of South Florida, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
  • Panel Member, Transportation Research Board, Conference Session: Alternative Transportation for Seniors, ITNAmerica — National Initiative, Washington, DC, January 2007.
  • Panel Member, American Society on Aging, ITNAmerica, Report from the Field, Anaheim, California, March 2006.
  • Panel Member, International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence, ITNAmerica, Report from the Field, St. Petersburg, Florida, February 2006.
  • Panel Member, Transportation Research Board, Conference Session, "Paying It Forward: Using Public Policy to Guide Resources for Senior Transportation," Washington, DC, January 2006.
  • Panel Member, TCRP Project B-23, Resource Requirements for Demand Responsive Transportation Services, 2000 to present.
  • Panel Member, TCRP Project B-19, Improving Public Transportation Options for Older People, 1999 to present.
  • Expert Panel, Safety and Mobility Issues of Older Drivers, General Motors, Leesburg, VA, May 1996.
  • Expert Panel, Alternatives for Meeting Personalized Mobility Needs, Office of the Secretary of Transportation, Washington, DC, April 1996.
  • Panel Member, White House Conference on Aging, TRB Mini-Conference, January 1995.
  • Panel Member, Socratic Dialogue: Medical Factors for Older Drivers, Harvard Medical School, Geriatric Grand Rounds, 1994.
  • Panel Member, Socratic Dialogue: Can Older Driver Behavior be Enhanced? Transportation Research Board, 1994.

Presentations

  • "Dignified Transportation for Seniors," University of Kentucky, Summer Series on Aging, Lexington, KY, June 24, 2009.
  • "Independent Transportation Network: Dignified Transportation for Seniors and the Transition from Driving," Minneapolis Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, June 8, 2009.
  • "Building Community: Transportation for Seniors," Aging Services of California, Annual Conference and Exposition, Monterey, CA, May 5, 2009.
  • "Business Planning to Help Increase Social Impact," with Marcia Kerz, Stacey Easterling and Julie Zack, Annual Meeting of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging, Las Vegas, NV, March 17, 2009.
  • Senior Transportation~Putting the Pieces Together, National Center on Senior Transportation, ASA Transportation Peer Group Meeting, Annual Meeting of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging, Las Vegas, NV, March 17, 2009.
  • "Innovative Programs and the Driving Transition," Annual Meeting of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging, Las Vegas, NV, March 18, 2009.
  • "Addressing Unmet Transportation Needs of Older Persons through Social Entrepreneurship in Practice and Policy," National Aging and Law Conference, Crystal City, VA, December 5, 2008.
  • "An Entrepreneurial Approach to Sustainable Senior Mobility," American Society on Aging, East Coast Conference, Philadelphia, PA, October 24, 2008.
  • "How to Assess Your Community for ITN Development," American Society on Aging, East Coast Conference, Philadelphia, PA, October 24, 2008.
  • "How Two Entrepreneurial Area Agencies on Aging Helped Launch the Nation’s First National Nonprofit Transportation Service for Seniors," N4A 33rd Annual Conference and Tradeshow, Nashville, Tennessee, July 20-23, 2008
  • Conference Sessions: Community Coordination of Transportation Services and Successful Models of Advocacy in Transportation, Approaches to community Mobility Solutions, National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging Transportation Session, Washington, DC, March 27-30, 2008.
  • "Automobile-Based Alternative Transportation, "Geronotological Society of America Symposium, San Francisco, California, November 17, 2007.
  • Maine Bureau of Rehabilitation Services Conference, Samoset Resort, Rockport, Maine, October 11, 2007.
  • "Finding Extraordinary Volunteer Drivers in ‘Extra-Ordinary’ Ways," Annual Meeting of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging, Chicago, Illinois, March 7-10, 2007.
  • "ITNAmerica and the Independent Transportation Network: A Scalable Model," Poster Presentation, TRANSED, Montreal, Canada, June 20-21, 2007.
  • "A Unified Approach to Senior Mobility," Annual Meeting of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging, Chicago, Illinois, March 7-10, 2007.
  • Designing Customized Services to Serve Diverse Needs: Transportation, Housing and Case Management Best Practices Models, New Jersey Foundation for Aging, Jamesburg, NJ, September 2003.
  • Geriatric Best Practices: Successful and Sustainable Systems and Methods, Semi-Finalist presentation, Duke University Endowment and the South Carolina Hospital Association, Charleston, SC, September 2003.
  • Raleigh Mitzvah Heroes Conference, Ziv Tzedakah Foundation, Raleigh-Durham Jewish Federation, February 2003.
  • Mapping the Road Not Taken: Transportation Planning for Seniors, Human Factors Workshop, Transportation Research Board, with Dr. Germaine Odenheimer, January 2001.
  • State of Illinois Department on Aging, Older Driver Conference: Policy Challenges for a New Age, "Surviving Without Driving: The Independent Transportation Network, Chicago, Illinois, October 8-9, 1998.
  • IDEA Projects, Rural Transportation Conference, Penn State University, August 31, 1998.
  • Symposium, American Society on Aging, 44th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, "Driving Transitions, Consequences and Transportation Alternatives among Older Adults," March 25-28, 1998.
  • Conference Organizer, Transportation as a Lifelong Need: First National Conference on Mobility Alternatives for the Aging Population, Stone House Conference Center, Wolf’s Neck, Freeport, Maine, October 3-4, 1997.
  • Recent Developments in Funding Transportation Alternatives for Older Adults, Rural Public & Intercity Bus Transportation, North Conway, New Hampshire, September 14-17, 1997.
  • Conference Session: Mobility Consequences of Stopping Driving, Driving Cessation When an Acceptable Alternative is Available, Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, January 1997.
  • Licensing the Senior Driver: Managing for Functional Deficits, Transportation Alternatives, presented with Audrey Straight, TRB Committee on the Safe Mobility of Older Drivers, Subcommittee on Older drivers, September 1996.
  • Surviving Without Driving: Meeting the Mobility Needs of Non-Drivers, Human Factors in Transportation, Transportation Research Board, Washington D.C., January 22, 1995.
  • Chair and Organizer, White House Conference on Aging, Maine Public Hearings for the Draft Report of the Task Force to Study the Safe Mobility of Maine's Aging Population, 1995.
  • Conference Organizer, Transportation as a Lifelong Need: A Statewide Conference and Public Forum, Task Force to Study the Safe Mobility of Maine's Aging Population, Portland, Maine, February 25, 1994.
  • Diminished Capacity Older Drivers: Letting Go of the Keys, The 13th National Conference on Specialized Transportation, "Identifying Most Effective Mobility for Older Persons: Transition from Auto to Specialized Transportation," Tampa, Florida, October 1992.
  • The Politics of Older Driver Legislation: A Case Study of Maine's 1983 "Act to Eliminate the Requirement that Persons over 75 Years of Age Take Periodic Driving Tests," The 44th Annual Conference of the Gerontological Society of America, San Francisco, November 1991.