The History of PNA

The Memphis & Shelby County Council on Aging (now DBA Professional Network on Aging) began with an organizational meeting on April 14, 1976 at the Main Library, focusing on concerns related to seniors of health problems, lack of value for aged persons, need for public relations, intergenerational exchange, age discrimination and living arrangements.

In June 1976 the Council adopted its constitution and by-laws and sent the first notices of membership dues ($10). At this time the Council had 54 paid memberships. Quarterly programs were offered until July 1978 when they adopted the monthly program schedule on the 2nd Thursday of the month.

The Council held its first professional workshop in April of 1981, and began sponsoring its own annual professional conference in 2000. This happened until 2006 when the Council joined with the Tennessee Conference on Social Welfare to present an annual conference.

In September 1981 the Council began incorporating and the Charter was signed on October 15, 1981. The by-laws were changed in 1982 to reflect the focus of influencing the quality of life for seniors, education and networking. The Council received its 501(c)(3) status in 1983.

To educate seniors on the services available to them, the Council offered many Senior Consumer Information Fairs. To expand the opportunities for the Council to promote education to seniors, they partnered with the Memphis Zoo to establish a fun and informative day for seniors. The very first “Senior Day at the Memphis Zoo” was held in May of 1988. In 1991 the Council officially adopted the name “Senior Expo” for the senior consumer fair. The Council then separated these events, offering “Senior Expo” in the spring and “Senior Day at the Zoo” in the fall, which in 2015 was renamed “Senior Safari at the Zoo.”

A long range planning committee was established in 1994 to sharpen the focus of the Council to emphasize under-served senior needs, addressing these needs through networking, community education and advocacy. With the adoption of new by-laws in 2001, the Council’s mission focused on educating those serving seniors to elevate the quality of life for all seniors in our community. The Council started work on a new five year strategic plan in 2007 under the direction of David Williams.

In 1999 the Council’s Legislative Committee continued its support for Home and Community Based Services by partnering with AARP to send letters to the governor to increase funding for this issue. Through the hard work of the Legislative Committee and the advocacy of the Council and its members, Tennessee received increased funding for this vital program. In 2007 the Legislative Committee partnered with the Aging Commission of the Mid-South to educate and enlighten the community and its leaders on “Redesigning an Aging America”. This two year project provided educational forums quarterly to help us all rethink what type of user friendly communities we want to have for our future.

During the 2007 strategic planning process the board of directors, based on membership research, community interviews, and an organizational assessment, developed a number of critical issues to be addressed. These issues ranged from developing a vision statement and clearer mission for the organization to addressing the confusion of the Council and the Aging Commission. By first clarifying that COA is a “membership” organization comprised of professionals and agencies that serve the aging in the Mid-South, the recommendation was made to focus its primary mission on serving its members in order that its members can better serve their constituencies—the aging in the Mid-South. The recommendation was made to change the name to “Professional Network on Aging” to better reflect the purpose of the organization, including the sub-line of “Serving the Mid-South” to welcome members from the counties surrounding Memphis. The membership ratified the name change at the March 2008 meeting. The official name of the organization is The Memphis & Shelby County Council on Aging DBA Professional Network on Aging.

The Professional Network on Aging established the Senior Advocacy Award “to recognize individuals whose life and work demonstrate a passion for service to seniors and whose actions are a strong advocacy for the senior population.” This award was originally named in Honor of Cynthia Patterson, and in 2018 it was renamed in Honor of Bob Bernstein, one of the original founders of the Memphis & Shelby County Council on Aging (currently PNA). This award is presented every year at the Professional Conference on Aging.

List of Honorees:

• 2009     Cynthia Patterson
• 2012     Terrie Kirksey
• 2013     Dr. Robert Burns
• 2014     Lester Gingold
• 2016     Bob Bernstein
• 2017     Jo Ann Harris
• 2018     Lynn Doyle
• 2019     Rena Rosenberg
• 2020     Ken Cope
• 2021     Melanie Keller
• 2022     Pat Smith (posthumously)

In 2015 “Senior Day at the Zoo” was renamed “Senior Safari at the Zoo.”

In 2016, the Professional Network on Aging began giving a Scholarship for Studies in Aging, to be awarded to a Masters level (or higher) candidate studying in the field of aging who plans to work in the Memphis area after graduation. In 2017 the Board of Directors voted to increase the amount of scholarship money from $1000 to $2000/year. As of 2022 the amount of Scholarship money awarded has increased to $8000/year, which can be split as the Scholarship Committee sees fit.

The Professional Network on Aging turned 46 on April 14, 2022. Currently it has over 250 member companies and over 500 member representatives of those companies, all of whom have something to do with seniors. PNA is now one of the oldest and largest non-profits in Memphis by membership.