Illinois Has a Multi-Sector Plan on Aging: What Are the Next Steps? 

Friday, February 6 | 8:30–10:30 a.m. CT 

Illinois has released its new Multi-Sector Plan for Aging—a landmark, 10-year roadmap to advance aging equity across the lifespan. The question now is: what comes next? 

The ASA Chicagoland Roundtable, co-sponsored by Health & Medicine Policy Research Group, invites partners and community members to join us for a timely conversation exploring the newly released plan, key implementation considerations, and how it connects to ongoing community-level efforts across Illinois. 

During this roundtable, participants will hear directly from Illinois Department on Aging leadership about the plan’s development and priorities, followed by reflections from statewide leaders on what it will take to translate vision into action. 

Program Highlights 

• Overview of Illinois’s new Multi-Sector Plan for Aging 
• Reflections on implementation, coordination, and accountability 
• Discussion of how community organizations, advocates, and systems can support the plan’s goals 

Background 

In August 2024, Governor JB Pritzker issued Executive Order 24-02, calling for the development of a 10-year, whole-of-government plan to advance aging equity across Illinois. Since then, the Illinois Department on Aging has convened a community advisory council and a task force of state agency leaders to guide this work. 

With the hiring of Michelle Hoersch as Chief Planning Officer, the Department partnered with experts from the UIC Institute on Race and Public Policy and the School of Public Health to lead a robust engagement process. Beginning in August 2025, older adults, caregivers, providers, advocates, researchers, and elected officials from across the state contributed their perspectives through listening sessions and consultations. 

Health & Medicine Policy Research Group organized nine of these engagement sessions, both in person and remotely, ensuring voices from across Illinois helped shape the plan. In December, the advisory council and task force concluded their work, and the Department met its December 31 deadline—an impressive achievement given the scale and complexity of the effort. 

Health & Medicine leads Illinois Aging Together, a statewide campaign advocating for policies and systems that support healthy, equitable aging for all Illinoisans. Through cross-sector collaboration and community-informed advocacy, Illinois Aging Together helped drive the development and adoption of Illinois’s statewide Multi-Sector Plan for Aging. 

Speakers 

• Mary Killough, Director, Illinois Department on Aging 
• Michelle Hoersch, Chief Planning Officer, Illinois Department on Aging 
• Philippe Largent, State Director, AARP Illinois 
• Diane Slezak, President & CEO, AgeOptions 

Moderator: Michael Gelder, MHA, Consultant; Adjunct Research Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Chicago; Board Member, Health & Medicine Policy Research Group 

We hope you’ll join us for this important conversation about how Illinois can move from planning to action—and ensure the promise of aging equity becomes reality across the state.